ASTM C1157/C1157M
Standard Performance Specification for Hydraulic Cement
Cement judged purely on how it performs, with no restriction on its chemistry or ingredients — an alternative path to the prescriptive portland and blended cement specifications.
Who needs it
Cement producers with non-traditional formulations, specifiers writing performance-based documents, and sustainability programs that reward lower-clinker cements.
What the test involves
Instead of limiting composition, it defines cement types by the attribute the user actually needs, such as general use, high early strength, moderate or high sulfate resistance, and low heat of hydration. A producer can meet those requirements with whatever combination of materials works. This opens the door to lower-carbon cements that could not qualify under a composition-based specification even when they perform equally well.
Common misconceptions
- A performance specification is not a looser specification. The cement still has to demonstrate the properties, it just is not told how to get there.
- Some agencies and codes still name the prescriptive standards specifically, so a compliant performance cement can still be rejected on a project by contract language rather than by performance.
- The type letters do not map one-to-one onto the portland cement type numbers, so translating a spec between the two systems takes care.
Official source
We summarize scope and purpose only. The full text belongs to the issuing body — read it at the official source. ASTM International