CH-6 Mandatory Building Material Tests PDF

E4 -E5 Civil (Tec hnical)
Rev d ate: 20 -04-11
Chapter -6
MANDATORY
BUILDING MATERIAL
TESTS
R.N. Yadav, SDE (BS-C), 9412739253 (m)

E-mail: yadavr n6 8@gmail.com
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Mandatory Building Material Tests

In t he Civil E ngineer ing project s lar ge q uant it y of different mater ials
are used and it necessar y that t hese mat er ia ls are t est ed according to a
certain set patter n of test s and wit hin d es irable fr equenc y of test ing in
order that he qualit y o f final p roduct is ma intained. A list of
recommended mandator y te st s for different bu ild ing mat erials is give n
in Tables below :SH: MORTARS
NOTE -- Water u sed for mixing and curing s hall b e cle an a nd free from
injurious qu antit ies of alkalies, a cids, oils, sa lt s, su gar, o rganic
materia ls, ve getable growth or other substance t hat m a y be deleter ious
to bricks, stone, co ncrete or steel. Potable water is ge nera ll y
cons idered sat isfactor y for mixing. T he P h value o f wat er s hall be not
less t ha n. T he follow ing co ncentrat io ns represent t he maximum
permis sib le va lues : (o f d eleter ious materials in water).
(a) Limit s of Acid it y: To neutralize 100ml s ample of w ater, u sing
phenolpht halein as a n indicator, it s ho uld not require more than 5ml of
0.02 normal N aO H. T he deta ils of test s ha ll be as given in IS 3025
(part 22).
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(b) Lim it s of A lka linit y: To neturalise 100ml sample of water, using

mixed indicator, it sho uld not require more than 25 ml of 0 .02 normal
H2SO4. The details o f test s shall be as given in IS 3025 (p art 23).
(c) Perc enta ge of Solids : Ma ximu m permiss ib le limits o f solids w he n
tested in accord anc e w it h IS 3025 shall be as u nder:
Orga nic
20 0mg/ litre
Inorganic
3000 mg/ litre
Sulphates
400 mg/ litre
Chlo rid es
2000 mg/ litre
fo r concret e no t containing emb edded ste el and 500 mg./ltr for
reinforced concrete work.
Susp end ed matter
20 00 mg/ litre
The p hys ica l a nd chemical p roperties of grou nd water s ha ll be test ed

alo ng w it h so il investigat ion a nd if t he water is not found conforming
to the requ ireme nt s of IS 456-2000; the te nder do cuments shall clear ly
specif y t hat the contra ctor has to arrange good qu alit y water for
construct ion indicat ing t he so urce.
(i) Water fo und satisfactor y fo r mixing is also suitab le fo r cu ring.
Howe ver, water used for curing s ha l l not produce any
object io nable sta in or uns ight l y d eposit on t he surface.
(ii)
Sea water s hall no t be used fo r mixing or curing
(iii) Water from each source s ha ll be tested before the
co mmenc ement of t he work and t hereaft er once in ever y t hree
mo nt hs t ill t he complet ion of t he work. In case o f ground
water, test ing shall also be do ne for differe nt points of
drawdown. Water from eac h sou rce shall be got tested during
the dr y season b efore monsoon a nd again aft er monso on.
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(iv)
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Comp ressive Strengt h : Compressive strength requirement o f

each t ype of
cement for vario us gra des when te sted in
acco rdance w ith IS 4031 (part 6) sha ll be as u nder:
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(v)
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Setting Ti me: Sett ing t ime of cem ent of any t yp e of an y gr ade

whe n t est ed b y VICAT apparatus met hod described in IS 4031
s ha ll co nfo rm to the follo wing requirement:
(a) Init ial sett ing t ime : Not less t han 30 minutes
(b) Final s ett ing t ime: Not more than 6 00 minutes
2.0 Fine Aggregate

Aggre gate most of whic h passes through 4 .75 mm IS sieve is know n as
fine a ggregat e. Fine aggregate s ha ll co nsist of natura l sand, crushed
stone sa nd, crus hed gra vel sand stone d ust or arab le dust, fl y as h and
broken b ric k (Burnt cla y). It s ha ll be hard, durable, chemica ll y inert,
clea n and fre e from adhere nt coat ings, organic matt er etc. a nd shall not
conta in a ny appreciable amo unt o f cla y balls or pellets and harm ful
impurities e. g. iro n p yrite s, alkalies, sa lts, co al, mica, sha le or sim ilar
laminated mater ials in such fo rm or in such quantit ies a s to cau se
corrosion of met a l o r affect ad verse ly the Gardening, t he stre ngt h, t he
durabilit y or t he appearance o f mortar, plaster or concrete. T he sum of
the perce ntages of all deleter ious mater ial shall not e xceed 5%. Fine
aggre gat e must be checked for orga nic impurit ies such a s d eca yed
vegetat io n hump s, coal dust etc. in accordance wit h t he procedure
prescribed in Ap pend ix A of Chap ter 3.
2.1 Silt Content: The ma ximum quant it y of silt in sa nd as determined
b y t he method prescrib ed in App end ix C of Chapter 3 shall not
exceed 8 %. Fine aggr egat e containing m ore than a llowable percentage
of silt shall be wa shed as ma ny t im es as directed b y E ngineer-in-c har ge
so as to b ring t he s ilt conte nt w ithin allowab le limits fo r w hich not hing
extra s ha ll b e paid.
2.2 Grading: On the basis o f particle s ize, fine a ggregat e is graded in
to four zones. The grad ing w hen deter mined in accordance w ith t he
procedure prescribed in Ap pendix B of Chapter 3 s hall be w it hin t he
lim it s give n in Tab le 3 .1 below. Where the grad ing falls ou tside t he
lim it s of any part icular grad ing zone of sieves, o ther t han 600 micron
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IS s ieve, b y a tota l amo unt no t exc eed ing 5 p er cent, it shall be

