NRMCA Provides Detailed Update from ACI Fall 2025 Convention

The American Concrete Institute's Spring Convention was held from October 25 - 29 in Baltimore. The following is a summary of committee activity involving NRMCA Staff representation:

122 – Energy Efficiency of Concrete and Masonry Systems –The committee is working to add more details specific to ICF, Tilt-Up and Precast concrete sandwich panels to its code. It is evaluating comparative analyses between 90.1 and 122 on thermal bridging using Energy Plus in an effort to prove the efficacy of ACI CODE-122.1. A discussion ensued on the completion of an article regarding the Benefits of Using ACI CODE-122.1 for compliance with Thermal Bridging Requirements and Reducing Energy Use with Mass Walls. Darryl Dixon maintains representation in ACI 122.

201 – Durability – The committee continues to make incremental revisions to the Guide to Durable Concrete. Revisions were approved to the chapter on freezing and thawing. Revisions proposed to the chapter on chemical attack will be balloted. Status of revisions to other chapters was discussed and participation on sections related to Mass Transport and Freezing and Thawing to continue the review and revision process was established.

The committee also discussed developing guidance on durability issues related to the use of portland-limestone cement. It received a presentation titled Automating and Accelerating Sorptivity Measurements via Computer Vision that addressed permeability-related properties. Glenn Schaefer maintains representation in ACI 201 as an associate member and on a subcommittee.

211 – Mixture Proportioning – The committee is making progress on several draft documents and is evaluating the need to retain some older documents. ACI 211.9 – Guide to Selecting Proportions for Pumpable Concrete is approaching expiration. ACI 211-C – Proportioning No-Slump Concrete and ACI 211-F – Guide for Submittal of Concrete Proportions (211.5R) currently lack efforts to update ACI 211-TG2 – Developing and Using a Three-Point Curve Task Group needs leadership to develop revisions. Glenn Schaefer will consider accepting leadership on this latter task group and develop revisions to reapprove the document. Glenn Schaefer maintains representation in ACI 211.

212 – Chemical Admixtures – The committee’s guide has been updated and is going through the ACI review process. The revised guide includes coverage of some newer admixtures and technologies. As additional information becomes available, future revisions will include information on strength enhancers and admixtures for blended cements, alternative cements and 3D printed concrete. A TechNote on Cement/Admixture Incompatibility was proposed. Glenn Schaefer maintains representation in ACI 212.

214 – Evaluation of Results of Tests – The committee has developed revisions and is going through addressing ballot responses on the Guide to Evaluation of Strength Test Results of Concrete. The committee discussed revising the guide to cover an appropriate level of statistical explanation. It will broaden guidance to cover statistical basis for mixture development based on acceptance criteria for concrete test methods other than compressive strength. This approach aims to enhance clarity, consistency and the practical application of statistical concepts across multiple performance requirements.

The committee is organizing a mini session on Specifying Beyond Compressive Strength. Glenn Schaefer will present with a focus on NRMCA TIP 23 – Understanding Strength Test Results for Concrete. Glenn Schaefer maintains representation in ACI 214.

216 – Fire Resistance and Fire Protection of Structures – Revisions to ACI 216.1, Code Requirements for Determining Fire Resistance of Concrete and Masonry Construction Assemblies, have been finalized and submitted for the ACI review process. A Rational Design Guide document is being developed and will be balloted before the Spring 2026 meeting. A new chapter of the guide is focused on post-installed anchors. A task group on Fire-Induced Spalling is developing an outline for further technical guidance on this topic to be provided in the rational design guide. A task group of the committee continues to develop a Tech Note regarding the equivalence of portland-limestone cement to ordinary cement in terms of fire resistance. The committee also discussed new topics to address in the next revision of the ACI 216.1 standard. Shamim Rashid-Sumar maintains representation on ACI 216.

228 – Non-Destructive Testing – The committee is working on a substantial revision of its primary guide document. Comprehensive updates to the Ultrasonic Echo, Covermeter and Impact Echo sections have been completed and balloted. The committee also discussed proposed updates to the Falling Weight Deflectometer section, aiming to incorporate a similar level of detail and as the other revised methods. A technical presentation was delivered on the topic Can Artificial Intelligence Improve Nondestructive Evaluation of Concrete Strength?” offering insights into emerging technologies and potential future applications within the field. Glenn Schaefer maintains representation in ACI 228.

