28 ee 2 eg = Se ee — = = = = ae Se pees aes eS SS ee : - 2 y | ae : aS Qo : aS = pe eae ee Os : ee oe oe : : ee Ss : oo: a ae Se aaer a = : : : = : ee See = = Send : a : | - oeEighth Printing, December 1999 Standard Specifications for Tolerances for Concrete Construction and Materials (ACI 117-90) and Commentary (117-90) Most ACI Standards and committee reports are gathered together in the annually revised ACI Manual of Concrete Practice The several volumes are arranged to group related material together and may be purchased individually or in sets The ACI Manual of Concrete Practice is also available on CD-ROM. ‘ACI Committees prepare standards and reports in the general areas of materials and properties of concrete, construction practices and inspection, pavements and slabs, struc- tural design and analysis, structural specifica- tions, and special products and processes A complete catalog of all ACI publications is available without charge American Concrete Institute P.O. Box 9094 Farmington Hills, Ml 48333-9094 ACI Certification Programs The final quality of a concrete structure depends on qualified people to construct it ACI certification pro- grams identify craftsmen, technicians, and inspectors, who have demonstrated their qualifications. The follow- ing programs are administered by AC! to fulfil the grow- ing demand in the industry for certified workers Conerete Flatwork Finisher Concrete Flatwork Technician Concrete Field Testing Technician—Grade | Concrete Strength Testing Technician Concrete Laboratory Testing Technician—Grade | Concrete Laboratory Testing Technician—Grade I! Concrete Construction Inspector-In-Training Conerete Construction Inspector Concrete Transportation Construction Inspector-In-Training Concrete Transportation Construction Inspector This document may already contain reference to these ACI certification programs, which can be incorporated into project specifications or quality control procedures H not, suggested guide specifications are available on request from the ACI Certification Department Enhancement of ACI Documents The technical committees responsible for ACI committee reports and standards strive to avoid ambiguities, omis- sions, and errors in these documents. In spite of these. efforts, the users of ACI documents occasionally find information or requirements that may be subject to more than one interpretation or may be incomplete or incor- rect To assist in the effort for accuracy and clarity, the Technical Activities Committee solicits the help of indi viduals using ACI reports and standards in identifying and eliminating problems that may be associated with their use Users who have suggestions for the improvement of ACI documents are requested to contact the ACI Engi- neering Department in writing, with the following infor- mation 1 Title and number of the document containing the problem and specific section in the document, 2 Concise description of the problem, 3 If possible, suggested revisions for problem The Institute's Engineering Staff will review and take appropriate action on all comments and suggestions received Members as well as nonmembers of the Insti- tute are encouraged to assist in enhancing the accuracy and usefulness of ACI documents igating theStandard Specifications for Tolerances for Concrete Construction and Materials (ACI 117-90) Reported by ACI Committee 117 W Rober Lite Raseell$ Fling Chairman Chairman, Editorial Subcommitee SS Allen Face, 01 ‘Andrawos Morcos BJ Poimer ‘Thomas C Heist Clark B. Morgan, Jt Dean E Stephan, Jr * Richard A Kaden Harry M_Palmbsum Eldon Tipping Ross Martin Wiliam S Phelan Cat's Tosnt Peter Mera Joe ¥ Williams, 3¢ This specification provides standard tolerances for concrete con- struction This document ix intended 10 be used the reference doe lument for establishing tolerances for conerete construction by speci fication writers nd ACI committees writing Standards eywords: tending (enforcing steel ling codes omereeconiructi ‘concrete les concrete; Noo: ormvor (ONseton; maseNy: mass Com ‘ec; ples precast conte preted conc reinforcing See; ee ‘allen, splicing standards: FOREWORD F1. This foreword is included for explanatory pur- poses only; itis not a part of Standard Specification 17 2, Standard Specification 117 is a Reference Stan- dard which the Architect/Engineer may cite in the Project Specifications for any construction project, to- ether with supplementary requirements for the spe- cific project. This standard is not intended to apply to special structures not cited in the standard such as nuclear re- actors and containment vessels, bins and silos, and pre- stressed circular structures. Iti also not intended to apply to the specialized construction procedure of shoterete. 3. Standard Specification 117 addresses each of the Three-Part Section Format of the Construction Speci- fications Institute, organized by structural elements, structural components and types of structures; the numbering system reflects this organization. The lan- guage is imperative and terse to preclude an alterna- tive. F4, A Specification Checklist is included asa preface to, but not forming a part of, Standard Specification 117. The purpose of this Specification Checklist is to assist the Architect/Engineer in properly choosing and specifying the necessary mandatory and optional re- uirements for the Project Specification. wma PREFACE TO SPECIFICATION CHECKLIST 1. Standard Specification 117 is intended to be used in its emirexy by reference in the Project Specification. Individual sections, articles, ot paragraphs should not be copied into the Project Specifications since taking them out of context may change their meaning. 2. Building codes establish minimum requirements necessary to protect the public. Some of the require- ments in this Standard Specification may be more stringent than the minimum in order to insure the level of quality and performance that the Owner expects the structure to provide. Adjustments to the needs of a particular project should be made by the Architect/En- gineer by reviewing each of the items in the Specifica- tion Checklist and then including the Architect/Engi- neer’s decision on each item as a mandatory require- ‘ment in the Project Specifications. P3. These mandatory requirements should designate the specific qualities, procedures, materials, and per- formance criteria for which alternatives are permitted cot for whica provisions were not made in the Standard Specification. Exceptions to the Standard Specification should be made in the Project Specifications, if re- quired. 