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GAMMON INDIA LIMITED

Builders to the Nation
(AN ISO 9001 COMPANY)

RECOMMENDED PRACTICE
FOR
STORAGE AND TESTING OF
CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

EXECUTION MANUAL 02

REVISION : R0

MARCH 2010

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PREAMBLE

Cement, aggregates , admixture, clay bricks, cement concrete blocks,

are the basic construction materials used on all sites.
For quality construction it is essential that these materials should be
of good quality and they also need to be stored properly.
Reinforcement steel is covered separately.
This booklet gives guidelines on testing and storage of these other construction materials.

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INDEX

RECOMMENDED PRACTICE FOR STORAGE AND QUALITY

TESTS FOR CONCRETE MATERIALS, CLAY BRICKS AND
CEMENT CONCRETE BLOCKS

Sr.No.

Material

Page No.

CEMENT

1 -7

COARSE AGGREGATES

8-9

FINE AGGREGATES

10-11

ADMIXTURES

12-13

CONCRETE CUBES

14-15

CLAY BRICKS

16-17

CEMENT CONCRETE BLOCKS

18-19

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RECOMMENDED PRACTICE FOR STORAGE AND QUALITY

TESTS FOR CEMENT:
A) CEMENT BAGS -VISUAL INSPECTION AT RANDOM.
Following information statutorily printed on cement bags should be
Checked

Facsimile of Cement Bag.

SR.NO.

DESCRIPTION

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

BIS Monogram.
IS Code Number.
License no. of manufacturer
Type and Grade of Cement
Brand of Cement
Address of Manufacturer
Week No. and Year.
M.R.P. of bags
Net Mass of cement

Statutory Information to be Printed on Each

Cement Bag

B) CEMENT BAGS : CRITERIA FOR ACCEPTANCE.

Demand the test certificate of cement from dealer/ manufacturer. Certificate should be
received alongwith the material or within 3 days.
Check at random week number and year of manufacture of the cement as marked on
each bag.
The first week starts from 1st Monday of January.
Check whether the companys original packing is intact. Stitching should be machine
stitching only.
Check the weight of cement bag at random. A bag should weigh 50 kg. A variation of
0.5 kg in any individual bag is permitted as packing tolerance. However, 20 bags,
when weighed together, should not be less than 1000 kg.

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C) STORING CEMENT .
Cement strength deteriorates with passage of time by absorbing moisture directly or
indirectly as well as pollutants present in the environment. Therefore cement should
be stored in a manner that no dampness or moisture is allowed to reach it either from
the ground, walls or from the environment. This is particularly important during the
humid seasons and in coastal regions.
DETERIORATION OF CEMENT DUE TO STORAGE IN
NORMAL WEATHER PROOF SHEDS

Loss of Cement Strength with Age (Indicative)

Com pre ssive Stre ngth (%)

100
80
60
40
20
0
0

Age (Months)

Period in months from Date of Manufacture

As per BIS, cement gives best performance if consumed within 90 days from the
date of its packing. Beyond this period, it should be tested for compressive strength
and loss on ignition and then only used.

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D) WEATHER PROOF AND LEAK PROOF CEMENT STORAGE SHED.

The walls must be leak proof , Brick masonry walls must be plastered with cement-sand
plastered (water proof) on the external face with 2 coats.
The roof must preferably be of reinforced concrete construction overlaid with a
waterproofing course. AC/GI sheet roof construction may be used provided they are
leakproof.
The floor must be raised by at least 40 cm above the ground level to prevent any inflow
of water. The flooring may consist of a 15 cm thick concrete slab or layer of dry bricks
laid in two courses over a layer of earth consolidated to a thickness of 15 cm above the
ground level. Although not shown on the drawing, the outside ground is drained away
from the
building to prevent accumulation of rainwater in its vicinity. All these precautions
ensure that the floor will remain absolutely dry.
For further protection, cement bags should be stacked atleast 10-20 cm clear above the
floor by providing wooden battens and planking arrangements.
Preferably, the plinth should be high enough for a lorry to back conveniently to the door
so that, the chassis and the building floor is almost at the same level, thus making
loading and unloading of bags very easy.
Windows provided, if any, should be very few in number and of small size, and
normally kept closed tightly to prevent entry of atmospheric moisture from outside.
The door should also be tight and always kept closed unless in use.
E) ESSENTIAL PRECAUTIONS FOR STACKING OF CEMENT BAGS.
No cement bags should be stacked in contact with the external wall. A clear space of
minimum 600mm should be left between the exterior wall and the stacks.
Tarpaulin or polyethylene sheet should be spread before stacking of the cement bags.
Cement bags should be placed closely together in the stack to reduce circulation of air
as much as possible.
Cement bags should not be stacked more than 10 bags high to avoid lumping under
pressure and for convenience of loading & unloading.
For extra safety during rainy season, the stacks of cement bags should be covered
completely with polyethylene sheets, if it is anticipated that cement would not be
required for a prolonged period.