301 – Specifications for Structural Concrete – The committee has completed most of its work for this cycle and will work to complete process by the end of the year. Items addressed were a consideration of permitting the use of textured epoxy bars, adding some clarity on sampling at the point of discharge and placement for acceptance testing and completing revisions for consistency with ACI 318-25. The ACI review and public comment process will result in a likely publication of ACI 301 toward the end of 2026. Revisions approved include submittal requirements for sustainability, addressing the use of fibers, changes to curing requirements in ACI 318, lightweight concrete, many provisions in the section on handling placing and constructing, and architectural concrete. Colin Lobo maintains representation on ACI 301.

318 – Building Code for Structural Concrete – This was the second meeting of the new ACI Committee 318. The six subcommittees have established a list of code change proposals that were summarized to the main committee. The committee also discussed simplification of the code and coordination of ACI 318 with the parallel codes 319 for prestressed concrete and 320 for post-tensioned concrete to ensure there are no differences in provisions between them. The committee will work to publish the next version of ACI 318 in 2031.

ACI 318 Subcommittee A is responsible for chapters on concrete materials and construction documents. A comprehensive list of change proposals has been developed and assigned to members. A concept for a performance-based alternative to w/cm was presented by Colin Lobo and generally supported. This was subsequently presented to 318 main committee.

Some significant proposals include addressing thermal controls primarily for mass concrete; include all inspection requirements for concrete in 318 to avoid separate requirements in IBC; developing requirements and acceptance process for auger-cast grout; changing the requirements for concrete exposed to sulfates and several minor items identified as new business in the last cycle. Additional change proposals were also proposed by members of 318A.

Colin Lobo maintains representation on ACI 318, and Subcommittees A (concrete materials) and C (that includes the new Appendix C on sustainability).

321 – Durability Code – The committee is working on developing a Code for Durability and is making progress on the various chapters with the development of mandatory language and commentary for the code. Steady progress has been achieved across numerous chapters and the committee is addressing several substantive comments from ballots that require careful resolution. The committee is focused streamlining the overall development process and working toward publishing a provisional code document in 2026. This approach will enable the committee to formally launch the document while continuing to refine and expand its technical content in subsequent cycles. Glenn Schaefer maintains representation on ACI 321 and is the chair of a subcommittee for a chapter on Maintenance.

323 – Low Carbon Concrete Code – ACI 323-24 Low-Carbon Concrete Code Requirements and Commentary, has been published. The revamped ACI 323 Committee, with subcommittees, is developing the next iteration, adding sections on Benchmarking and Reduction with GWP calculations and carbon reduction strategies with tailored chapters for buildings, bridges and infrastructure. The committee plans to include resilience in the next iteration highlighting concrete’s durability and life-cycle advantages; Whole Life Cycle Analysis evaluating sustainability from construction through maintenance and end-of-life.

The committee plans to expand benchmarking guidance including best practices, statistical tools for local jurisdictions and a potential International Benchmarking Appendix. The document will also be updated to reflect upcoming changes to the concrete PCR and NRMCA industry-wide benchmarks. Tiffany Reed-Villarreal, P.E. maintains representation on ACI 323.

325 – Concrete Pavements – The committee currently has four documents under development or revision. The committee is rewriting ACI 325.12R-02 (Reapproved 2019): Guide for Design of Jointed Concrete Pavements for Streets and Local Roads led by Brian Killingsworth. Revisions to this document have been completed and TAC has returned comments; the committee is balloting the response to those comments. The updated guide should be published in 2026.

The committee is developing ACI 325.YR Report on Precast Concrete Pavements - State of the Practice which has been formatted and is currently under committee review. Work is also underway to update ACI 325.ZR: Design and Construction of Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavements. This work will continue over the next year and will be re-balloted. ACI 325.13R-06: Concrete Overlays for Pavement Rehabilitation has also been recently published. Brian Killingsworth maintains representation on ACI 325 on concrete pavements.

327 – Roller-Compacted Concrete Pavements – The main committee discussed the development of ACI SPEC-327.Y – Construction of Roller-Compacted Concrete Pavements – Specification and reviewed a completed first draft of the document prepared by the 327-0A Subcommittee. ACI’s TAC Construction Standards Subcommittee provided comments on the draft, and its input will be incorporated in the document before being sent out for ballot. It is anticipated that the specification will be completed by mid-2026.