regarded as falling wit hin t hat grading zo ne.
Note 1: For crushed stone sands, t he permissib le lim it on 1 50 micron

sieve is incr eas ed to 20 per cent. This d oes not affe ct t he 5 per cent
allowance permitt ed in 3.1.3.4 (e) (1) appl yin g to other sieves.
Note 2: Allo wa nce o f 5% permitt ed in 3.1.3 .4 (e) (1) can be split up ,
fo r example it could b e 1% on eac h of t hree s ieve s a nd 2% on a nother
or 4% on one s ieve and 1% o n anot her.
Note 3: Fine aggre gate conforming to Grad ing Zone IV shall no t be
used in re inforced ceme nt co ncrete unless te st s have b een made to
ascertain t he suitab ilit y of proposed mix proportio ns.
Note 4 : Sand requiring u se fo r mortar fo r p last er work s ha ll co nform to
IS 1 542 and for maso nr y work shall co nform to IS 211 6.
2.3 Deleterious Material: Sand s ha ll not contain any ha rmfu l
impurities such as iron, p yr ites, alkalis, salts, co al or other o rganic
impurities, mica, s ha le or similar lam inated materia ls, so ft fra gme nts,
sea shale in su ch form or in such quant it ies a s to affect adversel y t he
hardening, strengt h or durabilit y of the mortar. The maximum
quant itie s o f c la y, fine silt, fine du st and orga nic impurit ies in t he sand
/ Marble dust sha ll not exceed the fo llo wing limit s:
(1)
Cla y, fine s ilt and fine dust whe n d et ermined in accordance
wit hin Not more tha n 5% b y mass in IS 2386(Part II).natural s and or
cru shed gra vel s and & crus hed stone s and
(2) Orga nic imp uritie s w hen determined in Colour of the liq uid sha ll
b e light er accordance wit h IS 2 386 (Part II) t ha n t hat ind ic ated b y
the standard sp ecified in IS 2386 (P art II) .
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2.4 Bulk ing: Fine a ggr e gat e, when dr y or satu rated, has a lmost t he
same Vo lu me but dampness causes increas e in vo lume. In case fine
aggre gat e is d amp at t he t ime of propo rtioning t he ingr edients for
mortar or concrete, it s quant it y shall be increased suitab l y to allo w for
bulka ge, w hich s hall be d etermined by t he met hod prescribed in
App endix D of Chapter 3.0 Table 3.3 gives t he re lat ion b etwee n
moisture co ntent and p ercentage of bulking for guidance onl y.
3.0 Fly A sh
Fly as h is finel y d ivided residue resu lt ing from t he combu stion o f
pulverized coal in boilers. F l y as h is t he pu lver ized fuel as h extra cted
from the flue ga se s b y a ny suit able process such as c yc lone separat ion
or electrostat ic precip itatio n. The as h c ollected from t he bottom of
boilers is termed as bottom ash. F ly as h is finer t ha n b ottom ash.
Silic eou s fly ash (ASTM Clas s F) conta ining ca lcium oxide les s t ha n
10% b y mas s is normall y produced from burning ant hracit e or
bitumino us coal and posses ses pozzola nic properties. Calcareo us fl y
as h (ASTM Cla ss C) is produced b y bu rning lignite or sub-bituminous
coal a nd conta ins calciu m exide more than 10 % b y mas s; t he cont e nt
could be as high as 2 5%. This fl y as h has b oth hyd raulic and
pozzolanic properties. It s hall be clean a nd free from an y
contaminat ion o f bottom as h, gr it or s mall pieces of pebbles. It is
obligatory o n the part of supplier/ manufactu re that the fly a sh
conforms to the requirements if mutuall y agreed upon & sha ll fu rnish a
cert ificate to this effect to the purchaser or his represe ntat ive.
3.1 Cha racteristics: T he physical requirement s of fl y-as h shall b e as
specified in A nne xure E of Chapter 3. The chemica l properties of fl y
as h shall be as per IS 812 (part 1 & 2) d epe nding on t he usage.
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SH: CC W ORK
3.2 Deleterious Material: Course aggr egate s hall no t conta in an y

deleter ious materia l, suc h as p yr ites, coal, lignite, m ica, s hale or
similar lam inated mater ial, cla y, a lkali, so ft fra gm ent s, sea s he lls and
organic impurit ies in such qu ant it y as to affe ct the strengt h or
durabilit y of t he co ncrete. Coarse a ggregate to be used for reinforced
cement co ncret e. Coarse a ggre gate to be u sed for reinfo rced cement
concret e s hall no t cont a in any materia l liable to att ack t he st ee l
reinforcement. A ggregates which are c hemicall y r eact ive wit h alkalies
of cement shall not be u sed. The ma ximum qu ant it y o f deleter ious
materia l s hall not be more tha n five percent of the we ight o f coarse
aggre gat e when determined in a ccordance wit h IS 2386.
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3.3 Size and Grading

(i) Stone aggre gat e and gra vel: It shall be eit her gr aded or single s ized
as specified. Nominal s ize and grad ing shall be as u nder:(a) Nominal sizes o f graded stone a ggr egate or gravel shall be 40, 20 ,
16, o r 12.5 mm as specified. For any o ne of t he no mina l siz es, t he
proportion of other s ize s as determined b y t he met ho d prescrib ed in
App endix A of Chapter 4 shall be in accordance wit h Tab le 4 .1.
(b) Nominal sizes of single siz ed stone aggre gate or gr ave l sha ll be 63 ,
40, 20, 16, 12.5 or 10 mm as spec ified. Fo r an y o ne of t he nomina l
size, t he propo rtion o f other sizes a s determined b y t he met hod
prescribed in Ap pend ix A of Chapter 4 shall be in accordance w it h
Table 4 .2.
(c) When stone a ggregate o r gr ave l brought to s ite is single s ized

(ungraded), it shall be mixed wit h single sized aggr egate of different
sizes in t he proportion to b e determined b y field test s to obtain graded
aggre gat e of specified no mina l s ize. For the required nom inal s ize, t he
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proportion of other s izes in mixed aggre gate as d etermined b y met hod

prescribed in Ap pend ix A of Chapter 4 shall be in accordance w it h
Table 4 .1. Recommend ed proportions b y vo lume fo r mixing o f d iffere nt
sizes o f s ingle size (ungraded ) aggre gate to obtain t he required nomina l
size of grad ed aggregate are give n in Table 4.3.
(i)
Note:
The proportions ind ic ated in Tab le 4.3 above are b y vo lume w he n
cons idered necessar y, t he se proportio ns ma y be varied mar gina lly b y
Engineer-in-Char ge a fter m aking sie ve a nal ysis of aggre gat e brought to
site for obtaining required graded aggre gate. No adjustme nts in rat e
sha ll be made for any variat io n in t he p roportions so ordered b y t he
Engineer-in-Char ge. If single siz e coarse aggregat e are not premixed at
site to ob tain the gr aded coarse a ggregate required for the m ix, the
volume of single size aggr egat es required for the mix shall be suitabl y
increa sed to account for reduction in to tal volume at t he s it e of mixing.
3.4 Work ability of Concrete

The co ncr ete mix p roportion chosen s hould be such that t he co ncrete is
of adequate workabilit y fo r t he p la cing c ond itio ns of t he concrete and
can p roperly be compacted wit h t he means availab le. Suggested ranges
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of workabilit y of concrete measu red in accordance w it h IS 1199 are

given below :
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
Note:For most of t he p lacing cond it ions, inter nal vibrators (need le vibrato rs)
are su itable. The d iameter of t he needle shall be determined based on
the densit y and spacing of reinfo rcement bars and thicknes s of
sect io ns. For tremie concret e, vibrators are no t required to b e used (see
also 4.2.7)
In t he ver y low cate gor y of wo rkabilit y w here strict control is
necessar y, for example, pavem ent q ualit y concrete, m easurement of
workabilit y be determ inat io n o f compact ing facto r will be mo re
approp riate t ha n slu mp ( see IS 119 9) and a valu e of compact ing fac tor
of 0.75 to 0 .80 is su ggested .
In t he ver y high cat e gor y of workabilit y, measurement o f workabilit y
b y determinat io n of flow will be appropriate (see IS 9103).
SH: RCC WORK
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3.4 Tests: Selectio n and preparatio n of Test sample. All t he test s

pieces s hall be s elect ed b y t he E ngine er ing- Charge or his autho riz ed
representat ive e ither(a) F rom cu tting of bars or
(b) If he so des ires, from a ny b ar aft er it has b een cut to the required
or specified s ize and the te st pie ce take n fro m and any part of it.
In neit her case, the test pieces s ha ll be detached from the bar or co il
except in t he presence of the Engineer- in- Char ge or his aut ho rized
representat ive.
The te st piec es obtained in accordance wit h as above s hall be fu ll
sect io ns of the bars as ro lled and sub sequent l y cold worked and s ha ll
be subject ed to p hys ica l test s w ithout any furt her mod ificat io ns. No
dedu ction in s ize b y mac hining o r otherwise s hall be p ermissib le. No
test p iece shall be e nact ed or otherwise s ubject to he at treatm ent. A n y
straight ening whic h a te st p iece ma y r equire sha ll be done cold.
3.5 Tensile Test: 0 .2% proo f stress a nd percentage elongat ion
This s hall b e done as per IS 1608, read in conjunct io n wit h IS 226.
3.6 RE- test: This s hall be done as per IS 1786.
3.7 Rebend test: This sha ll be done as per IS 178 6.
Chemic al co mposit ion of reinforceme nt b ars sha ll be as per Table 5.3
as fo llo ws :-
4.0 Strength of Co ncrete

The co mpressive str engt h on t he work tests for d iffere nt mixed s ha ll
be as given in Tab le 5 .5 below:-
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4.1 Testin g of Co ncrete

Re gular mand ator y t est s o n t he workab ility of t he fresh concrete s ha ll
be done to achieve t he sp ecified co mpress ive strengt h of concrete.
These w ill be of two t ypes
(a) Mandator y Lab , Test
(b) Mandator y F ield Test
Resu lts of Ma ndator y F ie ld Test w ill preva il over ma ndato ry Lab.
Test.
5.0 Cube Test for Compressi ve S trength of Con crete - Mandatory
La b Test : Mandator y t est s shall be carried ou t as p rescribed i n
App endix A o f Chapter 5 of CPWD specificat ion 2009.
5.1 Add itiona l Test: Add itional test, if r eq uired, shall be c arried out
as prescr ibed in Appendix B of Chap ter 5 of CPWD spec ific at io n
2009.
5.2 Slump Te st: This t est s hall be carried out as prescrib ed in sub head 4 of concrete.
5.3 Visual Inspectio n Test: T he co ncr ete will be inspected aft er
removal of t he form work a s d escr ibed in para 5.4.7.2 of CPWD
specificat io n 2 009. The quest ion of carrying o ut mandator y t est or
other test s describ ed in Ap pendix A and B (para 5 .4.9.1 and 5.4.9.2 )
will ar ise onl y aft er sat isfactor y rep ort o f visual inspectio n.
The co ncrete is liable to be rejected if:
(i) It is porous or hone ycomb ed as p er para 5.4.7.2 (a).
(ii) It s placing has been int errupted witho ut provid ing a proper
construct ion joint.
(iii) T he re inforcement has b een dis placed beyo nd toler ance
specified or constructio n tolera nce s have not been met.
However, t he hardened co ncr ete ma y be accepted after c arr ying
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out suitable remedial mea su res to the satis factio n o f t he

Engineer-in-Char ge at the r isk and cost of the co ntractor.
5.4 Standard of Acceptance for Nominal Mix
5.5 Mandatory La b. Test : For concrete sampled and tested a s
prescribed in Appendix A o f Chapter 5 of CPWD specificat ion 2 009.
The following requirement shall appl y. 5.4.10 .2 Out of six sample
cubes, three cu bes shall be t est ed at 7 days and remaining t hree cubes
at 28 d ays.
6.0 7 da ys Test s
6.1 Sampling : The average of the strengt h of t hree specime n shall be
accepted as the comp ress ive strengt h o f the concrete p ro vided the
variat ion in strengt h of ind ividual specime n is not mo re than + 15% o f
the aver age. Difference between t he maxi mum and minimum stre ngt h
sho uld not exce ed 30% of a vera ge stre ngt h of t hr ee specimens. If t he
differe nce betw een m aximum and minimu m strengt h exceeds 30% o f
the a verage stre ngt h, then 28 days test shall ha ve to b e carried out.
Strengt h: If the actu al a vera ge strengt h o f sample a ccepted in para
sampling above is equal to or higher t han sp ecified stre ngt h upto
+15% then stre ngt h of the co ncret e s hall be considered in ord er. In
cas e t he actu al average str engt h of sample accepted in t he above para
is lower t han t he sp ecified or higher b y more tha n 15% t he n 28 da ys
test s ha ll have to be carried ou t to determine the co mpress ive stre ngt h
of concrete cubes.
6.2 28 days Te st
(a) The a vera ge of t he stre ngt h of t hree spec ime n be ac cepted as t he
compressive stre ngt h of t he concr ete provided the strengt h o f an y
individu al cub e shall neit her b e less t ha n 70% no r higher t han 130%
of the spec ified strengt h.
(b) If t he actual avera ge stre ngt h of accepted sample exc eeds
specified strengt h b y more than 30 % the Engineer- in-Char ge, if he so
desires, ma y further invest igate t he mat t er. Ho we ver, if t he stre ngt h
of any ind ivid ual cu be exceeds more than 3 0% of specified stre ngt h,
it w ill be restr ict ed to 130 % onl y fo r computation of strengt h.
(c) If t he actual average strength of acc epted sample is equal to o r
higher t ha n sp ecified strengt h upto 30 % then str ength o f t he co ncret e
sha ll be co ns id ered in o rd er and t he co ncrete sha ll be accepted at fu ll
rates.
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(d) If t he actual a vera ge strengt h of a ccepted samp le is less t ha n

specified strength but not les s t han 70% of the spec ified strengt h, t he
concret e ma y be ac cepted at reduced rate at the discre tio n o f
Engineer-in-Char ge (see p ara 5.4.13.2) of CPWD specificat ion 200 9.
(e) If t he actua l a vera ge stre ngt h o f acce pted sample is less t ha n 70%
of specified strength, t he E ngineer-in-Charge s hall reject t he
defect ive po rtion o f work represe nted b y sample a nd no thing shall be
paid for the r eject ed work. Remed ial measures nece ss ar y to reta in t he
structu re shall be taken at the r isk a nd co st of co ntracto r. If, however
the E ngineer-in- Char ge so desires, he m ay order addit iona l tes ts (See
App endix B of Chapter 5) to be carried out to ascertain if t he
structu re can be retained. A ll t he c har ges in connect ion wit h t hese
additional test s s ha ll be bo rne b y t he cont ractor.
SH: Brick Work
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6.3 Sampling and Tests

Samp les of bricks shall be sub jected to the following tests :
(a) Dime ns io nal to lerance.
(b) Water absorption.
(c) Effloresce nce.
(d) Compressive stre ngt h.
6.4 Samp ling : For carrying out compress ive strengt h, wat er
absorption, effloresc enc e and dimens ional tests, t he samp les o f bric ks
sha ll be taken at ra ndom according to the s ize of lo t as given in Table
6.3 belo w. The sample t hus take n shall be stored in a dr y pla ce unt il
tests are made. Fo r the p urpose of sampling, the following definit io n
sha ll app ly.
(a) Lot: A collect io n of bricks of same clas s a nd siz e, ma nufactured
under relat ivel y s imilar co nd it ions of produ ction. For t he pu rpose o f
sampling a lot s hall co ntain a ma ximum, of 50,000 bricks. In case a
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cons ignment has bricks more t han 50 ,000 of the sam e cla ss ificat io n
and size and manufactu red und er relat ive ly sim ilar cond it io ns o f
production, it s hall be divided into lots o f 50,000 bricks or part
thereo f.
(b) Sa mple: A co llect io n of bricks s elected for inspect io n and /o r
testing from a lot to reach t he decis io n regard ing the accep ta nc e o r
rejectio n of t he lot. (c) D efect ive: A brick failing to meet one or more
of the spec ified requ ireme nts.
The sa mples shall be tak en as below:
(i) Sampling from a Stac k: When it is neces sar y to take a samp le from
a sta ck, the st ack s hall be d ivided into a number of real or ima ginar y
sect io ns and the required nu mber of bricks drawn from eac h sect ion.
For this purpose b ricks in t he upper la yers of t he sta ck sha ll be
removed to enable units to be samp led from place s w it hin t he stack.
Note: F or other met hods of sampling i. e. sampling in motio n and
sampling from lorrie s o r trucks, IS : 5454 ma y b e referred.
Scale of s ampling and cr iter ia for conform it y for visual and
dime nsio nal c haract er ist ics:
Visual cha racteristic s: The bricks shall be select ed and inspect ed fo r
ascertaining t heir co nformit y to the requirement s of the rele vant
specificat io n. T he nu mber of bricks to b e se lected fro m a lot s ha l l
depend o n t he s ize of lot and sha ll be in a ccordance o f Col. 1 a nd 2 o f
Table 6 .3 fo r visua l charact erist ics in all cases and dime ns ional
charact erist ics if specified for individual bric ks.
(ii) Visual Characteristics: A ll t he bricks selected above in
accordance wit h Co l. 1 and 2 of Tab le 6.3 shall b e e xam ined fo r
visu al charact erist ics. If the number of defect ive bricks fo und in t he
sample is les s t ha n or equal to t he correspo nding numb er as specified
in Col. 3 of Table 6.3 the lot sha ll be cons idered as satisf ying t he
requirement s of visu al charact erist ics, otherw ise the lot shall be
deemed as not ha ving met t he visual req uireme nts.
(iii) Dimen siona l Characteristics: The number of bricks to
se lected for inspect ing t he d ime ns ions and tolera nce shall be
accordance wit h Co l. 1 and 4 o f Table 6.3. These bricks w ill
divided into groups o f 20 b ricks at random a nd each of t he group
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20 bricks t hu s formed will be tested for all t he dime ns io ns and

