BHl

BS 1881 : Part 108: 1983

UDC 666.972.017 : 691.32 : 620.1

British Standards Institution. No part of this publication may be photocopied

or otherwise reproduced without the prior permission in writing of BSI.

British Standard

Testing concrete
Part 108. Method for making test cubes from fresh concrete

Essais du bton
Partie 108. Mthode de confection de cubes dessai en bton frais
Prfverfahren fr Beton
Teil 108. Verfahren zur Herstellung von Probewrfeln aus Frischbeton

Foreword

3. Apparatus

This Part of this British Standard, prepared under the

direction of the Cement, Gypsum, Aggregates and Quarry
Products Standards Committee, is a revision of 2.1, 2.2,
2.3, 2.4, 2.7 and 2.8 of BS 1881 : Part 3 : 1970.
Together with Parts 109, 110, 111, 112 and 113, this Part
of BS 1881 supersedes BS 1881 : Part 3 : 1970, which is
withdrawn.

3.1 Mould

The dimensions and tolerances specified in this Part of this

standard comply with IS0 1920.
Compliance with a British Standard does not of itself confer

immunity from legal obligations.

1. scope
This Part of this British Standard describes a method for
making test cubes of nominal sizes 100 mm and 150 mm
out of fresh concrete. The method applies to plain and
air-entrained concrete made with lightweight, normal weight
and heavy aggregates having a nominal maximum size not
exceeding 20 mm for 100 mm cubes and 40 mm for
150 mm cubes.

3.1.1 Construction andassembly. The sides of the mould

shall be of ferrous metal (preferably cast iron or cast steel).
The hardness of each internal face shall be at least 95
Rockwell (scale B) Hardness Value* when determined in
accordance with BS 891 : Part 1. The mould shall include a
removable steel base plate. All parts of the mould shall be
robust enough to prevent distortiont. Before assembly for
use, the joints between the sides of the mould and between
them and the base plate shall be thinly coated with oil or
grease to prevent loss of water. The parts of the mould
when assembled shall be positively located and rigidly held
together in such a manner as to prevent leakage from the
mould. The internal faces of the assembled mould shall be
thinly coated with release agent to prevent adhesion of
the concrete.
The sides of the mould shall be clearly marked with a
reference number or code to enable each concrete specimen
to be identified when it is demoulded and the mould to be
correctly re-assembled.
A mould shall be refurbished or discarded when any
dimensional deviation exceeds twice the tolerances
specified in 3.1.2.

This method does not apply to aerated concrete, very stiff

concrete, which cannot be compacted by vibration alone,
and no-fines concrete.

3.1.2 Tolerances When assembled, the dimensions and

NOTE. The titles of the publications referred to in this standard

are listed on the inside back page.

internal faces of a new mould shall be accurate within the

following limits.

2. Definitions
For the purposes of this Part of this British Standard,
the definitions given in BS 5328 and BS 1881 : Part 101
apply.

(a) Dimensions The depth of the mould and the distance

between the two pairs of opposite internal side faces,
each based on the average of four symmetrically placed
measurements, shall be the nominal size of
100 0.15 mm*, or 150 0.15 mm*.

The purchaser should note the need to accept the indentations on the faces of new moulds resulting from the hardness test.

The base plate of a 150 mm mould should preferably have a thickness of at least 15 mm.
*This tolerance should be considered in conjunction with those for flatness, squareness and parallelism.

British Standards Institution

BS 1881 : Part 108 : 1983

(b) Flatness The flatness tolerance (see BS 308 : Part 3)

for each internal side face shall be 0.03 mm wide.
That for the joint faces, for the bottom surface of the
assembled mould sides and for the top surface of the
base plate shall be 0.06 mm wide.
(c) Squareness The squareness tolerance (squareness 4 of
BS 308 : Part 3) for each internal side face with respect
to the bottom surface of the mould and the adjacent
internal side faces as datum faces shall be 0.5 mm wide.
(d) Parallelism. The parallelism tolerance (parallelism 4 of
BS 308 : Part 3) for the top surface of the mould with
respect to the bottom surface of the mould as datum
face shall be 1 .O mm wide.
(e) Surface texture. The surface texture of each internal
side face shall not exceed 3.2 m Ra, when determined
in accordance with BS 1134.
3.2 Scoop, approximately 100 mm wide.

3.3 Compacting bar or vibrating hammer or table.

A compacting bar made out of a steel bar weighing 1.8 kg,
300 mm long and having a ramming face 25 mm square,
or a vibrating hammer or table suitable for compacting the
concrete in accordance with 6.2 or 6.3.

