Performance and Sustainability of Concrete Mixes Designed by ACI 211 and BS EN 206

Performance and Sustainability of Concrete Mixes Designed by ACI 211 and BS EN 206 | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Performance and Sustainability of Concrete Mixes Designed by ACI 211 and BS EN 206 Mark Bediako, Timothy Ametefe This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8500942/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 12 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Concrete is the most widely used construction material globally due to its versatility, cost-effectiveness, and structural reliability. However, differences in mix design standards can significantly influence its performance, durability, cost, and environmental impact. This study presents a comparative evaluation of concrete mixes proportioned according to the ACI 211.1 and BS EN 206 standards, with emphasis on mechanical performance, durability, and sustainability. Ordinary Portland cement, potable water, and well-graded fine and coarse aggregates were used to design and cast C24/30 concretes. Experimental investigations included slump, compressive strength at 3–90 days, sorption, porosity, water absorption, sorptivity, chloride penetration, surface resistivity, and acid resistance. Cost and embodied carbon analyses were also performed. The ACI 211.1 mix achieved consistently higher compressive strengths (12–28% above BS EN 206), lower sorption, porosity, and chloride permeability, reflecting superior durability. However, it suffered greater weight loss under acid attack and incurred higher production costs (~ 3% increase) and embodied carbon (~ 5% increase) due to its higher cement content. On the other hand, the BS EN 206 mix, while delivering lower strength and durability indices, offered better cost-efficiency and reduced carbon footprint. It is recommended that the ACI 211.1 approach be adopted where high strength and durability are critical, while BS EN 206 offers a more sustainable option for cost- and carbon-sensitive applications. Concrete mix design ACI 211.1 BS EN 206 Durability performance Carbon footprint Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 02 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 02 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 10 Feb, 2026 Reviews received at journal 09 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 09 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 05 Feb, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 05 Feb, 2026 Editor invited by journal 29 Jan, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 08 Jan, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 08 Jan, 2026 First submitted to journal 02 Jan, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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However, differences in mix design standards can significantly influence its performance, durability, cost, and environmental impact. This study presents a comparative evaluation of concrete mixes proportioned according to the ACI 211.1 and BS EN 206 standards, with emphasis on mechanical performance, durability, and sustainability. Ordinary Portland cement, potable water, and well-graded fine and coarse aggregates were used to design and cast C24/30 concretes. Experimental investigations included slump, compressive strength at 3\u0026ndash;90 days, sorption, porosity, water absorption, sorptivity, chloride penetration, surface resistivity, and acid resistance. Cost and embodied carbon analyses were also performed. The ACI 211.1 mix achieved consistently higher compressive strengths (12\u0026ndash;28% above BS EN 206), lower sorption, porosity, and chloride permeability, reflecting superior durability. However, it suffered greater weight loss under acid attack and incurred higher production costs (~\u0026thinsp;3% increase) and embodied carbon (~\u0026thinsp;5% increase) due to its higher cement content. On the other hand, the BS EN 206 mix, while delivering lower strength and durability indices, offered better cost-efficiency and reduced carbon footprint. It is recommended that the ACI 211.1 approach be adopted where high strength and durability are critical, while BS EN 206 offers a more sustainable option for cost- and carbon-sensitive applications.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Performance and Sustainability of Concrete Mixes Designed by ACI 211 and BS EN 206","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-01-07 08:55:02","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8500942/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"decision","content":"Revision requested","date":"2026-04-02T15:05:53+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-04-02T14:10:16+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"283485147475462217408648014064142721219","date":"2026-03-27T01:17:32+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-02-10T10:23:58+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-02-09T06:28:06+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"184486749957223220257049946222256808507","date":"2026-02-09T05:23:00+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"158926496617353161336744346278799070987","date":"2026-02-05T06:52:35+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-02-05T05:29:58+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2026-01-29T07:33:48+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-01-08T06:09:26+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-01-08T06:07:10+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Discover Concrete and Cement","date":"2026-01-02T12:23:15+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":false,"email":"","identity":"discover-concrete-and-cement","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Discover Concrete and Cement","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":false,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"Unsupported Journal","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"e9d0ed14-6ed1-4099-851a-4f963aa42ccd","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 7th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-10T14:10:47+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-01-07 08:55:02","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8500942","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8500942","identity":"rs-8500942","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}