4, A statement such as the following will serve to make Standard Specification ACI 117 an official part of the Project Specifications: Tolerances for Concrete Construction and Mate- rials shall conform to all requirements of ACI.117, Standard Specifications for Tolerances for Con- crete Construction and Materials, published by the ‘American Conerete Institute, Detroit, Michigan, except as modified by the requirements of these Contract Documents Ao andar of te American Concrete fst in Novenber 1988 ‘in cance we mates nandardeaton procures \Copyrgit © 990, Armerzan Concrete Inmate Al ight reeves cha ing te making of copes ules permusion ued 7a te cop PO Pie SChinman during inal deropment ofthis document1172 ‘ACI STANDARD PS. The Specification Checklist that follows is ad- dressed to each item of the Standard Specification where the Architect/Engineer must or may make a choice of alternatives; may add provisions if not indi- cated, or may take exceptions The Specification Checklist consists of two columns; the first identifies the sections, parts, and articles of the Standard Speci- fication and the second column contains notes to the Architect/Engineer to indicate the type of action re- quired by the Architect/Engineer. MANDATORY SPECIFICATION CHECKLIST Section/Part/Article Notes tothe Architet/ Engineer ‘Section 2—Materials 2.2—Reinforcement | Tolerances for fabrication, placement, must be specified by the specifier ind lap splices for welded wire fabric Section 3—Foundations 3.11 Drilled piers | Specify category of caisson. The designer should be aware that the recom- mended vertical alignment tolerance of 1 5 percent of the shaft length indicated in Category B caissons is based on experience in a wide variety of sol situations combined with a limited amount of theoretical analysis using the beam on elas- tic foundation theory and minimum assumed horizontal soil restraint. Section 4—Cast-in-place ‘concrete for buildings 45.4 Form offsets | Designate class of surface (A, B, C, D): (Class A — For surfaces prominently exposed to public view where appearance is of special importance, (Class B — Coarse-textured concrete-formed surfaces intended to receive plas- ter, stacco, or wainscoting. (Class C — General standard for permanently exposed surfaces where other fin- ishes are not specified Class D — Minimum quality surface where roughnes ally applied where surfaces will be concealed. ‘Specify floor finish tolerance measurement method (either Section 4 $ 6 or See- tion 4 $7) Designate floor classification (15/13; 20/15; 30/20; or, 50/30). not objectionable, usu- 4.5.5 Floor finish 4 5.5 1 For Section 456 4.55 2For Section | Designate maximum gap under a freestanding straightedge (M4 in , Yo in, %e 437 or ¥in) OPTIONAL SPECIFICATION CHECKLIST ‘Section 1 — General 11.2 Scope Tolerance values affect construction cost Specific use of a toleranced item may ‘warrant less or more stringent tolerances than contained in the specification Such variances must be individually designated by the specifier in the contract docu- 11.2Scope Tolerances in this specification are for standard concrete construction and con- struction procedures Specialized concrete construction or construction procedures require specifier to include specialized tolerances. ACI committee documents cov- ‘ering specialized construction may provide guidance on specialized tolerances ‘The tolerances in this Specification do not apply to special structures or procedures not cited in the document such as nuclear reactors and containment vessels, bins and silos, circular prestressed concrete tank structures and shoterete Where a specific application uses multiply toleranced items that together yield a toleranced result, the specifier must analyze the tolerance envelope with respect to practical limits and design assumptions and specify its value where the standard tolerances values inthis specification are inadequate or inappropriate | z 1.23 RequirementsTOLERANCES 1173 OPTIONAL SPECIFICATION CHECKLIST, continued ‘Section 2 — Materials 22 3Conerete cover | The tolerance for reduction in cover in reinforcing steel may require a reduction in ‘magnitude where the reinforced concrete is exposed to chlorides or the environ- ‘ment Where possible excess cover or other protection of the reinforcing steel should be specified in lieu of reduced tolerance because of the accuracy of locating reinforcing steel utilizing standard fabrication accessories and installed procedures 2.3.2 Embedded items | Tolerance given is for general application Specific design use of embedded items ‘may require the specifier to designate tolerances of reduced magnitude for various | embedded items Section 3 — Cast ‘concrete for foundations 341.2 Footings | Plus tolerance for the vertical dimensiots is not specified because no limit is im- posed Specifier must designate plus tolerance if desired. Section 4 — Cast-in-place concrete for buildings 455 Floor finish | The procedures for specifying and measuring floor finish tolerances set forth herein are not appropriate for narrow aisle warehouse floors with defined traffic lanes de- signed for use by specialized wheeled equipment Consult specific equipment man- ufacturers for their recommendations ‘concrete ‘The tolerances for precast concrete are intended to apply to all types of precast concrete construction cast onsite (including tilt-up) and offsite except as set forth bbelow Variations to these tolerances may be advisable after consideration of panel size and construction techniques required. Tolerances set forth herein are not intended to apply to plant production of pa- tented or copyrighted structural systems and/or elements Designers, specifiers and Contractors should contact the Licensors of such systems and/or products for ap- plicable tolerances 5.14 Camber For members with a span-to-depth ratio equal to or exceeding 30, the stated cam- ber tolerance may require special production measures and result in cost premi ums. Where feasible, a greater tolerance magnitude should be utilized where the span-to-depth ratio is equal to or greater than 30 53 Planer Industrial precast products may not conform to the planar tolerances. Manufac- ements turers should be consulted for appropriate tolerances for theit products CONTENTS Section 4 — Cast.in-place concrete for buildings, Section 1 — General, p. 117-4 p. 1179 11 — Scope “41 — Vert alignment 12 Requirements 42—Lateal alignment 13— Definitions 43— Lew 44— Crossetonal dimensions Section 2 — Materials, p. 117-6 Aso eae 2.1 — Reinforcing sted fabrication oe 2.2 — Reinforcement placement 2.3 — Placement of embedded tems Section 5 — Precast concrete, p. 117-10 2 4 — Concrete batching 51 — Fabrication tolerances in linear elements except piles 2.5 — Concrete properties 552 — Fabrication tolerances for piles 553 — Fabscaton tolerances in planar elements Section 3 — Foundations, p. 117-8 a ‘31 — Vertical alignment 32 Lateral alignment Section 6 — Masonry, p. 117-11 33-— Level alignment 6 1 — Verte alignment 3.4 — Cross-sectional dimensions 62 — Lateral alignment 3.5 — Relave alignment 63 — Level alignment174 ‘ACI STANDARD 6.4 — Cross-sectional dimensions 65 — Relative alignment Section 7 — Cast-in-place, vertically slipformed building elements, p. 117-11 71 — Vertical alignment 72 Lateral alignment 73 — Grose-sectional dimensions 7 4— Relative alignment Section 8 — Mass concrete structures other than buildings, p. 117-11 81 — Vertical alignment 8 2— Lateral alignment 83 — Level alignment 84 — Relative alignment Section 9 — Canal lining, p. 117-11 9.1 — Lateral alignment 92 — Level alignment 9.3 — Cross-setional dimensions Section 10 — Monolithic siphons and culverts, p. 17-11 10 1 — Lateral aligament 102 — Level alignment 3 — Cross-sectional dimensions Section 11 — Castin-place bridges, p. 117-12 111 — Vertical alignment 112 — Lateral alignment 113 — Level alignment 11 &— Cross-sectional dimensions 115 — Relative alignment Section 12 — Pavement and sidewalks, p. 117-12 12 1 — Lateral alignment 12.2— Level alignment Section 13 — Chimneys and cooling towers, p. TAZ 13.1 — Vertical alignment 132— Diameter 133 — Wall ickness Section 14— Cast-in-place nonreinforced pipe, p. 117-42 4 1 — Wal thickness 12 — Pipe diameter 3— offset 144— Surface indentations SECTION 1 — GENERAL REQUIREMENTS 1.1 — Scope 1.1.1 This specification designates standard toler- ances for concrete construction. 