Guidance for Developing Performance Standards and Specifications for Concrete

This report provides guidance on transitioning the construction industry from prescriptive concrete specifications—which dictate a specific 'recipe'—to Performance Standards and Specifications (PSS) that focus on desired properties. The author argues that PSS is essential for scaling low-carbon concrete and reducing sector emissions by 25% or more, as traditional standards are geared toward ordinary Portland cement (OPC). The document outlines stakeholder roles, suggests specific tests for workability, strength, and durability, and provides case studies from the US and international examples to demonstrate how PSS can be trialed on real-world projects.

• Performance standards and specifications (PSS) focus on desired properties rather than recipes, which can enable the acceptance of low-carbon concrete mixes and potentially lower sector emissions by 25% or more.
• The adoption of PSS in the United States has been hindered by two primary bottlenecks: the lack of a comprehensive suite of tests to guarantee performance when composition is not specified, and a general shortage of tests that consistently predict long-term workability, performance, and durability.
• Developing a robust PSS requires a comprehensive testing matrix covering three main categories: strength (e.g., set-time and 28- or 56-day strength), durability (e.g., permeability, shrinkage, and carbonation), and workability (e.g., flowability, segregation, and thermal cracking).
• The transition to PSS involves a redistribution of responsibilities: concrete suppliers may gain more freedom in mixture design but face increased responsibility to meet performance specs; contractors may be held accountable for performance during placing and finishing; and structural engineers remain responsible for the final PSS version.
• Real-world project trials are identified as the primary mechanism for developing PSS. Case studies include the National Concrete Pavement Technology Center's work on AASHTO R101, a data center project in the Midwest using low-carbon concrete from Ozinga, and the MnROAD facility on I-94 in Minnesota.
• Existing international frameworks, such as Canada's CSA A23.1 and the U.K.'s BSI Flex 350 v2, provide successful models for PSS. Canada's CSA A23.1, implemented since 2009, has resulted in nearly all specifications in Canada becoming performance-based.

APA

RMI (2024). Guidance for Developing Performance Standards and Specifications for Concrete. https://rmi.org/resources/guidance-for-developing-performance-standards-and-specifications-for-concrete/

Chicago

RMI. Guidance for Developing Performance Standards and Specifications for Concrete. 2024. https://rmi.org/resources/guidance-for-developing-performance-standards-and-specifications-for-concrete/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Guidance for Developing Performance Standards and Specifications for Concrete |date=16 December 2024 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/guidance-for-developing-performance-standards-and-specifications-for-concrete/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2024guidance, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Guidance for Developing Performance Standards and Specifications for Concrete}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2024}, month = dec, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/guidance-for-developing-performance-standards-and-specifications-for-concrete/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }