Chloride limits in the ACI 318

building code requirements

ACI committee decides not to make changes … yet

fter much debate, a table proposed revisions, let’s first look at will be used under dry service condi-

A showing maximum chlo-

ride ion contents for dif-
ferent types of concrete
members first appeared
15 years ago in ACI 318-83, “Building
Code Requirements for Reinforced
Concrete.” That original table hasn’t
changed and will remain unchanged
until at least 2001 since ACI Commit-
tee 318 recently decided not to adopt
proposed revisions that would have re-
duced most of the maximum values.
But the debate continues over proper
values for the limits.
ACI 222R-96, “Corrosion of Metals
in Concrete,” recommends lower
maximum values, basing its case pri-
marily on a comparison of the chlo-
ride-content limits currently in ACI
318-95 with a value called the chloride
corrosion threshold.
the limits in the current code require-
ments. Table 1 gives the current limits
in Table 4.4.1 of 318-95. These are the
values many of you must meet when
submitting a set of mixture propor-
tions for a project that specifies chlo-
ride limits. We’ve added a column to
show the limits as a percentage of the
corrosion threshold.
Those who advocate changing these
limits base their arguments on what
they believe to be non-conservative
values for all types of members except
prestressed concrete. For instance, if
reinforced concrete will be dry in ser-
vice, the allowable chloride ion per-
centage exceeds the corrosion thresh-
old by a factor greater than six.
Proponents for the changes argue that
such a high limit doesn’t make sense
because even reinforced concrete that
tions may remain moist long after
placement if it contains lightweight ag-
gregate or the surface is sealed.
Table 2 shows limits proposed by
ACI Committee 222 but not adopted.
We have also placed percentage of cor-
rosion threshold values in the table.
These proposed limits are more con-
servative in that none of them exceeds
100% of the corrosion threshold for
acid- or water-soluble chloride.
Basis for the decision
Throughout the debate, opponents
of the more stringent chloride limits
have argued that there has been little
evidence of corrosion problems trace-
able to the chloride limits in place
since 1983.
Some Committee 318 members were
concerned that the proposed limits

Corrosion threshold
The corrosion threshold is the Table 1. Water-soluble chloride-ion
amount of chloride ion that must be
present in concrete, along with mois-
limits in ACI 318-95
ture and oxygen, for corrosion to be- Type of member Maximum water-soluble Percent of water-soluble
gin. When tested by water-soluble test chloride ion (Cl-) content chloride corrosion
methods (see related article on various in concrete, percent by threshold (0.15%
chloride test procedures), the thresh- weight of cement by weight of cement)
old is generally taken as 0.15% chlo-
ride ion by weight of cement. For a Prestressed concrete 0.06 40
typical mixture containing 600 pounds
Reinforced concrete
of cement per cubic yard, this thresh-
exposed to chloride
old can be expressed as 0.9 pounds of
in service 0.15 100
chloride ion per cubic yard. When
tested by the acid-soluble test method, Reinforced concrete that
the amount is taken as 0.20% chloride will be dry or protected
ion by weight of cement, or for the from moisture in service 1.00 666
same cement content, 1.2 pounds of Other reinforced
chloride ion per cubic yard. concrete construction 0.30 200
To understand the rationale for the
would eliminate the use of certain
limestone aggregates in Midwestern
North America. These aggregates test
Table 2. Chloride limits for new construction
high in chlorides using either the acid- proposed by ACI Committee 222
or water-soluble ASTM test methods,
yet the high chloride content doesn’t Category of Maximum chloride ion (Cl-) content in concrete,
appear to affect the corrosion perfor- reinforced concrete percent by weight of cement
mance of structures made with con- Acid-soluble Water-soluble Water-soluble
crete containing the aggregates. To ad- (ASTM C 1152) (ASTM C 1218) (ACI 222.1)
dress this objection, ACI Committee
222 has adopted a test method that us- Prestressed 0.08 0.06 0.06
es the Soxhlet test method (described (pretensioned
in the related article). Concrete made or post-tensioned) (40%) (40%) (40%)
with these aggregates doesn’t exceed
the proposed lower chloride limits Non-prestressed, 0.10 0.08 0.08
when tested by the Soxhlet procedure. Wet conditions (50%) (53%) (53%)
Another committee concern was Non-prestressed, 0.20 0.15 0.15
that the Soxhlet method hasn’t yet
been adopted by ASTM. This point is Dry conditions (100%) (100%) (100%)
correct, but change proponents argue
that the ACI version of the test chloride accelerator as in the past. content is an issue. In other words, en-
method (ACI 222.1) can be used until Change proponents, however, argue gineers are currently writing specifica-
an ASTM version is available. that while the use of calcium chloride tion provisions that are far more strict
Some ACI 318 members were con- could be limited by adoption of lower than ACI 318 code requirements. ACI
cerned that new, lower limits would values for the maximum chloride-ion 318 does not allow the use of chloride
impose an economic burden on con- percentages, many specifications al- or admixtures containing chlorides for
crete producers since they would not ready ban any admixture with inten- prestressed concrete (section 3.6.3),
be allowed to use as much calcium tionally added chlorides when chloride but it has not gone this far for non-

