Structures Notes

2004 NST 9c

The equivalence of concrete strengths in design codes

Ian Feltham and Tony Jones, AR+D, London

Abstract
The standard concrete grades in the principal codes used by Arup are compared and referenced to
the characteristic cylinder strength.

The design codes of countries use different ways to specify concrete strength. Some relate to cylinder
strengths, some to cube strengths. Some define a characteristic strength, called either the 5% or 95%
value depending on whether it is the proportion weaker or stronger than the given strength that is
considered, whereas the Japanese and North American codes refer to specified strengths which have
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different statistical definitions (see, for example, ACI318 clause 5.3.2.1). Table 1 compares the
standard concrete grades in the principal codes used in Arup, and relates them all to the
characteristic cylinder strength. This should ease comparison of strengths to different codes and
make it unnecessary to give conversions in Structures Notes wherever a concrete strength is
referenced. Note that the European specification is already used in Germany and Italy.

Australia Canada China Europe HK Japan Neth’lands Norway Poland Russia S Africa Turkey UK USA
GB NEN PN-B- SNiP SABS BS540013
AS36001 A23.32 500103 EN19924 BS81105 JASS 56 67207 NS34738 032649 2.06.0810 0100-211 TS50012 BS81105 ACI31814
Cylinder Cylinder Cylinder Cube Grade Cube Cylinder Cube Grade Cube Cube Cube Cylinder Cube Cylinder
5% 5% N Amer’n- 5% 5% Jap’ese- 5% 5% 5% 5% 10% 5% N American-
char’tic char’tic specified char’tic char’tic specified char’tic char’tic char’tic char’tic char’tic char’tic specified
f'c fc' fcu f'ck fck fcu fc' (MPa) fc' (psi)
12.0 C12/15 B15 B15
12.8 B15
14.2 C16
16.0 C16/20 B20 B20 20
16.2 C18
17.2 2500
18.2 C20
20.0 20 20 C20/25 C25 C25 B25 B25 25 C25 20
21.3 B25
20.7 3000
22.1 18
23.2 C25
24.1 3500
24.7 21
25.0 25 25 C30 C25/30 C30 B30 B30 30 C30 25
27.2 24
27.6 4000
28.0 C35 C35 C35 B35 C35
28.2 C30
29.8 27 B35
30.0 30 C30/37 B37 30
31.0 4500
31.7 C40 C40 40 C40
32.0 32
32.3 30
33.2 C35
34.5 5000
34.9 33
35.0 35 C45 C35/45 C45 B45 C45 35
36.0 C45
37.4 36
37.6 5500
38.2 C40
38.3 B45
39.5 40 40

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1/3 12 November, 2008

 Structures Notes
2004 NST 9c

Australia Canada China Europe HK Japan Neth’lands Norway Poland Russia S Africa Turkey UK USA
40.0 40 C50 C40/50 C50 B50 50 C50
40.7 6000
40.8 40
43.2 C45
43.8 6500
44.0 45 45
45.0 C45/55 C55 C55 B55 C55
45.5 45
46.8 B55
46.9 7000
48.2 C50
48.5 50 50
50.0 50 C60 C50/60 C60 B60 60 C60
50.2 7500
50.5 50
53.3
53.5 55 55
53.7 8000
54.0 C65
55.0 C55/67
55.3 B65
55.5 55
56.7 C70 C70
57.1 8500
58.5 60 60
60.0 C60/75
60.5 60
60.6 9000
63.5 65 65
64.0 C75 9500
65.0 65 C80 C80
65.5 65
67.5 10000
68.5 70 70
70.0 C70/85
70.5 70
73.5 75
74.0 C85
75.0 C90 C90
75.5 75
78.5 80
80.0 C80/95
80.5 80
84.0 C95
85.0 C100 C100
85.5 85
90.0 C90/105
90.5 90
94.0 C105

Table 1 The equivalence of concrete strengths in design codes (cylinder strength standard deviation = 5MPa)

In compiling Table 1 the standard deviation of the cylinder strength has been taken as 5MPa, as given
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by the expression relating the mean and characteristic strengths in EC2 . For a different value of this
property, the relation between characteristic, North American-specified, Japanese-specified and 10%
characteristic values can be determined from the following equations, in which:

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2/3 12 November, 2008

 Structures Notes
2004 NST 9c

f0.05 is the 5% characteristic cylinder strength f0.10 is the 10% characteristic cylinder strength
fJ is the specified Japanese strength fNA is the specified North American strength
σ is the standard deviation of the cylinder strength.

