Properties of 33, 43 and 53 grades of Ordinary Portland Cement such as fineness, setting times, soundness, expansion, compressive strength based on Indian, American and Eurocodes.
Ordinary Portland Cement(OPC) is the most widely used cement in the world for producing concrete, mortar, stucco, and non-specialty grouts. Ordinary Portland Cement has 3 grades based on its strength namely 33, 43 and 53 grade that indicates the compressive strength obtained after 28 days of setting.
In this article, we discuss the difference between different type of ordinary Portland cement as per Indian Standards, American Standards and European Standards.
As per Indian Standards
| Indian Standard Codes | |||||||||
| Grade | 33 Grade | 43 Grade | 53 Grade | ||||||
| Properties | |||||||||
| Chemical Properties | |||||||||
| Ratio of percentage of lime to percentages of silica, alumina and iron oxide | Not greater than 1.02 and not less than 0.66 | Not greater than 1.02 and not less than 0.66 | Not greater than 1.02 and not less than 0.8 | ||||||
| Ratio of percentage of alumina to percentage of iron oxide | Not less than 0.66 | Not less than 0.66 | Not less than 0.66 | ||||||
| Insoluble residue, percent by mass | Not more than 4 | Not more than 2 | Not more than 2 | ||||||
| Magnesia, percent by mass | Not more than 6 | Not more than 6 | Not more than 6 | ||||||
| Total Sulphur content calculated as Sulphuric anhydride (SO2), percent by mass | |||||||||
| (a) When tricalcium aluminate is less than or equal to 5 | Not more than 2.5 | Not more than 2.5 | Not more than 2.5 | ||||||
| (b) When tricalcium aluminate is greater than 5 | Not more than 3 | Not more than 3 | Not more than 3 | ||||||
| Total loss on ignition, percent by mass, Max | Not more than 5 % | Not more than 5 % | Not more than 5 % | ||||||
| Chloride content, percent by mass, Max | Not more than 0.1 % | Not more than 0.1 % | Not more than 0.1 % | ||||||
| Alkali content | Not more than 0.05 | Not more than 0.05 | Not more than 0.05 | ||||||
| Physical Properties | |||||||||
| Setting Time | 3 days | 7 Days | 28 Days | 3 days | 7 Days | 28 Days | 3 days | 7 Days | 28 Days |
| Avg. Compressive Strength in N/mm^2 | 16 | 22 | 33 | 23 | 33 | 43 | 27 | 37 | 53 |
| Fineness in m^2 /kg, Min. | 225 | 225 | 225 | ||||||
| Soundness | |||||||||
| a) By Le Chatelier method, mm, Max | 10 | 10 | 10 | ||||||
| b) By autoclave test method, percent, Max | 0.8 | 0.8 | 0.8 | ||||||
| Setting time | |||||||||
| a) Initial in minutes, Min | 30 | 30 | 30 | ||||||
| b) Final in minutes, Max | 600 | 600 | 600 | ||||||
| Other Information | |||||||||
| Code Reference | IS Code – IS 269 : 1989 | IS Code – IS 8112: 1989 | IS Code – IS 12269 : 1987 | ||||||
As per American Standards
| American Standard – ASTM C 150 | ||||||||
| Types | Type I | Type I A | Type II | Type II A | Type III | Type III A | Type IV | Type V |
| Properties | ||||||||
| Air Content of Mortar | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
| a) All cements | 12% | 12% | 12% | 12% | 12% | 12% | 12% | 12% |
| b) Air-Entraining Cement | 16% - 22% | 16% - 22% | 16% - 22% | 16% - 22% | 16% - 22% | 16% - 22% | 16% - 22% | 16% - 22% |
| Fineness | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
| a) Turbidimeter test in m²/kg | 160 | 160 | 160 - 240 | 160 - 240 | - | - | 160 - 240 | 160 |
| b) Air Permeability | 280 | 280 | 280-420 | 280-420 | - | - | 280-420 | 280 |
| Soundness | 0.80% | 0.80% | 0.80% | 0.80% | 0.80% | 0.80% | 0.80% | 0.80% |
| Setting Time in min | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
| Initial Time | Not less than 45 | Not less than 45 | Not less than 45 | Not less than 45 | Not less than 45 | Not less than 45 | Not less than 45 | Not less than 45 |
| Final Time | Not more than 375 | Not more than 375 | Not more than 375 | Not more than 375 | Not more than 375 | Not more than 375 | Not more than 375 | Not more than 375 |
| Compressive Strength in Mpa | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â | Â |
| 1 Day | - | - | - | - | 12 | 10 | - | - |
| 3 Day | 12 | 10 | 10 | 8 | 24 | 19 | - | 8 |
| 7 Day | 19 | 16 | 17 | 14 | - | - | 7 | 15 |
| 28 Day | - | - | - | - | - | - | 17 | 21 |
As per European Standards
| European Standard – EN-197-1 | |||
| Types | Class 32.5 | Class 42.5 | Class 52.5 |
| Properties | |||
| Compressive Strength in MPa | Â | Â | Â |
| 2 Days | 10 | 20 | 20 -30 |
| 7 Days | Greater than 16 | Â | Â |
| 28 Days | 32.5 -52.5 | 42.5 - 62.5 | Greater than 52.5 |
| Initial Setting Time | Greater than 75 | Greater than 60 | Greater than 45 |
| Soundness | 10mm | 10mm | 10mm |
Uses of Different Type of Ordinary Portland Cement
As per Indian Codes
1. 33 Grade Cement
This grade of cement is used for general construction under normal environmental condition. But low compressive strength and availability of higher grades of cement have impacted the use and demand of OPC 33.
2. 43 Grade Cement
OPC 43 is used for general RCC construction where the grade of concrete is up to M30. It is also used for the construction of precast items such as blocks, tiles, asbestos products like sheets and pipes, and for non-structural works such as plastering, flooring, etc.
3. 53 Grade Cement
OPC 53 is used when we need higher strength concrete at very economical cement content. This cement grade is used for specialized works such as prestressed concrete components, precast items such as paving blocks, building blocks, etc, runways, concrete roads, bridges, and other RCC works where the grade of concrete is M25 and above.
As per American Standards
| Type I | For use when the special properties specified for any other type are not required. |
| Type IA | Air-entraining cement for the same uses as Type I, where air-entrainment is desired. |
| Type II | For general use, more especially when moderate sulfate resistance or moderate heat of hydration is desired. |
| Type IIA | Air-entraining cement for the same uses as Type II, where air-entrainment is desired. |
| Type III | For use when high early strength is desired. |
| Type IIIA | Air-entraining cement for the same use as Type III, where air-entrainment is desired. |
| Type IV | For use when a low heat of hydration is desired. |
| Type V | For use when high sulfate resistance is desired. |
Read More: Ordinary Portland Cement - Constituents, Properties, Types and Uses