Testing for chlorides in hardened concrete and concrete ingredients

ow do the different test methods for chlorides differ?
H Here’s a brief description of the three methods now be-
ing used.
■ To test for water-soluble chlorides (ASTM C 1218), a
sample of concrete or aggregate is crushed into a pow-
der, and about 10 grams of the powder is mixed with
about 50 milliliters of water. The mixture is boiled for five
minutes and then allowed to stand for 24 hours before the
liquid is filtered and tested for chloride content.
This test method does not detect chlorides that are
bound into an aggregate or into hydrated cement. There-
fore, the test should theoretically detect only those chlo-
rides that are available to cause corrosion. The amount
of chloride detected by the water-soluble test is usually
about 50% to 75% of the total amount of chloride in
concrete, depending on the nature of the ingredients and
the cement.
Unfortunately, the water-soluble test does detect some
chlorides that are not available for corrosion if the aggre-
gate particle is intact, but become available as a result of
the crushing process required for the test. A further draw-
back to the method is that test results can be highly vari-
able, depending on particle size of the powder, extraction
time and temperature.
■ The test for acid-soluble chlorides (ASTM C 1152) treats
crushed material with nitric acid rather than water. Almost
all of the chlorides present in the concrete are detected,
whether they are bound or are available to cause corro-
sion. Because the test method finds all chlorides, limits
based upon acid-soluble chloride content are higher than
those established for water-soluble chloride content.
Either of these tests may find chlorides that are present in
some limestone aggregates in Midwestern North America.
Based upon service records, we know that the chlorides
inside these aggregates don’t contribute to corrosion.
■ A new test, the Soxhlet method (ACI 222.1), has been de-
veloped to test these aggregates or to test concrete made
with these aggregates. This test uses chunks of concrete
or aggregate instead of crushed and powdered material.
The chunks or pieces are treated with boiling water, which
is then tested for chloride content. So far, the test appears
to allow the use of harmless aggregates that would be re-
jected by the other test methods. ACI has developed a
provisional standard for this test, and ASTM is currently
working on a version of the test method. This test isn’t in-
tended to replace the water-soluble chloride test method,
but is a fallback test for use when aggregate is suspected
to contain bound chlorides.
prestressed concrete.
Change proponents also argue that
ACI 318 doesn’t apply to soil-support-
ed slabs, in which chlorides are now
typically used as accelerators, unless
the slab transmits vertical loads from
other portions of the structure to the
soil.
Two facts are certain in this chlo-
ride-limit argument. First, ACI 318
will revisit this issue in the near future
as it prepares for the 2001 edition of its
code requirements. Second, the Soxh-
let method will ultimately be accepted
for use, paving the way for a perfor-
mance focus on chloride limits. ■
—TERRY HOLLAND
How to submit chloride-test results
ay you’re supplying concrete for a parking structure for which ACI 318 per-
S mits a maximum of 0.15% water-soluble chloride by weight of cement.
How do you demonstrate that your concrete meets the requirement?
When the amount of chloride ion present in each ingredient is known, you can
calculate the total amount present in the concrete. However, this is normally not
done because as much as a quarter to a half of these chlorides combine chemical-
ly with the hydrating cement paste and aren’t available for corrosion.
Instead, producers send a sample of hardened concrete proposed for a pro-
ject to an outside lab for testing at a cost of up to $50 per test. Producers must
indicate the test procedure to be used, depending on which chloride-content
measure (water-soluble, acid-soluble or Soxhlet) is specified. They should also
tell the lab how the results are to be reported, since labs may give results in
parts per million, pounds per cubic yard or percent by weight of cement. You
can generally convert the values to a percent by weight of cement if the cement
content is known. Then simply attach the lab report to your mix submittal.

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