Consistent yield leads
to consistent quality
Yield of concrete
Calculating yield accurately is
important to quality, economy and
jobsite control
BY JERRY G. ROSE
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR
DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING
UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY
roducing concrete with the correct yield and be-
P ing able to verify that yield is extremely impor-
tant to every ready mix producer and to every
c o n t ra c t o r. Many times questions of yield are
raised by a contractor who believes he has not received
all of the concrete that the ready mix producer is certain
he has delivered. If such questions are to be re s o l ve d
satisfactorily the ready mix producer has to be able to
confirm that the cubic yard batch weights he is using re-
ally do yield 27 cubic feet of concrete. Many yield com-
plaints are traceable to spillage and waste of concrete
during the pour, inaccuracy of grading or of measure-
ment and deflection of the forms. Because some of
BATCH WEIGHTS FOR ONE CUBIC YARD (27 CUBIC FEET)
SSD* Design
(lbs/cu yd)
Water 253
Cement 564
Sand 1250
Coarse aggregate 1877
6% air entrainment
______
Total 3944
* SSD (saturated surface dry) means that the aggre-
gate particles have absorbed all of the moisture
possible, and that their surface is dry. They will nei-
ther absorb water from the mix nor add water to
the mix.
** In the field, aggregates can be expected to con-
tain some free surface moisture. In this example it
is assumed that the sand contains 3 percent sur-
face moisture and the coarse aggregate 0.6 per-
these causes are difficult to confirm, especially after the
pour, confirmation of the volume of concrete yielded by
the cubic yard batch weights is a very important starting
point.
Yield measurement based on a unit weight test
The common method for measuring yield is based on
a simple unit weight test, usually using a 12-cubic-foot
container. Procedures used for determining unit weight
are described in ASTM C 138, the standard test method
for unit weight. A sample is taken from each of three dif-
ferent truckloads in accordance with ASTM C 172, the
standard method for sampling concrete, and a unit
Adjustment for Free Adjusted**
Moisture in Aggregate Batch Weights
-49 (38 + 11) 204
564
+38 (0.03 x 1250) 1288
+11 (0.006 x 1877) 1888
3944
cent surface moisture. Because the free surface
moisture becomes a part of the mix water, and
because the batch weights of the sand and the
coarse aggregate include the weight of the sur-
face moisture, the batch weights of all three must
be adjusted. The total cubic yard batch weight of
3944 pounds remains the same. The 49 pounds of
the mix water being batched as part of the aggre-
gates is deducted from the water to be batched
separately.
 For this example the adjusted weights were batched
Total weight of the 12-cubic-foot container
out. Three unit weight tests were performed on the fresh
filled with concrete (average of three) 92.4 pounds concrete and the average unit weight was calculated as
follows:
Empty weight of the container 20.1 pounds Since the cubic yard yield is greater than 27.0 cubic
feet, the overyield is 0.28 cubic foot or about 1 percent.
Weight of 12 cubic foot of concrete The unit weight test must be run very carefully because
(92.4 - 20.1) 72.3 pounds of the effect that discrepancies in the unit weight will
have on the result. That is the reason that an average of
Unit weight of the concrete in pounds per at least three tests is needed.
cubic foot (72.3 x 2) 144.6 pounds
Yield calculation based on absolute volume
Concrete mixes are designed by the absolute volume
The yield is then calculated as follows:
technique. In a batch of concrete, the sum of the ab-
solute volumes of cement, aggregate and water plus the
weight per cubic yard
volume of air is equal to the volume of concrete pro-
yield in cubic feet = - duced per batch. Weights of the various ingredients
weight per cubic foot must be chosen to yield a design volume (usually one
cubic yard) of concrete with the desired cement content,
3944 water-cement ratio and air content.
yield = = 27.28 cubic feet
144.6 To calculate the absolute volume of a material for a
given weight, the specific gravity of the material must
be known. Specific gravity is the weight of a material di-
weight test is run on each sample. An average unit
vided by the weight of an equal volume of water. For ex-
weight is calculated. Total weight of the batch is then di-
ample, the specific gravity of cement is 3.15. Thus, one
vided by the average unit weight to determine the vol-
cubic foot absolute volume of cement weighs 3.15 times
ume (or yield) of freshly mixed concrete in the batch.