3.4 Plasterer's steel float.

3.5 Sampling tray, 1.2 m x 1.2 m x 50 mm deep made
from minimum 1.6 mm thick non-corrodible metal.

3.6 Square mouthed shovel, size 2 in accordance with

BS 3388.

4. Sampling
Obtain the sample of fresh concrete by the procedure given
in BS 1881 : Part 101. Commence making the cube as soon
as possible after sampling.

5. Preparing the sample

Empty the sample from the container(s) on to the sampling
tray. Ensure that no more than a light covering of slurry is
left adhering to the container(s).
Thoroughly mix the sample by shovelling it to form a cone
cure sampling tray and turning this over with the shovel
to form a new cone, the operation being carried out three
times. When forming the cones, deposit each shovelful of
the material on the apex of the cone so that the portions
which slide down the sides are distributed as evenly as
possible and so that the centre of the cone is not displaced.
Flatten the third cone by repeated vertical insertion of the
shovel across the apex of the cone, lifting the shovel clear
of the concrete after each insertion.
NOTE. The following modifications to the mixing procedures may
be necessary when preparing samples of very high workabilitv
concrete (e.g. superplasticized concrete) for test.
(a) Sampling fray. The vertical lips on the edges of the tray
may have to be larger to contain the sample without spillage
during mixing.
(b) Mixing the sample. The coning procedure is not suitable for
very high workability concrete and the following alternative
method of mixing is recommended. Having poured the concrete
on to the sampling tray, use the shovel to turn the concrete from
the outside toward the centre, working progressively once round
all sides of the sampling tray.

entrained air, if present) and to produce full compaction of

the concrete with neither excessive segregation nor laitance.
For this purpose, by means of the scoop, place the concrete
in the mould in layers approximately 50 mm deep and
compact each layer by using either the compacting bar or
the vibrator in the manner described in 6.2 or 6.3. After the
top layer has been compacted, smooth it level with the top
of the mould, using the plasterers float, and wipe clean the
outside of the mould.

6.2 Compacting with compacting bar. When compacting

each layer with the compacting bar, distribute the strokes
of the compacting bar in a uniform manner over the crosssection of the mould, and ensure that the compacting bar
does not penetrate significantly any previous layer nor
forcibly strike the bottom of the mould when compacting
the first layer. The number of strokes per layer required to
produce full compaction will depend upon the workability
of the concrete but in no case shall the concrete be
subjected to less than 35 strokes per layer for 150 mm
cubes or 25 strokes per layer for 100 mm cubes, except in
the case of very high workability concrete. Record the
number of strokes.

6.3 Compacting with vibrator. When compacting each

layer by means of the hammer or vibrating table use applied
vibration of the minimum duration necessary to achieve
full compaction of the concrete. Over-vibration may cause
excessive segregation and laitance or loss of entrained air,
if present. The required duration of vibration will depend
upon the workability of the concrete and the effectiveness
of the vibrator and vibration shall cease as soon as the
surface of the concrete becomes relatively smooth and has
a glazed appearance. Record the duration of vibration.

7. Report
7.1 General. The report shall affirm that the cubes were
made in accordance with this Part of this British Standard.
The report shall state whether or not a certificate of
sampling is available. If available, a copy of the certificate
shall be provided.

7.2 Information to be included in the test report

7.2.1 Mandatory information. The following information
shall be included in the test report:
(a) date, time and place of sampling and sample
identity number;
(b) time and place of making cubes;
(c) number and nominal size of cubes;
(d) method of compaction (hand or vibration) including
type
of eauioment
used and the number of strokes of
.
.
the compacting bar or duration of the vibration;
(e) identification number or codes of cubes;
(f) name of person making cubes;
(g) certificate that the cubes were made in accordance
with this Part of this standard.

7.2.2 Optional information. If requested the following

information shall be included in the test report:
(a) name of project and place where concrete used;
(b) name of supplier and source of concrete;

6. Procedure

(c) date and time of production of concrete or delivery

to site;

6.1 Filling the mould. Place the mould on a rigid

(d) specification of concrete mix (e.g. strength grade);

horizontal surface or on the vibrating table and fill with

concrete in such a way as to remove as much entrapped air
as possible (without significantly reducing the amount of

(e) workability of concrete;

(f) air content of concrete (if air-entrained);
(g) age(s) at which cubes are to be tested.