1.1.2 The indicated tolerances govern unless other- wise specified 1.2 — Requirements 1.2.1 Concrete construction shall meet the specified tolerances 1.2.2 Tolerances shall not extend the structure be- yond legal boundaries 1.2.3 Tolerances are not cumulative. The most re- strictive tolerance controls 1.2.4 Plus (+) tolerance increases the amount or di- mension to which it applies, or raises a level alignment ‘Minus (—) tolerance decreases the amount or dimen- sion to which it applies, or lowers a level alignment A. nonsigned tolerance means + or ~ Where only one signed tolerance is specified (+ or ~), there is no limit in the other direction. 1.3 — Definitions ‘Arris — The line, edge, or hip in which two straight cor curved surfacss of a body, forming an exterior an- aie, meet; a sharp ridge, as between adjoining channels of a Doric column Bowing — The displacement of the surface of a planar element from a plane passing through any three corners of the element. Clear distance — n reinforced concrete, the least distance between the surface of the reinforeement and the referenced surface, ie., the form, adjacent res forcement, embedment, concrete, or other surface Concealed surface —- Surface not subject to visual observation during normal use of the element. Contract documents — The project contract, the project drawings, and the project specifications. Cover — In reinforced concrete, the least distance between the surface of the reinforcement and the outer surface of the concrete. Flainess — The degree to which a surface approxi- mates a plane. Lateral alignment — The location relative to a spec- ified horizontal ine or point in a horizontal plane, Level alignment — The location relative to a speci- fied horizontal plane. When applied to roadways, bridge decks, slabs, ramps, or other nominally hori- zontal surfaces established by elevations, level align- ment is defined as the vertical location of the surface relative to the specified profile grade and specified cross slope. Levelness — The degree to which a line or surface parallels horizontal Precast linear element — Beam, column, or similar unit Precast planar element — Wall panel, floor panel, or similar unit Project Specifications — The building specifications which employ ACI 117 by reference, and which serve as the instrument for making the mandatory and optional selections available under these and for specifying items not covered herein. Relative alignment — The distance between two or more elements in any plane, or the distance between adjacent elements, or the distance between an element and a defined point or plane. Spiral — As used in circular stave silo construction, is defined as the distortion that results when the staves are misaligned so that their edges are inclined while their outer faces are vertical. The resulting assemblyTOLERANCES 175 appears twisted with the vertical joints becoming long- pitch spirals Specified surface, plane, or line — A surface, plane, cr line specified by the contract documents; specified planes and lines may slope and specified surfaces may hhave curvature Tolerance — 1. The permitted variation from a given dimension or quantity. ‘STRAIGHT et 4. 5 © 2. The range of variation permitted in maintaining, a specified dimension. 3A permitted variation from location or align- ment, Vertical alignment — The location relative to speci- fied vertical plane or a specified vertical line or from a line or plane reference to a vertical line or plane. When applied to battered walls, abutments or other nearly vertical surfaces, vertical alignment is defined as the © fr Ctx 6 i o> sr p ® ( aT, 2" "aT END OF EAR 2 T saw-CuT ENDS FOR END BEARING SPUCES ee Moximum devioion from square" 12 the eng [2in of the bor Gar Sze #5-M 1) shall be 1% deg. for comeression splice 44eg:or tension slice saw-cut ends ony, for butt splices} Fig. 2.1(a) — Standard fabricating tolerances for bar sizes #3 through #11176 ACISTANDARD NOTES: Entire shearing and bending tolerances are customarily ab- sorbed in the extension past the lat bend in a bent bar ‘All olerances single plane and as shown ‘Tolerances for Types ‘$1 through $6, $11, and T1 through T9 apply only the Bar Sizes #3 through #8 “Dimensions on this line are to be within tolerance shown, but «are not to diffe from opposite parallel dimension more than ¥sin ‘Angular deviation—Maximum plus or minus 2¥ deg or plus or sinus ¥ in perft, but not less than vs in , on all 90-deg hooks and bends ‘TOLERANCE SYMBOLS: 1 Bar Sizes #3, #4, #5: = plus or minus vs in when gross bar length < 12 ft ‘= plus of minus 1m when gross bar length > 12 f Plus oF minus 1 in Plus 0, minus ¥ in Plus oF minus ¥4 in Plus or minus ¥ in for diameter < 30 in lus or minus 1 in for diameter > 30 in Plus of minus1 5 percent of o dimension > plus oc minus 2in minimum If application of positive tolerance to Type 9 results in chord length equal to of greater than the arc or bar length, the bar may be shipped straight Fig. 2.1(a) — Standard fabricating tolerances for bar sizes #3 through #11 horizontal location of the surface relative to the speci- fied profile. Warping — The displacement of the surface, por- tion, or edge of a planar element from a plane passing through any three corners of the element SECTION 2 — MATERIALS 2.1 — Reinforcing steel fabrication For bars #3 and # 11 in size, see Fig. 2 1(a). For bars #14 and #18 in size, see Fig. 2.1(b)TOLERANCES, wa NOTES: Entire shearing and bending tolerances are customarily ab- sorbed in the extension past the last bend ina bent bar ‘All tolerancer single plane and as shown ‘Angular devition-—Maximum plus ot minus 2% deg or plus or ‘minus ¥s in. perf on all 0-dog books and bends. Tretca, awoutan ALL 90° ‘BexOS SHOWN ow THs PASE : th 8 Maximum devon rom square in of te bar (Beri #16 8) to eons sha be: fae A sug tr comorenion ‘se + 4 depo tnsin sptice J tenweut ade ot Yer but sent) ‘TOLERANCE SYMBOLS: oo no 7 Plus or minus ain avin 18 Plus ormiaus 2ia 2in ‘9 Plus or minus vain 2in 0 Plus of minus 2perant x odimension = 22¥6in* — =3%4 la ‘ain ‘ain. Fig 2 1(b) ~ Standard fabricating tolerances for bar sizes #14 and #18 2.2 — Reinforcement placement 2.2.1 Tolerances shall not permit a reduction in cover except asset forth in Section 2 2 3 hereof 2.2.2 Clear distance to side forms and resulting con- crete surfaces and clear distance to formed ond result- ing concrete soffit in direction of tolerance ‘When member size is 4 in. or less... +% in Min, ‘When member size is over 4 in but not over 12 neers STs ‘When member size is over 12 in. but not over 2 ees + Ain When member size is over 2 ft... +... Vim 2.2.3 Concrete cover measured perpendicular to con- crete surface in direction of tolerance ‘When member size is 12 in. or less -.... ~% in. ‘When member size is over 12 in. = Min Reduction in cover shall not exceed one-third specified concrete cover. Redustion in cover to formed soffits shall not exceed. Min 2.2.4 Distance between reinforcement: ‘One-quarter specified distance not to exceed z peeeeee eee = Li Providing that distance between reinforcement stall not be less than the greater of the bar di-178 ameter or 1 in. for unbundled bars For bundled bars, the distance between bun- dles shall not be less than the greater of | in of 14 times the individual bar diameter for 2 bar bundles, 1 7 times the individual bar diameter for 3 bar bundles and 2 times the individual bar diameter for 4 bar bundles 2.2.8 Spacing of nonprestressed reinforcement, de~ viation from specified location In slabs and walls other than stirrups and ties 3in, “depth of beam in inches/12 % 1 in Sticrups ... Ties + ssleast width of column in inches/12 % 1 in However, total number of bars shall not be less than that specified. 