to lerances. A lot shall be co nsid ered ha ving found meet ing t he
requirement s of dime nsio ns and tolera nce if no ne of t he groups o f
bric ks insp ected fails to meet the specified requirement s.
Note:
In case t he lot co nt ains 2000 or le ss bric ks t he samp ling s ha ll
be as per decisio n of the Engineer- in-Charge.
Scale o f Samp ling and Cr iter ia for Phys ic al Characterist ics : T he lo t
whic h ha s been fou nd sat is factor y in resp ect of visual and
dime nsio nal requirements s ha ll be ne xt te sted for p hys ical
charact erist ics
like compressive str engt h,
water
absorption,
efflo resc ence as spec ified in re leva nt mater ial specificat ion. T he
bric ks for this purpose s hall be take n at ra ndom from those alre ad y
se lected abo ve. The numb er of bric ks to b e selected for each of thes e
charact erist ics s ha ll be in accordance w it h relevant co lumns of Table
6.4 of CPWD specificatio n 2009.
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(v) A lo t shall be considered having s atis fied the requ irements o f

phys ica l c haracter ist ic s if t he co ndit ion st ipulat ed here in are a ll
satis fied.
(a) From the test result s for compressive strength, the avera ge
sha ll be calcu lated and s hall sat isf y t he requirements specified in
releva nt mat er ial spec ificat ion.
Note: In ca se any o f t he t est result s for comp ress ive strengt h exceed s
the up per limit for the c las s of bricks, t he same s ha ll b e limited to the
upper lim it of the c la ss for the p urpose of a veraging.
(b)
Where ver specified in t he mater ial spec ificat ion, t he
compressive stre ngt h of an y ind ividual bricks te sted in t he samp le
sha ll not fa ll below t he m inimu m avera ge comp ress ive stre ngt h
specified for the co rrespo nding class o f brick b y more than 20 per
cent.
(c) From the test re su lt s for water absorption, the average for the
bric ks in t he sample sha ll b e ca lculat ed and shall satis f y t he r ele vant
requirement s spec ific at ion in mat eria l sp ecificat ion.
(d) The number o f bricks fa iling to sat isf y t he requirements of t he
efflo resc ence specified in t he re leva nt spec ificat io n sho uld not be
more tha n the perm iss ible no. of defect ives give n in Col. 3 of Table
6.4 of CPWD specificatio n 2009.
6.8 Dimensional Tolerances: The dime nsio ns o f, modular b ric ks
whe n te sted as describ ed abo ve as p er procedure described i n
App endix A of Chap ter 6 of CP WD spec ific at ion 2009 s hall be wit hi n
the following lim it s per 20 bricks or locall y availab le s ize a s
approved b y E ngineer- in-char ge.
(a) For Modular Size
Lengt h 3 720 to 3880 mm (3800 80 mm)
Width 1760 to 1840 mm (1800 40 mm)
Height 1760 to 184 0 mm (1800 40 mm) fo r 90 mm high b ric ks
760 to 840 mm (800 40 mm) for 4 0 mm high b ric ks
(B) For Non Modula r Brick s
Lengt h 4 520 to 4680 mm (4600 80 mm)
Width 2240 to 2160 mm (2200 40 cm)
Height 1440 to 136 0 mm (1400 40 mm) fo r 70 mm high b ric ks
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6 40 to 560 mm (600 40 mm) for 30 mm high b ric ks

9 .0 Brick Tiles
760 to 840 mm (800 40 mm) fo r 4 0 mm high bric k t iles
In case o f non-mo dular bricks, % age tolerance w ill be 2 % for group
of 20 numbers of cla ss 10 b ricks, and 4% for other c lass o f b ric ks.
9.1 Compres sive Strength: The bricks, whe n te sted in accordance
wit h t he procedure laid down in Appendix B of Chap ter 6 shall have a
minimum average co mpress ive s tre ngt h for vario us classes a s given i n
Table 6.2. The compressive stre ngt h of any ind ividual brick tested
sha ll not fall belo w t he min. a verage compressive strengt h specified
fo r the co rresponding c las s o f bric k by more tha n 20%. In cas e
compressive str engt h of any individual brick tested exc eed s t he upper
lim it specified in Tab le 6.2 for the co rrespo nding c lass of bricks, t he
same s hall be limited to up per limit of t he c las s as sp ecified in Tab le
6.2 for the p urpose of calcu lat ing t he aver age compressive stre ngt h.
9.2 Water Abso rption: The average wat er absorption of bricks w hen
tested in accordance w it h the procedure laid d own in Appendix C o f
Chapter 6 o f CPWD specificat ion 2009 shall be not more than 2 0% b y
we ight.
9.3 Efflorescen ce: T he rating of e fflorescenc e of bricks when tested
in accordance wit h t he procedure la id down in Appendix D of Chapter
6 of CPWD spec ificat io n 2009 sha ll be not more than moderate.
SH: Stone Work
The compressive strengt h of common t yp es of stones s ha ll be as per
Table 7.1 and the percenta ge of water absorption s hall generall y no t
exceed 5% for sto nes ot her t ha n spec ified in Table 7.1. of CPWD
specificat io n 2009 For laterite t his p erce ntage is 1 2%.
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SH: Marble Work
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SH: Wood Work
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10.0 Moisture Con tent