JASS 5 states that σ should be taken as 3.5MPa where the actual value is unknown.
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Japanese specified strength :

f 0.05 − 0.09σ 
f J + 0.09σ   
f 0.05 = max   f J = min f 0.05 − 1.36σ 
0.85f J + 1.36σ   
 0.85 

North American specified strength :

f 0.05 + 0.3σ 
fNA − 0.3σ   
   f 0.05 − 0.69σ + 3.45
f 0.05 = max  fNA + 0.69σ − 3.45 fNA = min   
min 0.9 f + 0.69σ  max  f 0.05 − 0.69σ 
  NA    
 0. 9 
10% characteristic value:
f0.05 = f0.10 - 0.36σ f0.10 = f0.05 + 0.36σ

References
(1) STANDARDS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA. AS3600-2001. Concrete structures. SAA, 2001.
(2) CANADIAN STANDARDS ASSOCIATION. A23.3-94. Design of concrete structures. Structures
(design). CSA, 1994.
(3) PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA STANDARDS. GB50010-2002. Code for design of concrete
structures. PRC Ministry of Construction, 2002.
(4) BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTION. BS EN1992-1-1: 2004: Eurocode 2: Design of structures
- Part 1.1: General rules and rules for buildings. BSI 2004.
(5) BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTION. BS8110: Part 1: 1997. Structural use of concrete. Part 1.
Code of practice for design and construction. BSI, 1997.
(6) ARCHITECTURAL INSTITUTE OF JAPAN. JASS 5 (2003). Japanese architectural standard
specification for reinforced concrete work. AIJ, 2003.
(7) DUTCH STANDARDS ASSOCIATION. NEN 6720. Regulations for concrete - Structural
requirements and calculation methods. NEN, 1996
(8) NORGES STANDARDISERINGSFORBUND. NS3473E. Concrete structures design rules
(English edition). NSF, 1992.
(9) POLSKI KOMITET NORMALIZACYJNY. PN-B-03264: 2002. Plain, reinforced and prestressed
concrete structures. Analysis and structural design. PKN, 2002.
(10)CONSTRUCTION NORMS AND REGULATIONS. SNiP 2.03.01-84*. Concrete and reinforced
concrete structures. Issued by the State Committee for architecture and construction of the USSR,
Ruling No.136 dated 20.08.84. Published with subsequent changes and amendments by the Ministry
for Construction of the Russian Federation, GP TsPP, Moscow, 1995.
SOUTH AFRICAN BUREAU OF STANDARDS. SABS 0100-2:1994. The Structural use of Concrete
Part 2: Materials and Execution of work. SSA, 1994.
(11)TURKISH STANDARDS INSTITUTE (TSE). TS500. Requirements for design and construction of
reinforced concrete structures. TSE, 2000.
(12)BRITISH STANDARDS INSTITUTION. BS5400: Part4: 1990. Steel, concrete and composite
bridges. Part 4. Code of practice for design of concrete bridges. BSI, 1990.
(13)AMERICAN CONCRETE INSTITUTE. ACI318-02. Building code requirements for structural
concrete. ACI, 2002.

First published September 2004

Revised (a) October 2004 – Turkey column added
Revised (b) October 2004 – Poland column updated to new code
Revised (c) April 2005 – Japan and Netherlands columns corrected

Feedback Notes are copyright and published for distribution only within Arup Group Ltd. They are not intended for any third party.

3/3 12 November, 2008