2.2.6 Placement of prestressing reinforcement or -prestressing steel ducts 2.2.6.1 Lateral placement Member depth (or thickness) 24 in. or less Member depth (or thickness) over 24 in. 1 in. 2.2.6.2 Vertical placement Member depth (or thickness) 8 in. or less in. ‘Member depth (or thickness) over 8 in. but not over 24 in Min Member depth (or thickness) more than 24 in, . win. 2.2.7 Longitudinal location of bends and ends of bars: At discontinuous ends of members .. ‘At other locations. Lin 2in. Table 2.4 Lee han 20% of ele copay como 2 tof tered semiatt ede wares SS a Se “Tova water coment 39% of toa water content 3 Saciaive ttc ‘Over 308 of ele opacity | 199 ofthe egoied cmalatve sige (of eae capacity 03 (the requedcomaave Seige Shcbeve es if the reed wle eof he roid acon 50% of ale capacity o edu atrial batching eines 2.2.8 Embedded length of bars and length of bar #3 through #11 bar sizes. #14 and #18 bar sizes embedment only) —2in 2.2.9 Bearing plate for prestressng tendons, devia- tion from specified plane . .... 1 degree ACISTANDARD 2.3 — Placement of embedded items 2.3.1 Clearance 10 reinforcement the greater of the bar diameter or. . cee Dit 2.3.2 Vertical alignment, lateral alignment, and level alignment... 6 = cove sees Tin 2.4 — Concrete batching See Table 2.4. 2.5 — Concrete properties 2.5.1 Slump, where specified as “maximum” or “not to exceed,” for all values see eo tn Specified slump 3 in or less. =1% in Specified slump more than 3 in... .....~2% in Slump, when specified as a single value Specified slump 4 in. or less Specified slump more than 4 in. . ‘Where range is specified there is no tolerance. 2.8.2 Air content, where no range is specified and specified air content by volume is 4 percent or greater 14% percent ‘Where range is specified, there is no tolerance. SECTION 3 — FOUNDATIONS 3.1 — Vertical alignment 3.4 Drilled piers 3.1L Category A — For unteinforced shafts ex- tending through materials offering no or minimal lateral restraint (ie., water, nor- mally consolidated organic soils, and soils that might liquefy during an earthquake) 12.5 percent of shaft diameter. 3.1.1.2 Category B — For unreinforced shafts ex- tending through materials offering lateral restraint (Soils other than those indicated in Category A) — not more than I 5 per- cent of the shaft length. 3.1.1.3 Category C — For reinforced concrete shafts — not more than 2.0 percent of the shaft length. 3.2 — Lateral alignment 3.2.1 Footings ‘AS cast (0 the center of gravity as specified; 0.02 times width of footing in direction of misplace- ‘ment but not more than... ... «. ‘Supporting masonry. 3.2.2 Drilled piers 3.2.2.1 % of shaft diameter but not more than 3 in. 3.3 — Level alignment 3.3.1 Footings 3.3.1.1 Top of footings supporting masonry Ys in 3.3.1.2 Top of other footings + in, 2m 3.3.2 Drilled piers 3.3.2.1 Cut-off elevation tin 3in,TOLERANCES w79 3.4 — Crose-sectional dimensions 3.4.1 Footings 3441 Horizontal dimension of formed ‘members aoe +2in ‘hin. 3.4.1.2 Horizontal dimension of unformed mem- bers cast against soil 2 ft or less +3 in. vin. +6in. 2 = in. 2+ 12in. Greater than 2 fU but less than 6 f. Over 6 ft . ‘in, 3.4.1.3 Vertical dimension (thickness) ~$ percent 3.5 — Relative alignment 3.5.1 Footing side and top surfaces may slope with respect to the specified plane at a rate not to exceed the following amounts in 10 ft... = see ein. SECTION 4 — CAST.IN-PLACE CONCRETE FOR BUILDINGS. — Vertical alignment 4.1.1 For heights 100 ft or less Lines, surfaces, and arrises eel in, Outside corner of exposed corner columns and control joint grooves in concrete exposed to view... eee one Mil 4.1.2 For heights greater than 100 ft Lines, surfaces, and arrises, Yous times the height but not more than... 6 in, Outside corner of exposed corner columns and control joint grooves in concrete, Yee times the height but not more than. . i 42 — Lateral alignment 4.2.1 Members. 4.2.2 In slabs, centerline location of openings 12 in. ‘or smaller and edge location of larger openings... ¥s in. 4.2.3 Sawcuts, joints, and weakened plane embed- ‘ments in slabs % in. 43 — Level alignment 4.3.1 Top of slabs. 4.3.1.1 Elevation of slabs-on-grade ...... «. 4 in, 4.3.1.2 Elevation of top surfaces of formed slabs before removal of supporting shores % in. 4.3.2 Elevation of formed surfaces before removal of shores Min. 4.3.3 Liniels, sills, parapets, horizontal grooves, and ‘other lines exposed f0 view Sein {4 — Cross-sectional dimensions 4.4.1 Members, such as columns, beams, piers, walls (thickness only), and slabs (thickness only) 12 in, dimension or less. + Yin, = Ye in, More than 12 in dimension but not over 3 ft di mension + Yin, - Kin + Lin, = %in, 45 — Relative alignment 45.1 Stairs Difference in height between adjacent risers = Min Difference in width between asiacen trends Ye in 4.8.2 Grooves Specified width 2 in. or less... .--.. . ein Specified width more than 2 in but not more than 12 in. Yin. 4.5.3 Formed surfaces may slope with respect t0 the specified plane at @ rate not to exceed the following ‘amounts in 10 ft 4.5.3.1 Vertical alignment of outside corner of ex- posed corner columns and control joint grooves in concrete exposed to view 4.5.3.2 All other conditions. % in. 4.5.4. The offset between adjacent pieces of form- work facing material shall not exceed: Class of surface: al le require ‘ments of either Section 4.5.6 or 4 5.7, as set forth by the specifier. 4.5.6 Floor finish tolerances as measured in accord- ance with ASTM E 1155-87 Standard Test Method for Determining Floor Flatness and Leveiness Using the F- Number System (Inch-Pound Units) a FF a ed ‘oor pote quay [| Tetaes | Minimo eel Fear etn Fins [Unt | Paes | Cee concifates is 8 a 10 Seunwesees | 2 | 18 i 8 Fae ee a 10 ‘vey fat sole) coma) ua ma 4.5.6.1 The F, levelness tolerance shall not apply to slabs placed on unshored form surfaces and/or shored form surfaces after the removal of shores. F, levelness tolerances shall not apply to cambered or inclined sui faces and shall be measured within 72 hr after slab concrete placement. 