Publications referred to
BS 308

Engineering drawing practice

Part 3 Geometrical tolerancing
BS 891
Method for Rockwell hardness test
Part 1 Testing of metals
BS 1134 Method for the assessment of surface texture
BS 1881 Testing concrete
Part 101 Method of sampling fresh concrete on site
Part 109 Method for making test beams from fresh concrete
Part 110* Method for making test cylinders from fresh concrete
Part 111* Method of normal curing of test specimens (20 C method)
Part 112* Methods of accelerated curing of test cubes
Part 113* Method for making and curing no-fines test cubes
BS 3388 Forks, shovels and spades
BS 5328 Methods for specifying concrete, including ready-mixed concrete
IS0 1920* Concrete tests - Dimensions, tolerances and applicability of test specimens

* Referred to in the foreword only.

BS 1881 : Part 108 : 1983

This British Standard, having been prepared under the direction of
the Cement, Gypsum, Aggregates and Quarry Products Standards
Committee, was published under the authority of the Board of BSI
and comes into effect on 29 July 1983.
@British Standards Institution. 1983
ISBN 0 580 13329 X
The following BSI references relate to the work on this standard:
Committee reference CAB/4 Draft for comment 81/12319 DC

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Committees responsible for this British Standard

This British Standard was published under the direction of the
Cement, Gypsum, Aggregates and Quarry Products Standards
Committee CAB/-. Its preparation was entrusted to Technical
Committee CAB/4 upon which the following bodies were
represented:
British Aggregate Construction Materials Industries
British Precast Concrete Federation Ltd.
British Ready Mixed Concrete Association
Cement Admixtures Association
Cement and Concrete Association
Cement Makers Federation
Concrete Society Limited
County Surveyors Society
Department of the Environment (Building Research Establishment)
Department of the Environment (PSA)
Department of the Environment (Transport and Road Research
Laboratory)
Department of Transport
Electricity Supply Industry in England and Wales

Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors

Greater London Council
Institute of Concrete Technology
Institution of Civil Engineers
Institution of Highway Engineers
Institution of Municipal Engineers
Institution of Structural Engineers
Institution of Water Engineers and Scientists
National Federation of Building Trades Employers
Royal Institute of British Architects
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
Sand and Gravel Association Limited
Society of Chemical Industry
The following bodies were also represented in the drafting of the
standard, through subcommittees and panels:
British Civil Engineering Test Equipment Manufacturers Association
Coopted members

Amendments issued since publication

Amd. No.

Date of issue

Text affected

British Standards Institution . 2 Park Street London W1A 2BS . Telephone 01-629 9000 . Telex 266933
8905-2-0.5k-B

B!il

AMD 6105
Amendment No. 1
published and effective from 31 July 1989
to BS 1881 : Part 108 : 1983
Testing concrete
Part 108. Method for making test cubes
from fresh concrete

Revised text

AMD 6106
July 1989

Clause 3.1 Mould

Delete this clause and substitute the following.

3.1 Mould
3.1.1 Construction and assembly. The sides of the mould
shall be manufactured from ferrous metal having a hardness
value of at least 90 Rockwell (scale B) when determined in
accordance with BS 891. The mould shall include a
removable ferrous metal base plate. All parts of the mould
shall be robust enough to prevent distortion. Before
assembly for use, the joints between the sides of the mould
and between the sides and the base plate shall be thinly
coated with oil or grease to prevent loss of water. The sides
of the mould when assembled shall be positively located
and the whole assembly rigidly held together in such a
manner as to prevent leakage from the mould. The internal
faces of the assembled mould shall be thinly coated with
release agent to prevent adhesion of the concrete.
The sides of the mould shall be clearly marked before use
with a reference code to enable each mould to be correctly
assembled and, where appropriate, the cube to be marked
for identification.

3.1.2 Tolerances on dimensional deviations of new or

refurbished moulds. A new or refurbished mould shall be
accurate within the following limits.
(a) Dimensions. The internal depth of the mould when
assembled and the distance between the two pairs of
opposite internal side faces, each based on the mean of
four symmetrically arranged measurements, shall be
either 100 0.15 mm or 150 0.15 mm.
(b) Flatness. Excluding any indentations resulting from
the hardness test, the flatness tolerance (see BS 308 :
Part 3) for each internal side face when assembled shall
be 0.03 mm wide. The flatness tolerance for the joint
faces, for the bottom surface of the assembled mould
sides and for the top surface of the base plate shall be
0.06 mm wide.
NOTE. The flatness tolerances can be checked using a straightedge complying with grade A of BS 5204 : Part 2 and feeler
gauges complying with BS 957.

