These materials are provided by Cement Concrete & Aggregates Australia (CCAA) for general industry information only. They are not intended to constitute engineering, technical, legal or project-specific advice and should not be relied upon as such.
Some publications may reflect standards, regulations, practices or industry conditions current at the time of publication only and may no longer be current. Users should independently verify the applicability of any information and obtain appropriate professional advice relevant to their circumstances before relying on or applying any material.
By downloading any of the below documents, you acknowledge that CCAA does not accept responsibility for any loss, damage or liability arising from reliance on the material to the maximum extent permitted by law.
Tolerances for Concrete Surfaces
Tolerances can be defined as the allowable variations from the specified values or performance levels. Setting tolerances also demonstrate that some degree of variation is inherent in all building work.
Delamination of Concrete Industrial Floors
This data sheet highlights the potential causes of surface delamination of concrete industrial floors and pavements and makes recommendations to reduce the risk of occurrence.
Residential Concrete Driveways and Paths
This Data Sheet provides guidance on the planning, design, construction, maintenance and specification aspects that need to be considered to ensure a successful concrete paving project.
Hot Weather Concreting
Most of the problems associated with placing concrete in hot weather conditions relate to the increased rate of cement hydration at higher temperatures and the increased rate of evaporation of moisture from the fresh concrete.
Specifying Concrete
This datasheet provides guidance on the preparation of specifications for the supply of premixed concrete.
Ordering Premixed Concrete
With the many different designers’ specifications and suppliers’ proprietary products, it is important that customers are very specific as to their requirements when ordering concrete.
Plastic Settlement Cracking
Plastic settlement cracks are so-called because they form while the concrete is still plastic, ie has not set.
Removal of Mortar
This datasheet sets out procedures for removing mortar smears, splatters or stains from surfaces such as clay masonry, concrete masonry, concrete, timber, plasterboard, aluminium and powdercoated finishes.
The Supply of Moist Roadbase Materials
Roadbases are quarry materials which are used in the construction of road pavements. They are made up of a combination of coarse and fine crushed materials which, when placed and compacted at the correct moisture, form a rigid layer.
Durable Masonry Specification Checklist
This datasheet sets out items in the plans and specification that the builder should review prior to ordering materials and commencing construction of any masonry.
Render for Small Projects
This data sheet provides guidance on rendering for small projects
No-fines Concrete
No-fines concrete is a concrete containing little or no fine aggregate. The coarse aggregate should preferably be a single-size material (nominal maximum sizes 10mm and 20mm being the most common).
Thermal Benefits of Solid Construction
Thermal mass is why buildings having solid construction typically feel cooler during the summer and warmer during the winter.
Render
This data sheet sets out information on the selection of render types, construction procedures and surface finishes using renders.
Mixing Mortar For Masonry
This data sheet provides advice on mixing mortar for masonry projects. For guidance on choosing the appropriate ‘salt-attack resistance’ grade of masonry unit and mortar type for a project see Concrete Data ‘Mortar Mixes for Masonry’.
Specifying Low Drying Shrinkage ≠ Crack Control
Drying shrinkage has been ineffectively used by some design engineers as a means of controlling cracking in slab construction.
Honeycombing
Honeycombing refers to voids in concrete caused by the mortar not filling the spaces between the coarse aggregate particles.
Energy Efficiency in Building Regulations and the Use of Concrete in Housing
Since the early 1980s there has been steady progress towards increasing the energy efficiency of building envelopes, with a view to reducing the consumption of operational heating and cooling energy, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
The Specification of Burnished Concrete Finish
Honeycombing refers to voids in concrete caused by the mortar not filling the spaces between the coarse aggregate particles.
The Specification of Honed or Polished Concrete Finishes
This datasheet provides suggested clauses for inclusion in specifications for honed concrete surfaces. They are written with flatwork in mind, although other concrete surfaces can be honed.
Sealers for Concrete Flatwork
Honeycombing refers to voids in concrete caused by the mortar not filling the spaces between the coarse aggregate particles.
Sound Insulation Properties of Concrete Walls and Floors
The sound insulation performance of a wall or floor is a measure of its ability to reduce the amount of sound that is transmitted from one side to the other.
Removing Stains from Concrete
This data sheet sets out procedures for removing common stains from concrete surfaces.