4.5.7 Floor finish tolerances as measured by placing 4 freestanding (unleveled) 10 ft. straightedge anywhere on the slab and allowing it to rest upon two high spots within 72 hr after slab concrete placement. The gap at any point between the straightedge and the floor (and between the highspots) shall not exceed: Classification: Conventional Bullfloated. Hin. Straightedged. Yai710 ACISTANDARD Flat... . Yein 5.8 — Fabrication tolerances in planar elements Very flat + hin. 5.3.1 Length and width 10 ft or less Over 10 ft but not over 20 ft. 4.6 — Openings through members ee 4.6.1 Cross-sectional size of opening... ... —% in. Over 20 ft but not over 40 ft. Kin ‘i +1in Each adcitional 10 ft increment in excess of 40 4.6.2 Location of centerline of opening Yin, ft Yoin. ‘SECTION 5 — PRECAST CONCRETE 5.1 — Fabrication tolerances in linear elements except piles 5.1.1 Length of member Per 10 ft Total not more than... 5.1.2 Cross-sectional dimensions Gin or less Over 6 in but not over 18 in ‘Over 18 in. but not over 36 in. Over 36 in 5.1.3 Lateral alignment (sweep) of noncambered ‘member surfaces relative to centerline of member Member length 40 ft and less . Over 40 ft but not over 60 ft Over 60 ft... 8.1.4 Camber variation from design chamber, at time of erection For nonprestressed elements, Y in per 10 ft of ength but not more than in. For prestressed elements, Y in. per 10 ft of ength but not more than woes «ses esos one Line 5:5 Surface iregulrtis, deviation from @10 ft straightedge. . For elements which will not receive topping % in in. For elements to rective topping. For elements to be used as concrete guideways steering support and surfaces Wit 5.2 — Fabrication tolerances for piles 5.2.1 Length. 5.2.2 Cross-sectional dimensions Overall. a 5.2.3 Lateral alignment of pile surfaces relative to pile centerline in length of pile, per 10 ft. . ..... in, 8.2.4 Location of internal void. i 3.2.5 Pile head From the plane perpendicular to the longitudi- nal axis of pile, % in, in 12 in. but not more than Yin, 5.2.6 Surface irregularities Pile head Yin, Other surfaces, deviation from a 10 ft. straight- edge Go Min. Difference in length of the two diagonals, of a rectangular member the greater of Yin. per 6 ft of diagonal or % in 8.3.2 Cross-sectional dimensions thickness Yin tee win, 8.3.3 Openings in panels Size of opening -.. Location of centetline of opening. $.3.4 Lateral alignment of embedded items Reglets for glazing gaskets. Bolt Flashing resets. Flashing reglets at panel edge ..... Electrical outlets and pipe sleeves 4 in, Yin. 5.3.5 Bowing and warping at time of erection Bowing %460 times the panel diagonal dimension in inches but not more than...... 1 in, Warping %e in, per ft. of distance from nearest adjacent comer but not more than Vin, 5.4 — Erection tolerances 5.4.1 Vertical, lateral, and level alignment $.4.1.1 Building elements ‘Same as for cast-in-place concrete in Section 4 0 5.4.1.2 Concrete guideways Concrete guideway construction misalignment of !woport or serngrufsecs shall ot exend 1/16 in, 5.4.2 Alignment of exposed wall panels 5.4.2.1 Width of joints between exposed wall panels ... Yin, 5.4.2.2 Taper (difference in width) of joint be- tween adjacent exposed wall panels, the greater of, Ys in. per linear foot of joint, Yoin. Hin. 5.4.2.3 Alignment of joints at adjoining corners eve see Mit 5.4.24 Offset in exterior face of adjacent panels. Yin, 5.4.3 Offset of top surfaces of adjacent elements in erected positon. With topping slab - Floor elements without topping slab Roof elements without topping slab. Guideway elements to be used as riding surface . V6 in.TOLERANCES SECTION 6 — MASONRY 6.1 — Vertical alignment In surface of wall . In alignment of head joints. 6.2 — Lateral alignment 6.2.1 Vertical members 3 ce ‘in 8.3 — Level 6.3.1 In bed joints and top of wall, exposed. 2 ain Not exposed... Lin 6.3.2 Top of wall used for a bearing surface ..' in 6.3.3 Top of wall, other than a bearing surface . YA in 6.4 — Cross-sectional dimensions 6.4.1 Multiwythed walls...» 4 in. 6.4.2 Other members .. Kin, Min 6.4.3 Joint thickness. Min 6.5 — Relative alignment 6.5.1 Masonry surfaces may slope with respect to the specified plane at a rate not to exceed the following ‘amounts in 10 ft 6.5.1.1 Walls and columns. 6.5.1.2 Bed joints, head joints, ‘and top of wall. . 6.5.1.3 Top of wall . %in Me % SECTION 7 — CAST-IN-PLACE, VERTICALLY SLIPFORMED BUILDING ELEMENTS. 7.4 — Vertical alignment 7.1.1 Translation and rotation from a fixed point at the base of the siructure* For heights 100 ft or less... 2 in. For heights greater than 100 ft., 1/600 times the height but not more than... Sin. 7.2 — Lateral alignment Between adjacent elements.. = in, 7.8 — Cross-sectional dimensions Walls a Formed surfaces may slope with respect to the specified plane at a rate not to exceed the fol- Towing amount in 10 ft. =. wwe oe Min ‘SECTION 8 — MASS CONCRETE STRUCTURES OTHER THAN BUILDINGS 8.1 — Vertical alignment 8.1.1 Surfaces Visible surfaces... <1in Concealed surfaces... 2M in 8.1.2 Side walls for radial gates and similar water- tight joints Mein wnat 8.2 — Lateral alignment Visible surfaces .. Vin Concealed surfaces. 24 in 8.3 — Level alignment 8.3.1 General Visible flatwork and formed surfaces ... . 4 in, Concealed flatwork and formed surfaces 1 in 8.3.2 Sills for radial gates and similar watertight Joints. ee Hain 8.4 — Relative alignment 8.4.1 Formed surfaces may slope with respect to the ‘specified plane at a rate not to exceed the following ‘amount in 10.ft 8.4.1.1 Slopes in lateral and level alignments Visible surfaces Concealed surfaces. 7 8.4.1.2 Slopes in vertical alignment Visible surfaces Concealed surfaces. Yin. Yin SECTION 9 — CANAL LINING 9.1 — Lateral alignment -1 Alignment of tangents 2 Alignment of curves.ec..- 1.3 Width of section at any height: specified width W plus one in....... 0.0025W + Lin. 9.2 — Level alignment 9.241 Profile grade. Via 9.2.2 Surface of invert + Min, 9.2.3 Surface of side slope in, 9.2.4 Height of lining: 0.005 times established height ‘Hoplus one in... 0.005H + 1 in 8.8 — Cross-sectional dimensions ‘Thickness of lining cross section: 10 percent of spec- ified thickness provided average thickness is main- tained as determined by daily batch volumes. SECTION 10 — MONOLITHIC SIPHONS AND ‘CULVERTS 10.1 — Lateral alignment 10.1.1 Centerline alignment 10.1.2 Inside dimensions: 0.005 times inside dimension Lin 10.2 — Level alignment 10.2.1 Profile grade. 10.2.2 Surface of invert. .. 10.2.3 Surface of side slope. 2% in, in, 10.3 — Cross-sectional dimensions 40.3.1 Cross section at any point Increase thickness: greater of 0.05 times thick- ness, OF + in. Decrease thickness: greater of 0.25 times thick- ness, OF = Min,17412 SECTION 11 — CAST-IN-PLACE BRIDGES 11.1 — Vertical alignment ULL Exposed surfaces... ess Mein 11.1.2 Concealed surfaces . 14 in, 11.2 — Lateral alignment Centerline alignment © sess sees Lin 11.3 — Level alignment 11.3.1 Profile grade.. Vin. 113.2 Top of other conerete surfaces and horizontal grooves Exposed % in Concealed 14 in 11.3.3 Mainline pavements in longitudinal direction, the gap below a 10 ft unleveled straightedge resting on highspots shall not exceed... ne =». Yin 11.3.4 Mainline pavertents in transverse direction, the gap below a 10 ft unleveled straightedge resting on Aighspots shall not exceed...» - Min 11.3.5 Ramps, sidewalks, and intersections, in any direction, the gap below a 10 ft unleveled straightedge resting on highspots shall not exceed Min 11.4 — Cross-sectional dimensions 11.4.1 Bridge slabs vertical dimension (thick: ess) + Min ; ~ Mit 11.4.2 Members such as columns, beams, piers, walls, and other (slabs thickness only) 11.4.3 Openings through concrete members 11.5 — Relative alignment 11.8.1 Location of openings through concrete members in. 11.5.2 Formed surfaces may slope with respect to the specified plane at a rate not to exceed the following amounts in 10 ft ‘Watertight joints. . Other exposed surfaces ‘Concealed surfaces. 