Your Pipe Lining Has a New Cement—ASTM C150 Compared to ASTM C595

An industry-wide movement among cement manufacturers has impacted requirements of many current AWWA water pipe standards, including AWWA C300, C301, C302, C303, and C205. These standards all reference the use of ASTM C150 Portland cement for use in the manufacture of concrete and mortar used in the manufacture of concrete and steel pressure pipe, but in the United States and Canada, many producers of ASTM C150 Portland cement have already shifted their production at specific plants from Portland cement to Type IL blended cement, also known as Portland-limestone cement or PLC, meeting the ASTM C595 Blended Hydraulic Cements standard. Due to an evolving cement industry, the American Concrete Pressure Pipe Association and the AWWA Steel Water Pipe Manufacturers Technical Advisory Committee have requested addendums or revisions to the aforementioned AWWA standards to recognize ASTM C595 Type IL cement and permit its use in the manufacture of concrete and steel pressure pipe. This paper provides an in-depth discussion of the industry changes, the work completed by the pipe organizations to vet and request inclusion of Type IL meeting the ASTM C595 standard, and lessons learned while making the conversion.