62.4 (the weight of 1 cubic foot of water) or 196.6
This procedure is illustrated in the shown example.
pounds. With this information we can calculate the vol-
ume that any weight of cement will occu-
SSD Batch Specific Pounds per cubic foot py in the concrete by dividing the cement
weight gravity absolute volume weight by 196.6. A similar calculation is
water 240 1.00 1.00 x 62.4 = 62.4 made for the other concrete ingredients.
cement 564 3.15 3.15 x 62.4 = 196.6 The following mix design is proposed
sand 1229 2.63 2.63 x 62.4 = 164.1 for a cubic yard of concrete. The weights
coarse aggregate 1850 2.70 2.70 x 62.4 = 168.5 a re based on the aggregates being in a SSD
condition. The SSD specific gravities are
given, from which the weight of a cubic
Add enough air entraining admixture to produce 6 percent air content.
foot absolute volume is calculated.
The total yield is 26.81 cubic feet and the
The absolute volume calculations would then be:
mix underyields by 0.19 of a cubic foot.
Batch Weight Absolute Volume The logical way to make up the additional
(pounds) (cubic feet per cubic yard) volume needed would be by adding 0.19 of
a cubic foot of sand or coarse aggregate or
water 240 240 a combination of the two. For example, if
= 3.85
62.4 sand were added, the amount would be
cement 564 564
0.19 x 164.1 = 31 pounds. The mix would
- = 2.87 then yield exactly 27.00 cubic feet. If it did
196.6
not appear that the workability of the mix
sand 1229 1229 would benefit from more sand, the addi-
- = 7.49 tion could be made with 0.19 cubic foot of
164.1
coarse aggregate which would weigh 0.19 x
coarse aggregate 1850 1850 168.5 or 32 pounds.
- = 10.98 If either the weight or specific gravity of
168.5
an ingredient is changed, the yield will be
6 percent air 0.06 x 27 = 1.62 affected. Also, a 1 percent change in air
______
Total volume cubic feet per cubic yard 26.81 volume will result in a yield change of 0.27
cubic foot (1 percent of 27 = 0.27).
Summary
The expected yield for a proposed mixture of materi-
als can be calculated by using established absolute vol-
ume calculation procedures. The weights and specific
gravities of each material and the air percentage must be
known.
The common method for adjusting the yield is to in-
crease or decrease the weight of one or more of the ma-
terials to produce the required volume change. Typical-
ly the fine aggregate is adjusted if the mix appears to be
undersanded. If additional sand is not needed, the ad-
justment may be made in the coarse aggregate alone or
in a combination of the fine and the coarse.
Air contents are assumed for calculation purposes,
but have to be checked after the mix is made and the ad-
mixture dosage varied as required to provide the speci-
fied air content.
The common measurement for yield involves a unit
weight test on the fresh concrete. Provided the unit
weight test is conducted properly and the total weights
of the mix ingredients are known, the yield value repre-
sents the actual volume of concrete being produced.
When a mix underyields, the purchaser is not receiv-
ing a sufficient volume of concrete. This results in over-
payment to the producer and increased construction
costs. If the underyield is due to low air content or low
cement content the mix quality may be adversely affect-
ed. The importance of maintaining the required air con-
tent, cement content, and water-cement ratio cannot
be overemphasized.
When a mix ove ry i e l d s, the purchaser receives a
greater volume of concrete than was specified. This rep-
resents a loss for the producer. Howe ve r, if the cement
content is not increased accordingly, the cement is used
with a larger volume of concrete than intended, decreas-
ing the cement content and possibly resulting in de-
creased strength and quality of the concrete. If the
overyield is due to increased volume of water the con-
crete quality is reduced. A higher than designed air vol-
ume will increase yield, but may reduce strength.
A consistent yield, as reflected by a consistent unit
weight, is one of the best indicators of mix quality. A
varying yield is indicative of varying proportions of mix
ingredients which will result in varying quality of the
finished product. Mixes that show a consistent yield are
more likely to meet quality requirements. Yield checks
should be routinely conducted as part of the quality
control plan.
PUBLICATION #C860313
Copyright 1986, The Aberdeen Group
All rights reserved