11.53 Unformed exposed surfaces, other than pave- ‘ments and sidewalks, may slope with respect t0 the specified plane at a rate not to exceed the following ‘amounts In 10 f. In20 ft. Yin. win Yin SECTION 12 — PAVEMENTS AND SIDEWALKS 12.1 — Lateral alignment 121.1 Placement of dowels... . «Vin. 12.1.2 Alignment of dowels, relative to centerline of pavement, 18 in. or less projection... Yin greater than 18 in, projection . Not established 12.2 — Level alignment 12.2.1 Mainline pavements in longitudinal direction, the gap below a 10 ft unleveled straightedge resting on ‘ACI STANDARD highspots shall not exceed... wv me Yain 12.2.2 Mainline pavements in transverse direction, the gap below a 10 ft unleveled straightedge resting on highspots shall not exceed... vin 12.2.3 Ramps, sidewalks, and intersections, in any direction, the gap below a 10 fe unleveled straightedge resting on highspots shall not exceed.. Yin SECTION 13 — CHIMNEYS AND COOLING TOWERS 13.1 — Vertical alignment Translation, rotation or variance form vertical axis the greater of 1/1000 times the height at time of mea surement, of 1 in, In any 10 ft of height the centerpoint shall not change more tha 1 in. 13.2 — Diameter Outside shell diameter 1/100 times the specified di- ameter plus 1 in 13.3 — Wall thickness The average of four wall thickness measurements taken over a 60 deg arc. Specified wall thickness 101n. or less... ... ~¥ in. é +% in. Specie wal hicks greater than 10 in... ~ Ys in. : Lin, SECTION 14 — NONREINFORCED CAST-IN- PLACE PIPE 14.1 — Wall thickness Minimum wall thickness at any point shall be 1/12 times the specified internal diameter of the pipe plus 14 in,, but in no case less than... 2in 14.2 — Pipe diameter The internal diameter at any point shall not be less than 95 percent of the specified diameter, the average of any four measurements taken at 45 deg intervals shall not be less than the specified diameter. 143 — Offsets ‘At formlaps and horizontal edges shall not exceed: For pipe with an internal diameter not greater than Qin, in. For pipe with an internal diameter 43 through 72 in in. "For pipe with an internal diameter greater than 72 Ive cee Tin. — Surface indentations ‘Maximum allowable Kin Ti ar was sme tole alot of the somite and apo in acsoreaae wih the asst balloting proceduresACI 117R-90 Commentary on Standard Specifications for Tolerances for Concrete Construction and Materials (ACI 117-90) Reported by ACI Committee 117 W Robert Lite sell $ Ping Chinon Cairnan, Editorial Subcommitee 5 Allon Face Andrawos Morcos BS (Dobe) Pointer Thomas C Heist (Clack B Morgan Je Dean B Stephan Jr Richard A Kaden Hany M PalMbasm don Tipping Ross Matin Wiliam S Phelan Cat Toga Peter Meza Joe V Willams 3 ‘hie rportis commentary om the Standard Specifications for Tolerances for Concrete Construction and Materials tis intended to be sed with ACT 1? for lari of interpretation and insight into the nant ofthe commtee regarding the application of the oerances et fork heren Keywords: ending (tcioring sels) building codes; eonerete construc- tion; concrete pile conte Noor; formwork construction); masonry: tats concrete pers: precast corse; prenesed concrete; reinforcing sel, specifications; splicing; standards; tolerances (mechanics) INTRODUCTION ‘This commentary pertains (o “Standard Specifications for Tolerances for Concrete Construction and Materials (ACI- 117)" The purpose of the report is to provide graphic and ‘written interpretations forthe specification and its application No structure is exactly level, plumb, straight, and true Fortunately, such perfection is not necessary Tolerances are ‘a means to establish permissible variation in dimension and location, giving both the designer and the contractor param- eters within which the work is to be performed They are the means by which the designer conveys to the contractor the performance expectations upon which the design is based or the use of the project requires Such specified tolerances should reflect design assumptions and project needs, being, neither overly restrictive nor lenient Necessity rather than desirability should be the basis of seleoting tolerances ‘As the title “Standard Specifications for Tolerances for Concrete Construction and Materials (ACT 117)” implies, [ACI Commitee Repons, Guides, Standard Practices, and Coectanes | ‘de itenled for guidance in panning, esting, exerting snd inapecting onsrcton This Dace ded forthe use of tndiviuals wo ae competent fo evaluate the significance and limitations of is Content and recommendations and who sill aecept responsibilty for the aplication of theater iecontsine ‘The Amesiean Conese Is ‘ey alpine sd pcp Teh tate abl not be lable for any los or damage ering theretom Reference ots Document sill nt bemade contact documents ities foun inthis Document are deste hy he ArctecdEince fo | tesa pur ofthe contact documents, they bal be restata in mandstory | Panpdage for nconoraton by te ArctcedEnginecr the tolerances given are standard or usual tolerances that ap- ply to various types and uses of concrete construction They are based upon normal needs and common construction tech niques and practices Specific tolerances at variance with the standard values can cause both increases and decreases in the cost of construction ‘The required degree of accuracy of performance depends ‘on the interelationship of several factors ‘Structural strength and function requirements ‘The structure must be safe and strong, reflecting the design assumptions, and accurate enough in size and shape to do the job for which it was designed and constructed "The structure must satisfy the appearance needs or wishes of the owner and the designer Economic feasibil The specified degree of accuracy has adirect impact on the cost of production and the construction method In general, the higher degree of accuracy required, the higher the cost of obtaining it Relationship of all components ‘The required degree of accuracy of individual parts can be influenced by adjacent units and materials, joint and connec tion details, end the possibility of the accumulation of tole. ances in critical dimensions Ciena cgi dveloement of gocumene ‘Ailes see code ris eros nd we aay frm by imams, taclusng tang of apes by any pow proce or hy cesrowe oF ‘Petia devs ined we ara tet rue neev2 Construction techniques "The feasibility of a tolerance depends on available crafts- ‘manship, technology, and materials Properties of materials ‘The specified degree of accuracy for shrinkage and pre- stressed camber should recognize the degree of difficulty of predetermining deflection due to shrinkage and prestressed camber Compatibility ‘Designers are cautioned to use finish and architectural de- tails that are compatible with the type and anticipated meth- ‘od of construction Finish and architectural details used should be compatible with the concrete tolerances which are achievable Job conditions. ‘Unique job situations and conditions must be considered ‘The designer must specify and clearly identify those items that require either closer or more