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A sign board for each grade of cement (OPC 43,OPC 53 etc.) in red, yellow or green
colour, giving the following important information should be prominently displayed
by the side of the stack.
Grade of cement.
Name of the manufacturer.
Date of manufacturing (week and year).
Red sign board for oldest manufactured cement.
Yellow sign board for cement manufactured between the oldest and the latest.
Green sign board for latest manufactured cement.
These boards should be rotated accordingly.
Aisles should be clearly marked between the stacks so as to have a clear access
to all the stacks and a distance of minimum 600mm should be maintained between
two stacks.
While using, cement bags should be opened by removing thread and not by cutting the
bags.
Take out the bags not only from one tier, but step back two or three tiers as shown in
the figure 1 on page 6.
.

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Ideal cement bags stacking

LEGEND : 1) Red : Oldest manufactured cement bags
2) Yellow : Cement bags manufactured between oldest and latest
3) Green : Latest manufactured cement bags
4) A
: Planks and Tarpaulin
5) B
: Wooden Battens
6) C
: P.C.C. Flooring
7) D
: Rubble Soling
8) E
: Load Bearing Wall

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M.S.Ramp

Loading of cement bags in silos,

using M.S ramp.(Sand filled bags
and not cement filled bags,can be
used as ramp).

Opening of cement bags by

removing thread.

A )QUALITY FIELD TESTS FOR CEMENT:

SR.NO. FIELD TEST
DETAILS
1
Freshness Test
a)Manufacturing date

2
3
4

b)Lump test
Weight of each bag
Type of bag
Original stitching

REQUIRED RESULTS

Printed week and year on each bag by

manufacturer.
No lumps should be present when opened.
50 kg 0.5 kg
Polythene /Paper bag
Original machine stitching should be intact

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B) QUALITY LABORATORY TESTS FOR ORDINARY PORTLAND CEMENT:

SR. LABORATORY TEST
NO.
1
FINENESS

REQUIREMENT

IS 4031-1968 (53 Gr.)

IS 4031 Part-5 1988 (43Gr)
IS 4031-1968 (53 Gr.)
IS 4031 Part-5 1988 (43Gr)

Not less than 30 minutes

Final Setting

Compressive Strength
53 Gr.(IS 4031-1968)

43 Gr.(IS 4031- Part 6 1988)

4

Specific surface of cement

Shall not be less than
225 sq.m./ kg for OPC 53
grade
and OPC 43 grade cements

SETTING TIME
Initial Setting

RELEVANT I.S. CODE

(LATEST EDITION)
For OPC 53 grade IS 12269
(Reaffirmed 1999).
For OPC 43 grade
IS 8112-1989

SOUNDNESS
A) (OPC 53 Gr. Cement)
i)By Le chateliers Method
ii)By Le chateliers Method
(Autoclave)

B) (OPC 43 Gr. Cement)

i)By Le chateliers Method
ii)By Le chateliers Method
(Autoclave)

IS 4031-1968
IS 4031-1968

IS 4031- Part 3 -1988

IS 4031- Part 3 -1988

Not more than 600

minutes

For Each
Lot or
Once in a
Month,
whichever
is earlier.

Not less than, for

1) 72 1 hr
27MPa
2) 168 2hrs 37 MPa
3) 672 4hrs 53 MPa
Not less than, for
1) 72 1 hr
23MPa
2) 168 2hrs 33 MPa
3) 672 4hrs 43 MPa

Expansion shall not be more

than 10mm.
Expansion shall not be more
than 0.8 percent.