Co ntro l on moisture conte nt of t imber is ne ce ss ar y to ensure it s
proper utilit y in var ious climat ic co nditio ns. F or spec ifying t he
permis sib le lim it of moistu re cont ent in the timber t he cou ntry ha s
been divided into four climat ic zones as per Appendix B of Chapter 9
of CPWD sp ecificat io n 2009. In eac h of t he zo nes, maximum
permis sib le limit o f mois ture conte nt of t imb er for different uses,
whe n determined in accordanc e wit h t he procedure laid down in
App endix C shall be as per Table 9.2 of Chapter 9 of CPWD
specificat io n 2009.
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10.1 Tolerance on Mo isture Co ntent:

Average Moistu re co ntent of all t he samp les from a lot s hall be wit hi n
+ 3 per cent a nd moisture conte nt of individual s amples w ithin + 5 per
cent o f maximum permissib le moisture co nt ent specified in Table 9.2.
These to lera nce s are t he abso lute va lues over t he perce nt age mo isture
conte nt for S l. No. 1 & 2 of Table 9.2. No tolera nce o n mo isture
conte nt is permitted for Sl. No. 3 & 4 of Tab le 9.2 of CPWD
specificat io n 2009.
11.0 Testing:
One samp le fo r e ver y 10 0 sqm or p art thereo f s hall be ta ken and
test ing done as per IS 3097. However, tes ting ma y not be done if
the to tal requirement of veneered particle boards in a wo rk is les s
than 3 0 sqm. All the sa mple s tested s ha ll me et t he r equ ireme nts
of physica l and mec ha nica l p roperties of veneered partic le boards
as und er:
11.1 Sa mple Size

Shutters of deco rative a nd no n-decorative t ype from ea c h
manufactu rer, irresp ect ive of their t hickness, shall be grouped
separate l y and eac h group shall const itute a lot. The number o f
shu tters ( sample s ize) to be se lected at rand om from each lo t for
testing s hall b e as specified in Table 9.10. If t he tota l number o f
shu tters of eac h t ype in a work (a nd not the lot) is less t han tw ent y
five, testing ma y be done at t he discret io n of t he E ngineer- in-Char ge
and in such cases extr a p aym ent s hall be made fo r the sample s hutter
provided t he samp le d oes not fail in a ny o f t he test specified in 9.7.10
of CPWD spec ific at ion 2 009.
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For knife te st, glue adhesive te st, slamming te st, t he end immers io n
test, t he number of s hutters s ha ll be as per col. 4 of Table 9.10 o f
CPWD spec ificat ion 2 009.
11.2 Criteria for Conformity

All t he s ample s hutters when tested s ha ll satis f y t he req uireme nts o f
the te sts laid down in Ap pendix F of Chapter 9. The lot s ha ll be
declared as co nforming to the requ ireme nt s whe n numbers o f
defect ive s ample d oes not e xceed the permiss ib le number given in co l.
3 of Table 9.10. If t he number of samp le s hu tters found uns at is factor y
fo r a te st is o ne, tw ice t he number of samples init ia ll y te sted shall be
se lected and tested for the test. All sample s hutters so tested s ha ll
satis f y t he requirement of t he t est. If t he numb er of sample s found
unsat isfa ctor y for a test is two or more, the e nt ire lot shall be
cons idered unsatis factor y.
SH: Steel Work
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SH: Flooring
APPENDIX B
12.0 TEST REQU IREMENTS AND PRO CEDURE FOR TES TING
PRE-CAST CEMENT CONCR ETE/ TERRAZO TI LES
B-1 Sa mpling
The t iles required of carr ying out test descr ibed below shall be t a ken
b y random sampling. Ea ch t ile samp le s ha ll be mar ked to ident if y
the co ns ignment from w hich it was se lected. Minimum quantit y of
tiles for carr ying out the test and frequenc y o f test shall be as
specified in t he list o f Mandato ry Te st. The nu mber of tile s selected
fo r eac h ma ndato ry t est sha ll be as follows.
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(a) For conformit y to requirements on s hap e and dimensions, wear ing

la yer, and gener al qu alit y - 12 tiles
(b) For wet transverse strengt h t est - 6 tiles
(c) Fo r resistance to wear test - 6 tiles
(d) For water absorption test - 6 tiles
Note:(1) The te sts on t he t ile s s hall not be carried out earlier t han 28 days
from the date of manufacture.
(2)The t ile s se lected fo r (a) may as we ll after ver ificatio n o f
requ ireme nt s, b e used for (b).
B-2 Flatness of th e Tiles Surface
The t iles w he n tested according to procedure laid down in A RE 1237
edit ion 2 .3, the amount of concavit y a nd conve xit y shall not exceed 1
mm.
B-3 Perpendicularity
When tes ted in accordance w it h t he procedure la id d own in IS 1237
edit ion 2 .3, the lo nge st gap betwee n t he arm of t he squ are a nd edge o f
the tile s ha ll not exceed 2 per cent of the le ngt h of edge.
B-4 Straightness
When t est ed as per IS 123 7 edit ion 2.3, the gap b etween t he t hread
and the pla ne o f tile s ha ll not exceed 1 p erce nt of the le ngt h o f edge.
B-5 Water Ab sorption
When t ested the a ver age w ater absorption shall no t exceed 10 per
cent.
B-6 W et Tra nsvers e Strength Test