lenient tolerances as the needs ofthe project dictate Measurement ‘Mutually agreed-upon control points and bench marks must be provided as reference points for measurements to es- tablish the degree of accuracy of items produced and for ver- ifying the tolerances of the items produced Control points, ‘and bench marks should be established and maintained in an ‘undisturbed condition until final completion and acceptance of the project Project document references ‘ACI Specification documents—The following American Concrete Institute documents provide mandatory require- ments for concrete construction and may be referenced in the Project Documents ACI117 Standard Specifications for Tolerances for Concrete Construction and Materials, ACI301 ‘Specifications for Structural Concrete for Buildings ACI5311 Specification for Concrete Masonry Construction ACT informative docaments—ACI Committee Reports, Guides, Standard Practices, and Commentaries are intended. for guidance in designing, planning, executing, or inspecting, construction, and in preparing plans and specifications Ref- erence to these Reports, Guides, and Standard Practices should not be included in the Project Documents If the Ar- chitect/Engineer desires to include items found in these ACI documents in the Project Documents, they should be re- phrased in mandatory language and incorporated into the Project Documents ‘The documents of the following American Concrete Insti- tute Committees cover practice, procedures, and state-of- the-art guidance for the categories of construction as listed ‘ACI COMMITTEE REPORT General building Special structures ACI 302, 303, 304, 318, 347 ‘ACI 307, 313, 316, 325, 332, 334, 344, 345, 349, 350, 357, 358 Precast construction ACT 347 ‘Masonry construction ACTS31 Materials, ACI 211, 223, 302, 304, 315, 318, 531, 543, TABLE OF CONTENTS. Introduction, p. 117R-1 Section 1—General requirements, p. 117R-2 Section 2—Materials, p. 1174 Section 3—Foundations, p. 117R-S Section 4—Cast-in-place concrete for buildings, pe LTRS Section 5—Precast concrete, p. 117R-8 Section 6—Masonry, p. 117R-10 ‘Section 7—Cast-in-place, vertically slipformed structures, p. 117R-10 ‘Section 8—Mass concrete structures other than build- ings, p. 117R-10 Section 9—Canal lining, p. 117-10 Section 10—Monolithic siphons and culverts, p-1I7R-10 Section 11—Cast-in-place bridges, . L17R-10 Section 12—Pavement, p. 17R-10 Section 13—Chimneys and cooling towers, p. 7-11 Section 14—Castin-place nonreinforced pipe, p. 117R-11 Section 15—References, p.L7R-U1 SECTION 1—GENERAL REGUIREMENTS 1.3—Definitions Bowing—See Fig 131 Flainess—See Fig 132 Lateral alignment—See Fig 133 Level alignment—See Fig 134 Relative alignment—See Fig 135 Vertical alignment—See Fig 13.6 Warping—See Fig 137 Level alignment, lateral alignment, and vertical alignment are used to establish a tolerance envelope within which per- missible variations can occur Relative alignment, in addi- tion to designating allowable relative displacements of clements, is used to determine the rate of change of adjacent points (slope tolerance) occurring within the tolerance enve~ Tope In this fashion the slope and smoothness of surfaces ‘and lines within a tolerance envelope are controlled AbruptTOLERANCES 117s OSs excrz0N spose secrzon PORE BouENS ERE SoS 08 on ‘ ° Fig 22 8—Reinforcement placement, embedment and laps SECTION 2—MATERIALS 2.2—Reinforcement In the absence of specific design details shown or specified fon the contract documents, CRSI MSP-1, Appendix D, should be followed by estimators, detailers, and placers 2.2.2 and 22.3 The tolerance for placing reinforcing steel js predicated upon measurements of the formed surfaces for, quality control during construction and from the resulting surfaces for forensic analysis It consists of an envelope with fan absolute limitation on one side of the envelope deter- mined by the limit on the reduction in cover See Fig 22 2a), 22.2{b), 22 3(a), and 22.3(b) 2.2.4 and 22.5 The spacing tolerance of reinforcing con- sists of an envelope with an absolute limitation on one side of the envelope determined by the limit on the reduction in distance between reinforcement In addition, the allowable tolerance on spacing shall not cause a reduction in the spec- ified number of reinforcing bars utilized See Fig 224 and 225 2.2.6 The vertical deviation tolerance should be con- sidered in establishing minimum prestressing tendon covers, particularly in applications exposed to deicer chemicals or salt water environments where use of additional cover is rec- ‘ommended to compensate for placing tolerances Slab be- havior is relstively insensitive to horizontal location of tendons 2.2.7 and 2.2.8 The tolerance for the location of the ends of reinforcing steel is determined by these two sections See Fig 227 and228TOLERANCES 2.5—Conerete 2.5.1 Where the specification has specified slump as a ‘maximum, the project specifications should provide for the addition of water atthe jobsite for slump adjustment This is because the concrete must be batched at a lesser slump to avoid rejection because of a lack of a plus tolerance for the slump The water added atthe jobsite must be within the wa- ter/cement limitations of the specifications or approved mix- ture proportions Flowable concrete achieved by the incorporation of high range water reducers (HRWR) (superplasticizers), are difi- cult to control within tight tolerances at specified slumps of Tin or greater In addition, itis difficult to accurately mea- sure high slumps. Consideration should be given to eliminat- ing a maximum slump when a HRWR is used to achieve flowable concrete ‘When a slump range is specified, caution should be exer- cised and jobsite conditions should be considered and eval- uated to determined ifthe range is suitable for delivery and placing requirements 2.5.2 When an air content range is specified, care should be given to address aggregate size and jobsite requirements ‘The range should be adequately wide to accommodate the preceding ‘SECTION 3—FOUNDATIONS 3,2—Lateral alignment 3.2.1 Determines the permissible location of a footing ‘The magnitude of tolerance for the location of footings is ‘governed by the width (ie, Ieast dimension in plan view) of, the footing with an absolute limit depending on the subse- quent construction material supported by the footing See Fig 321 3.3—Level alignment Determines the location of any point on the top surface of | 1 footing relative to the specified plane See Fig 33 1 3.4—Cross-sectional dimension ‘Determines the permissible size of a footing See Fig 34 3.5—Relative alignment ‘The relative alignment of points on the surfaces cannot ex- ceed the distance determined by the slope tolerance Deter- ‘mines the permissible top surface roughness or irregularity of a footing See Fig 35 SECTION 4—CAST-IN-PLACE CONCRETE FOR ‘BUILDINGS 4.1, 4.4, and 4.5—Vertical and relative alignment and thicknes: Determines the permissible location of surfaces and lines in a vertical plane and the smoothness of those surfaces or straightness of lines and the relative location of adjacent sur- faces in a vertical plane See Fig 4 1(a) and (b) and 4 5 3(a) and (b) ns s-apsezesay socorzon,er Ll LC SRR ! Hy I I seetiey Fae o Fig 33 1—Level alignment AST | alae A-Telerance envelope (ne upper e1en lon ¢ thickness > Fig 3 4—Footing cross-sectional dimension Specifies piene Ae-putit eurrece Fig 35—Relative alignment of footing surface7s Specitied vertica! 