Expansion shall not be more

than 10mm.
Expansion shall not be more
than 0.8 percent

Note: Testing of cement for its physical & chemical properties at regular interval as specified in
the contract document or once for every 10,000 bags should be done from an outside reputed
laboratory. However tests under Sr. No. 2 can be done at site laboratory at regular intervals
as noted above.

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RECOMMENDED PRACTICE FOR STORAGE AND QUALITY

TESTS FOR AGGREGATES:
A) STORAGE OF COARSE AGGREGATES
Aggregate should be stored on a hard, dry and level ground. If necessary, lean concrete
is to be laid to improve the ground.
Stacks of fine and coarse aggregate should be kept in separate stock piles sufficiently
spaced from each other to prevent the materials at the edges of the piles from getting
intermixed.
It is necessary to provide partition walls to give each type of aggregates its own
compartment.
It is advised to cover these with tarpaulin sheets.

B) QUALITY TESTS FOR COARSE AGGREGATES:

Coarse aggregates are larger than 4.75 mm in size
The aggregates could be river gravel or crushed stone aggregates
They should be hard, strong, dense, durable, clear and free from veins.
The aggregate should not contain harmful materials such as pyrites, coal, shale or
similar laminated materials, clay, alkali and organic impurities in such quantity as to
effect the strength and durability of the concrete.
Nominal size of coarse aggregate generally are 20mm downgrade and 40mm
downgrade. However, higher size aggregates are permissible for mass concrete such as
Dam etc.
Coarse aggregates generally shall be well graded or gap graded.
SR.NO.

TEST DETAILS

Shape

Size

Aggregate crushing
Value

REQUIRED
REMARKS
RESULTS
Flakiness &
elongation
As specified in the
contract document.
i) Not to exceed
45% for concretes
other than wearing
surfaces.
ii) Not to exceed
IS 383-1970
30% for concrete for (Reaffirmed 1997)
wearing surfaces
such as runways,
roads, pavementsetc

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Aggregate Impact
Value

i) Not to exceed
45% for concretes
other than wearing
surfaces.
ii) Not to exceed
30% for concrete
for wearing
surfaces such as
runways, roads,
pavements etc.
Aggregate Abrasion i) For concrete for
Value
wearing surfaces
< 30%.
ii) For other
concrete < 50%

As an alternative to
aggregate crushing
value. As specified
above.
IS 383-1970
(Reaffirmed 1997)
IS 383-1970
(Reaffirmed 1997)

Batching plant-concrete aggregate storage

bins well laid down with partition and covered
with tarpaulin sheets.

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RECOMMENDED PRACTICE FOR STORAGE AND QUALITY TESTS

FOR FINE AGGREGATES:
A) STORAGE OF FINE AGGREGATES (RIVER SAND / CRUSHED SAND)
Fine aggregates should be stored on a hard, dry and levelled ground.
Stacks of fine and coarse aggregate should be kept in separate stock
piles sufficiently spaced from each other to prevent the materials
at the edges of the piles from getting intermix.
On large jobs it is desirable to construct dividing walls to give each
types of aggregates its own compartment.
Fine aggregates should be covered with tarpaulin sheet.
Natural and crushed sand should be stored separately.

B) QUALITY TESTS FOR FINE AGGREGATES (RIVER SAND):

Fine aggregate is finer than 4.75 mm and coarser than 75 micron.
Sand should be natural river sand or crushed sand free from clay, silt and other
impurities.
If the silt content is more than 7% by volume sand should be washed
before use in concreting/plastering/masonry work.
Sand for plastering/masonry work should be sieved and over sized
Particles (4.75mm) should be removed.
Fine particles below 150 micron should be less than 10%.
Fine aggregates are divided into four zones( I, II, III, IV) based on the
sieve analysis. (Refer Fig. 2)
Fine aggregates conforming to grading zone IV should not be used in reinforced
concrete unless test have been made to ascertain the suitability of proposed mix
proportions. Sand falling in zone II is ideal one.
Better grading, if can be obtained by mixing natural sand and crushed sand should be
encouraged.

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SR.NO.