(c) Squareness. When assembled, the squareness

tolerances (squareness 4 of BS 308 : Part 3) for each
internal side face with respect to the adjacent internal
side faces and top of the base plate as datum faces
shall be 0.5 mm wide.

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(d) Parallelism. When assembled, the parallelism

tolerance (parallelism 4 of BS 308 : Part 3) for the
top surface of the mould with respect to the top
surface of the base plate as datum face shall be
1.00 mm wide.

3.1.3 Tolerances on dimensions and flatness of moulds

in use. A mould shall be refurbished or discarded when any
dimensional deviation given in 3.1.2 exceeds twice the
tolerance specified for a new mould.
NOTE. Compliance with the tolerances on dimensions and flatness
applicable to moulds in use should be checked at least once a year
and when there is any cause to suspect that the dimensions of the
mould may not be within the specified limits.
The flatness of the side faces and the top surface of the base plate
can be checked by using either:
la) a straightedge complying with BS 5204 : Part 2, grade A
and feeler gauges complying with BS 957; or
(b) an assembly comprising two fixed reference points and a
central movable reference point, all three of which can be
placed in contact with the surface. The central reference
point should be linked to a calibrated dial gauge, complying
with BS 907, which indicates the distance of the third point
from the line joining the two fixed reference points.
Checks should be made on the joint faces of individual parts
and in several directions on the sides of assembled moulds
and on the base plate to ensure that the flatness is within the
required tolerance in any direction.
If the dial gauge assembly is used, suitable spacings between
the fixed reference points are 80 mm and 120 mm for 100 mm
and 150 mm moulds respectively. In such cases, the flatness
requirements of 0.06 mm for the internal side faces of moulds
in use is equivalent to a deviation of the movable reference
point from the straight line joining the two fixed reference
points of 0.04 mm.
The corresponding value when checking the flatness of the
joint faces or of the top surface of the base plate with a dial
gauge assembly is 0.08 mm.

3.1.4 Surface texture of internal side faces. The surface

texture of each internal side face shall not exceed 3.2 m
Ra when determined in accordance with BS 1134.
NOTE. The internal faces of moulds usually become smoother with
use but the surfaces should be checked annually and at any time
that the internal surfaces appear to have been roughened or
damaged. (Accurate examples of different surface textures
complying with BS 2634 : Part 1 permit tactile estimation
of the surface texture.)

AMD 6105
July 1989

Clause 3.3 Compacting bar or vibrating hammer or table

Delete this clause and substitute the following.

3.3 Compacting bar or vibrator. Compacting bar made

from iron or steel weighing 1.8 0.1 kg, at least 380 mm
long and having a ramming face 25.0 0.5 mm square,
or a vibrating hammer or table suitable for compacting
the concrete in accordance with 6.2 or 6.3.

AMD 6105
July 1989

Clause 3.5 Sampling tray

Delete this clause and substitute the following.

3.5 Sampling tray, minimum dimensions 900 mm

900 mm x 50 mm deep of rigid construction and made

from a non-absorbent material not readily attacked by
cement paste.

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AMD 6105
July 1989

Clause 4. Sampling

AMD 6105
July 1989

Clause 5. Preparing the sample

In line 2 after Part 101 insert or Part 125.

At the end of this clause insert the following.

Caution. When cement is mixed with water, alkali is released.
Take precautions to avoid dry cement entering the eyes, mouth
and nose when mixing concrete. Prevent skin contact with wet
cement or concrete by wearing suitable protective clothing. If
cement or concrete enters the eye, immediately wash it out
thoroughly with clean water and seek medical treatment without
delay. Wash wet concrete off the skin immediately.

AMD 6105
July 1989

Publications referred to
Delete the entry for BS 891 and substitute the following.
BS 891 Methods for hardness test (Rockwell method) and for verification of hardness testing
machines (Rockwell method)
BS 907 Specification for dial gauges for linear measurement
BS 957 Specification for feeler gauges

Under BS 1881 insert in order

Part 125 Methods for mixing and sampling fresh concrete in the laboratory.

After BS 1881 insert the following.

BS 2634

Specification for roughness comparison specimens

Part 1 Specification for turned, ground, bored, milled, shaped and planed specimens

After BS 3388 insert the following

BS 5204 Specification for straightedges
Part 2 Steel or granite straightedges of rectangular section

CAB.4

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