Portland Cement Fineness
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Fineness, or particle size of portland cement affects hydration rate and thus the rate of strength gain. The smaller the particle size, the greater the surface area-to-volume ratio, and thus, the more area available for water-cement interaction per unit volume. The effects of greater fineness on strength are generally seen during the first seven days (PCA, 19881).
Standard Test Methods
- AASHTO T 98 and ASTM C 115: Fineness of Portland Cement by the Turbidimeter.
- AASHTO T 128 and ASTM C 184: Fineness of Hydraulic Cement by the 150-mm (No. 100) and 75-mm (No. 200) Sieves
- AASHTO T 153 and ASTM C 204: Fineness of Hydraulic Cement by Air Permeability Apparatus
- AASHTO T 192 and ASTM C 430: Fineness of Hydraulic Cement by the 45-mm (No. 325) Sieve
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Cite this page
APA
Pavement Interactive. (2026, November 1). Portland cement fineness. HeadLight. Retrieved [the date you read it], from https://pavementinteractive.org/reference-desk/testing/cement-tests/portland-cement-fineness/
ASCE
Pavement Interactive. (2026). “Portland Cement Fineness.” HeadLight, <https://pavementinteractive.org/reference-desk/testing/cement-tests/portland-cement-fineness/> ([the date you read it]).
BibTeX
@misc{pavint-portland-cement-fineness,
author = {{Pavement Interactive}},
title = {Portland Cement Fineness},
year = {2026},
publisher = {HeadLight},
howpublished = {\url{https://pavementinteractive.org/reference-desk/testing/cement-tests/portland-cement-fineness/}},
note = {Accessed [date]}
}Sources (1)
- PCA (1988). Design and Control of Concrete Mixtures. 13th edition. Portland Cement Association. Skokie, IL. ↩