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TEST
DETAILS
Silt content

REQUIRED RESULTS

REMARKS

It should not be more than 7% by

volume or 4% by weight.

(Upto 7% by volume can

be used
without washing)

2
3

Very fine Sand

Organic
impurities

Fineness
Modulus
(F.M.)

Not advisable for R.C.C. work

Should be within limits and should
be identified by visualisation(such as
mixed quantity of shell/shingle and
other impurities).
383-1970 ( Reaffirmed 1997)
For concrete, ideally
between 2.6 to 2.9 but
not less than 2.2 or more
than 3, unless tests on
concrete carried out.

Measurement of silt content in sand-silt percentage (by volume)

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Fig. 2
Important Note : It is however advised that these grading graphs shall
be drawn separately zone wise on tracing sheets. This will enable for easy
identification of zone the fine aggregate belongs to.

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RECOMMENDED PRACTICE FOR STORAGE AND QUALITY TESTS

FOR ADMIXTURES:
A) STORAGE OF ADMIXTURE :
All admixtures including the approved sample should be stored in
shed.
If the admixture is to be used in a very short duration the same may
be covered with tarpaulin.
Admixtures should not be stored in cement godown as there is a
Possibility of cement dust getting mixed with admixture whenever the container is
opened for usage.
The container should always be kept in a closed condition.
When stored in open and high ambient temperatures, admixtures may
foam and generate gas aerobic bacteria. In such situations the drums
get swollen. The pressure should be released by opening the lead.
OTHER GUIDELINES FOR USE OF ADMIXTURES:
If the drums are stored for a long period the admixtures should be
stirred well before use.
If the admixture dispenser is used calibrate the systems and weighing
system regularly at least once in six months.
Clean the dispenser motor and hose regularly (once in a week).
Retain a sample of 5 kg of the approved admixtures at site along
with manufacturers chemical analysis certificate.
Any batch of admixture shall have the same physical state and composition, as that
of the admixture tested for acceptance. The representative sample of the new batch
shall satisfy the following requirements.
Identification of the source of manufacture.
Year and date of manufacture.
Type of admixture, i.e. whether accelerating, retarding, etc.
Batch number.
Chloride ion content .
pH value.
Ash content.
Relative density.
Admixtures should not impair durability of concrete nor combine
with the constituents to form harmful compounds nor increase the
risk of corrosion of reinforcement.

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The workability, compressive strength and the slump loss of concrete

with and without the use of admixtures should be established during
the trial mixes before use of admixtures.
The chloride content of admixtures shall be independently tested for
each batch before acceptance.
Admixtures used shall comply with IS 9103.
Chemical test analysis report should be obtained from the
manufacturer giving the details as are as under:
Sr.No.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

DESCRIPTION / PROPERTY
Name of the product
Batch No.
Manufacturing date of sample
The colour of the product.
Chloride Content (%)
Specific Gravity/Density
Solid Content (%)
Impurity, if any.
Ash Content (%)
pH Value.
Expiry Date

DESCRIPTION/ LIMITS REFERENCE

Within 10%
Within 0.02%
Within 3%

IS 9103 : 1999
IS 9103 : 1999
IS 9103 : 1999

Within 1%
7-8

IS 9103 : 1999
IS 9103 : 1999

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RECOMMENDED PRACTICE FOR CASTING OF CONCRETE

CUBES:
Clean the standard cube moulds, 6 Nos. thoroughly and tighten all
the nuts, bolts properly. Please ensure this is achieved by measuring length, breadth
and diagonal of moulds.
Apply oil to all inside contact surfaces of the mould.
Size of the mould is normally 150mm x 150mm x 150mm and the sides of the same
should fit in right angles.
Take random samples from the mix while concreting.
Pour concrete in cubes in the three layers.
Compact each layer with minimum 35 Nos. of strokes till slurry appears on the surface
with standard 16mm dia. tamping rod (600mm long).
Use rubber mallet for tapping the cube mould from outside to avoid/minimize the air
voids after each layer on the surface of the cubes.
Finish the top surface by thapi/ trowel after compaction of the last layer.
Cover the mould by a damp hessian cloth /plastic sheet to prevent loss of water and
ensure shrinkage cracks are eliminated or minimised.
Each specimen should be taken from different locations of the proposed concreting.
After 24 hours, remove the specimen from the mould. Clean the moulds, and apply
oil to inside surfaces of the mould.
While removing, take care and avoid breaking of the edges and corners.
Code the cubes with paint or marker. Coding should be self explanatory, showing the
concrete grade, site name, concrete location , building no. and the date of casting etc.
Submerge the specimen in clean, fresh water until the time of testing.
Test 3 specimen for 7 days & 3 specimen for 28 days for crushing strength unless
specified in the contract otherwise and record the results correctly and properly.
Density of concrete with age also should be recorded.
Hard punching of ID nos. of cube mould plates and base plates should be done.

