Study finds Type IL cement suitable for industrial floors

A study that involved cement company Amrize and Concrete Strategies has confirmed that well-formulated concrete made using Type IL Portland-limestone cement has abrasion resistance that compares to the more conventional Type I/II cement in concrete flooring.

Type IL cement contains more limestone than standard Portland cement but results in lower embodied carbon. It is produced using Portland Limestone Cement (PLC), a type of blended hydraulic cement mixed according to ASTM C595, which replaces 5–15% of clinker with ground limestone. This formulation is becoming more popular as a direct substitute for traditional Type I/II cement, providing 8–10% lower CO2 emissions while maintaining strength and durability.

In the study, a team led by Mehdi Khanzadeh Moradllo, of Temple University, compared the performance of Type IL and Type IL-plus-SCM concrete when used for concrete flooring in high-traffic places such as distribution centres, data centres, or warehouses. They also analysed the effects resulting from surface hardeners, reinforcement and densifiers.

The results demonstrated that Type IL cement flooring, when proportioned correctly and finished well, matched the performance of Type I/LL concrete that is used for many heavy-use concrete floors.

Amrize and Concrete Strategies participated in field trials and provided expert technical advice. The research was also supported by the American Cement Association, Concrete Advancement Foundation and ACI Foundation.

Though the study supports the use of Type IL cement with a higher percentage of limestone, the researchers emphasised that selecting a concrete mix for floors is dependent on the particular design and/or construction practices of a construction project.