Six fu ll s ize t iles shall be tested for the determinat io n of wet
transverse str engt h. Whe n tested according to the procedure laid do wn
in IS 1237 edition 2.3, the a vera ge wet t ransver se strength s ha ll no t
be less t han 3 N/mm2 (30 kgf/cm2)
B-7 Resistance to W ea r Test
When t est ed according to IS 1237 edition 2.3 , avera ge w ear s hall no t
exceed 3.5 mm and the wear on any individ ual specim en sha ll no t
exceed 4 mm, for genera l pu rpose t iles. And 2 mm and 2 .5 mm o f
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avera ge wear o n any ind ividu al sp ecimen, respect ive l y for heav y dut y
floo r tile s.
SH: Road Work
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Questions:1. Name t he var ious tests, condu cted on ceme nt for e xecution o f
work.
2. List t he test s performed on bricks.
3. Name t he test s re lated wit h RCC work.
4. Test of wat er ab sorption is re lat ed to which item/mater ial in
construct ion wo rk?
5. What is frequenc y o f te st of water for co nstruction pu rp ose?
6. What is frequenc y o f s lump test fo r concrete work?
7. What is frequenc y o f te st ing fo r b ric ks of clas s d es ignat io n 100?
8. What is frequenc y o f te st ing of bulking of sa nd?
9. Test o f a nodic co ating is related to which construct ion materia l?
10. List tests co ndu cted with terra zzo tile.
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E4 -E5 Civil (Tec hnical)

Rev d ate: 20 -04-11

R.N. Yadav, SDE (BS-C), 9412739253 (m)

F or Int er nal Cir culation O nly

E4 -E5 Civil (Tec hnical)

Rev d ate: 20 -04-11

Mandatory Building Material Tests

F or Int er nal Cir culation O nly

E4 -E5 Civil (Tec hnical)

Rev d ate: 20 -04-11

(b) Lim it s of A lka linit y: To neturalise 100ml sample of water, using

The p hys ica l a nd chemical p roperties of grou nd water s ha ll be test ed

F or Int er nal Cir culation O nly

E4 -E5 Civil (Tec hnical)

Rev d ate: 20 -04-11

Comp ressive Strengt h : Compressive strength requirement o f

F or Int er nal Cir culation O nly

E4 -E5 Civil (Tec hnical)

Rev d ate: 20 -04-11

Setting Ti me: Sett ing t ime of cem ent of any t yp e of an y gr ade

2.0 Fine Aggregate

F or Int er nal Cir culation O nly

E4 -E5 Civil (Tec hnical)

Rev d ate: 20 -04-11

IS s ieve, b y a tota l amo unt no t exc eed ing 5 p er cent, it shall be

Note 1: For crushed stone sands, t he permissib le lim it on 1 50 micron

F or Int er nal Cir culation O nly

E4 -E5 Civil (Tec hnical)

Rev d ate: 20 -04-11

F or Int er nal Cir culation O nly

E4 -E5 Civil (Tec hnical)

Rev d ate: 20 -04-11

F or Int er nal Cir culation O nly

E4 -E5 Civil (Tec hnical)

Rev d ate: 20 -04-11

3.2 Deleterious Material: Course aggr egate s hall no t conta in an y

F or Int er nal Cir culation O nly

E4 -E5 Civil (Tec hnical)

Rev d ate: 20 -04-11

3.3 Size and Grading

(c) When stone a ggregate o r gr ave l brought to s ite is single s ized

F or Int er nal Cir culation O nly

E4 -E5 Civil (Tec hnical)

Rev d ate: 20 -04-11

proportion of other s izes in mixed aggre gate as d etermined b y met hod

3.4 Work ability of Concrete

F or Int er nal Cir culation O nly

E4 -E5 Civil (Tec hnical)

Rev d ate: 20 -04-11

of workabilit y of concrete measu red in accordance w it h IS 1199 are

SH: RCC WORK

F or Int er nal Cir culation O nly

E4 -E5 Civil (Tec hnical)

Rev d ate: 20 -04-11

F or Int er nal Cir culation O nly

E4 -E5 Civil (Tec hnical)

Rev d ate: 20 -04-11

F or Int er nal Cir culation O nly

E4 -E5 Civil (Tec hnical)

Rev d ate: 20 -04-11

F or Int er nal Cir culation O nly

E4 -E5 Civil (Tec hnical)

Rev d ate: 20 -04-11