Standard cube moulds of size 150mmx150mmx150mm

with standard 16mm dia. tamping rod and rubber mallet

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FILLING CONCRETE TEST CUBES IN 3 LAYERS

TAMPING SEQUANCE
PLAN

SECTION

Slump cone with 16 mm dia standard

tamping rod.

15

Procedure to check the slump of

concrete

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RECOMMENDED PRACTICE FOR STORAGE AND QUALITY TESTS

FOR CLAY BRICKS:
A) STORAGE OF CLAY BRICKS :
Bricks should be stacked on dry firm ground.
Brick should be placed close to the site of work so that least effort is
required to unload and transport again to the place of the work.
The stack should be so located that the debris/scrap thrown from the
building does not fall on the stack below.
Bricks should be loaded or unloaded a pair at a time. Unloading of
building bricks or handling in any other way is likely to damage the
corners or edges or other parts of bricks.
For proper inspection of quality and ease in counting the stack should
be 50 bricks long 10 bricks high and not more than 4 bricks in width.
Bricks of each truck should be put in one stack.
Clear distance between adjacent stack should be minimum 600 mm.
B) QUALITY TESTS FOR CLAY BRICKS :
SR.NO.

TEST DETAILS

REQUIRED RESULTS

1
2

Colour
Edges

Reddish and uniform

Should be sharp, straight and in right angles.

Size/Make

As per required
(9 x 4 x 3)

REMARKS
Best locally
available
Best locally
Available

Ordinary brick
4

Frog

Should not be less than 1cm and should not

be more than 2 cms.

5
6

Water absorption
Soundness

Should not be more than 20% by weight

Should give clear metallic ringing sound

Burning

Should not be over burned (Khangar) or

under burned (Kaccha)

% of Breaking

Should not be more than 5%

Strength

Should not break when thrown on their flat

face from a height of 1.0 m and compressive
strength should not be less than 3.5 N/mm2

16

IS 1077-1992

IS 1077-1992

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Stacking of clay bricks on level ground

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RECOMMENDED PRACTICE FOR STORAGE AND QUALITY TESTS

FOR CEMENT CONCRETE BLOCKS:
A) STORAGE OF C.C. BLOCKS :
Blocks should be stacked on dry, firm ground.
Block should be unloaded one at a time and stacked in regular tiers
to minimize breakage and defacement.
The height of the stack should not be more than 1.2m. The length of
the stack should not be more than 3m as far as possible. The width
should be 3-4 blocks.
There should be a minimum gap of 600 mm between two rows of blocks.
Block should be placed close to the site of work so that least effort is
required to unload and transport again to the place of the work.
Normally blocks cured for minimum 14 days should only be received at site.
Blocks cured for less than 10 days should not be used for building
constructions.
B) QUALITY TEST FOR C.C. BlOCKS :
SR.NO.

TEST DETAILS

Size

Edges

3
4
5

Texture
Defects
Strength

Absorption test

Density

% of Breaking

Crushing Strength
of Dry C.C. Block

REQUIRED
RESULTS
It should be as per
specification.
Should be sharp, straight
and in right angles
Homogeneous
Free from cracks
It should not break when
dropped on its flat face
on hard ground from
1.0m (3.3) height

REMARKS

Not more than 10% by

Weight
Density of blocks should
be taken after curing
period is over for each
lot.
It should not be more
than 3%
It should not be less than
5N/mm2

Soaking for 24
hours
1800 kg/m3
minimum
except for light
weight. block.

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Stacking of C.C. Blocks

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