Stabilised and Modified Roadbase Materials
Roadbases consist of granular materials which when correctly placed and compacted form a stiff pavement layer used in road construction.
Cleaning Concrete
This datasheet sets out procedures for the general cleaning of concrete surfaces and the removal of dust, dirt and soil contamination.
Avoiding Surface Imperfections in Concrete
Avoiding Surface Imperfections in Concrete: blowholes, crazing, dusting, flaking, honeycombing and popouts.
Concrete Retaining Walls
As the supply of level building sites diminishes, the need to create level building platforms for house construction on sloping sites will increase.
Controlled Low-strength Material
Controlled Low-Strength Material (CLSM) is a cementitious fill that is in a flowable state at the time of placement and has limited compressive strength to facilitate subsequent excavation.
Condensation Design Strategies
Under certain combinations of temperature, humidity and ventilation any building can suffer from condensation problems.
Constructing Durable Masonry
This datasheet sets out practices to be followed when constructing masonry to ensure the durability of the resulting wall.
Moisture in Concrete and Moisture-sensitive Finishes and Coatings
This datasheet addresses these issues and provides guidance on available test methods to determine the moisture content of concrete and the interpretation of the information to obtain a realistic indication of whether the concrete is dry enough.
Slip Resistance of Polished Concrete Surfaces
Slip resistance of floors and pavements is a measure of the ability of a surface to resist accidental slipping by pedestrians – in dry or wet conditions.
Efflorescence
Efflorescence is the formation of salt deposits, usually white, on or near the surface of concrete causing a change in appearance.
Curing of Concrete
This data sheet provides information on the importance of curing and the techniques for undertaking the process on site.
Curling of concrete slabs
The upward or downward movement of a concrete slab’s corners or edges due to moisture and/or temperature differentials within the concrete is known as ‘curling’ or ‘warping’.
Avoiding Early Cracking
Cracks appearing in concrete within the first few hours after placing are either early-age shrinkage cracks, plastic shrinkage cracks or plastic settlement cracks, all of which form in the concrete prior to it gaining its final set.
Plastic Shrinking Cracking
Plastic shrinkage cracks are so-called because they form while the concrete is still plastic, ie has not set. Rapid drying of the surface of the plastic concrete causes it to shrink and crack.
Dusting Concrete Surfaces
A dusting floor surface is marked by an accumulation of fine material requiring to be swept up after the floor has been used. A hand rubbed over the surface of a dusting floor will be coated with a fine powder.
Early Age Shrinkage of Concrete
While long-term (drying) shrinkage has been the focus of specifiers, recent studies have shown that the early loss of moisture from fresh concrete can produce large tensile stresses in the concrete at a very early age leading to early-age shrinkage.
Slab Edge Dampness And Moisture Ingress
This datasheet explains why slab edge dampness occurs and provides recommendations to reduce the risk of moisture ingress and thus avoid the associated problems.
Assessing Concrete Volumes
This datasheet covers how to estimate the volume of concrete required for projects and discusses some of the factors that affect the volume required.
Concrete Slabs As Barriers To Subterranean Termites
This datasheet summarises the outcome of a three-year research project to ascertain through what crack widths in concrete slabs Australian termites could penetrate, and whether or not they could widen narrower cracks.
Permeable Concrete Pavements
This datasheet provides a brief description of types of permeable concrete pavements and their applications.
Slip Resistance of Residential Concrete Paving Surfaces
Slip resistance is described as the ability of a surface to substantially reduce or prevent the risk of a person slipping.
Masonry Bond Strength
This datasheet draws on recent research by the University of Newcastle and the CSIRO to determine the main factors influencing masonry bond strength.
Sulfate-resisting Cement and Concrete
This article reviews the factors affecting sulfate resistance of concrete, seeking to put in perspective their varying influences and thus enabling practical and effective measures be taken to produce sulfate-resisting concrete.
Skid Resistance of Residential Concrete Paving Surfaces
Skid resistance is described as the ability of a surface to provide friction to a reference tyre or slider usually measured wet.
Archived Datasheets
The below publications were prepared under standards, regulations and industry practices current at the date of publication and may no longer reflect current requirements or accepted practice.
These document are retained for historical reference only and should be used with caution.