The committee is also planning a mini session for the Spring 2026 Conference on the theme of the evolution of RCC pavements, highlighting design and construction changes over the past few decades. Greg Halsted maintains representation on ACI 327 as chair and will ensure that considerations for sustainable streets and local roads will be included in all documents.

329 – Performance Criteria for Ready Mixed Concrete – The committee is working on a Guide to Writing a Performance Specification. The guide will use MasterSpec 033000 format for cast-in-place concrete and include recommended language and guidance to the specifier. A preliminary draft of the specification section on Section 2 on Products has been developed and additional content will be developed and balloted with the committee. Performance requirements and acceptance criteria for different concrete performance properties have been established for inclusion in this chapter. Three of the five chapters of this guide specification have been completed. The committee will also submit for ballot its current guide document, ACI-PRC 329 for revision and reapproval. Colin Lobo maintains representation on ACI 329 as secretary. 

330 – Parking Lots – The committee has started revising 330.2R Guide for the Design and Construction of Concrete Site Paving for Industrial and Trucking Facilities. Task groups have submitted revisions for each chapter and they have been balloted. Some of the negative votes were addressed. Additional online meetings will be required to address the negatives and discuss modified modulus of subgrade reaction values and dowel design in more depth. Amanda Hult maintains representation in ACI 330.

332 – Residential Concrete – The committee discussed updates from ITG12 on 3D Printed (Additive Concrete) Houses and wire reinforcement in residential concrete work. Members were briefed on the joint NRMCA – ICF research on Investigating ICF Wall Construction Meeting the Requirements of NFPA 285. The outcome of a series of proposals heard during the 2025 ICC 2nd Code Action Hearings was presented. Notably, proposals related to updating cement terminology in the IBC and IRC, and the referencing of NRMCA 100-2023 in the IRC were accepted as part of the ICC Consent Agenda. Julian Mills-Beale and Shamim Rashid-Sumar maintain representation in ACI 332.

522- Pervious Concrete – The 522 Committee discussed the transition of the Pervious Contractor Certification from NRMCA to ACI. A formal approval of this transition from the ACI Certification Committee was expected at this fall meeting. The committee proposed to review the 522.1 specification once the transfer occurs to update wording referencing the ACI certification. The ACI 522 report will then be revised. Amanda Hult maintains representation in ACI 522.

551 – Tilt-Up Concrete Construction – The committee continues to review and update its two publications, ACI 551.1R Guide to Tilt-Up Concrete Construction and ACI 551.2R Design Guide for Tilt-Up Concrete Panels. Many items were identified as needing improvement and updates and many others were submitted having been updated and improved. Darryl Dixon maintains representation in ACI 551.

560 – ICF Buildings – The committee is still revising the ACI-PRC 560-22 Insulating Concrete Form Design and Construction document with a targeted completion date of Spring 2026. Additionally, updates from the ICC 600 Committee were provided in relation to one- and two-family dwellings, and ICF wall systems. The committee agreed to support the ongoing ICF consolidation survey being conducted by its assigned NRMCA 100 Subcommittee. Julian Mills-Beale and Shamim Rashid-Sumar maintain representation in ACI 560.

Concrete Innovation Council (CIC) – The Concrete Innovation Council of the ACI Foundation discussed the success of the 2025 Concrete Innovation Forum in Denver and initiated planning for the 2026 Forum to be held August 18 -20 in Columbus, OH. A significant portion of the meeting focused on reviewing and understanding the Foundation’s new research funding request process. The CIC will evaluate and provide recommendations on five research submittals for potential funding. These proposals were discussed in preliminary detail during the meeting. Glenn Schaefer is a board member of CIC and was named vice-chair of the Council.

Concrete Research Council (CRC) – The Research Council of the ACI Foundation selects research programs for funding by the Foundation and administers two awards. CRC has solicited specific topics from ACI committees that can support improvements to ACI documents and industry use. CRC received several concepts for funding and discussed some of these to potentially fund. Some are concepts for which RFP's will be developed and some were proposals that will be considered for funding. Information on the process is available on the ACI Foundation website. Colin Lobo maintains representation on ACI CRC.