1ine or piene Fig 4 1a) and 4 5 3(a) a Toference Fig 4 1(a), (b) and 4 5 3(a), (b)—Vertical and relative alignment 43, 4.4, and 4.5—Level and vertical alignment and cross-sectional dimensions If the level and cross-sectional dimension tolerances are «given, then a suspended (clevated) slab is fully toleranced Example 12 in slab—The envelope for the slab element extends 1, in above the specified surface elevation to % in below the specified soffit elevation Thus the slab surface and/or soffit can be "gin higher or lower than specified The slab thickness can be %q in greater or '7 in less than speci fied, the rate of change in slope of the top surface is toler- anced by the F, and the soffit is toleranced by the relative alignment and formed surface tolerances See Fig 43, 44, and 453 (c) ‘The acceptable elevation envelope of the slab surface and soffit is 3/, in The rate of change of the adjacent surface el- cevation points within the acceptable elevation is governed by specification Section 4 5 5 488 Floor profile finish quality has traditionally been ‘measured by limiting the gap to be measured under either a freestanding or leveled 10-ft straightedge, according to the spocifier’s requirements ‘The technology for measuring floor profiles has rapidly evolved in response to the needs of ran dom vehicular traffic industrial users This technology pro- vvides a welcome alternative and a solution to the generally recognized inadequacies of the 10-ft straightedge to describe ‘ACI COMMITTEE REPORT edt "eElereens ea c-dtase Satere Fig 43,44, ard 4 5 3(c)—Level and relative alignment ‘cross-sectional dimension and define floor surfaces It is not the intention of the ACI 117 specification to limit floor finish measurement technol ogy to that currently available As new technology is devel ‘oped, improved, and perfected, specifiers may consider utilizing alternate techniques for specifying and measuring floor finish tolerances Random sampling and statistical analysis is particularly appropriate for high-performance floors ot portions of floors where irregularities must be rig- ily controlled ‘The specifying of narrow aisle warehouse floors with de- fined traffic lanes requires specialized techniques not ad- dressed in this specification 456 The Fi-F, system set forth in Section 4 5 6 of this specification provides the specifier, contractor, and owner ‘with a convenient and precise method of communication, ‘measurement, and determination of compliance of the floor surfaces requited and achieved, using the procedures set forth in ASTME 1155 Floor profile quality has traditionally been specified by limiting the size of the gap to be observed under a freestanding or leveled 10 ft long straightedge How- ever, recent improvements in floor profile measurement technology have surpassed all variations of this “gap-under- the-straightedge” format ' F-numbers provide a convenient means for specifying the local floor profile in statistical terms ‘Two distinct profile variables are controlled + The 12:in incremental curvature q measures the local ‘Flainess of the floor See Fig 4 5 6(a) + The 120 in elevation difference d measures the local levelness of the floor See Fig 45 6(b) "The required data may be gathered by several methods, in- cluding measurements taken from leveled straightedges, op- tical levels, and instruments developed for this purposeTOLERANCES wR Fig 4.5 6(a)—Flatness of the floor ‘Samples of q and d readings are collected from the floor ac~ cording to the procedures set forth in ASTM E 1155 The ‘means q and d and standard deviations S, and S, of these q and d reading samples are calculated, and these statistics are then used to determine the floor's flatness and levelness F- numbers Any individual floor section that measures less than either of the specified minimum local F-numbers is ejected If, af- ter combining all ofthe individual section results, the entire floor measures less than either of the specified overall F- ‘numbers, then the whole floor is rejected To aid in the determination of equitable remedy, the sys- tem provides a method for calculating the exact percentage compliance between the floor’s specified and estimated F- numbers To avoid any dispute regarding remedy, the spee- ification should clearly state the specific corrective mea- sures to be applied in the event of an out-of-tolerance result Shrinkage, curling, and deflection can all adversely affect floor levelness. Measuring F;, within 72 hr after floor slab installation and before shores and/or forms are removed in- sures that the floor's “as-built” levelness is accurately as- sessed None of the conventional concrete placement techniques in use today can adequately compensate for form or structure deflections that occur during the concrete place- ‘ment and, for this reason, iti inappropriate to specify level- ness tolerances on unshored floor construction Since neither deflection nor curling will significantly change a floor’s F- value, there is no time limit on the mea- surement of this characteristic Nonetheless, the prudent specifies will provide forthe measurement of both Fp and F,, as soon as possible after slab installation to avoid any possi- ble conflict over the acceptability of the floor (and to alert the contractor of the need to modify finishing techniques on subsequent placements if necessary to achieve compliance ) While there is no direct equivalent between F-numbers and straightedge tolerances (see Fig 4 5 6c), the following. table does give a rough correlation between the two systems Gap under an unteveled Eenuruber Toestraighedge Fr rn 20 Sign Fs Min #32 gin 50 yin Fig 45 6(b}Levelness of the floor The F-numbess to be obtained using different floor con- struction methods are given in ACI 302 IR An increase in flaness from Fy 15 to F; 20 may generally be achieved by the use ofa highway straightedge (or equivalent) rather than abull- float following the strike-off ‘The values listed are for general suidance only Particular job requirements and conditions can result in F-numbers significantly different from those shown To insure user satisfaction, the F,-F values required may be determined by measuring successful installations of projects with siilar uses Note that ASTM E 1155 excludes measurements within 2ft ofan imbed ora construction joint The specifier should pro- Vide «limitation on the variation and possible offset poten- tial at these locations appropriate to the use and function of the structure Other statistical floor tolerancing systems are being de- veloped and may be used atthe option of the specifier pro- viding suck methods are shown to give comparable results IN GENERAL, TO ACHIEVE HIGHER FLOOR FLAT. NESS/LEVELNESS VALUES WILL REQUIRE MORE INTENSIVE EFFORT WITH ATTENDANT INCREASES IN LABOR AND CONSTRUCTION COSTS 4.8.7 Although the 10 ft straightedge procedure has been used for more than 50 years for judging floor irregularities, the procedure has a number of serious deficiencies. These include +The cifficulty in testing large areas of floors + The difficulty of randomly sampling floors + The inability to reproduce testing results + The inability using normal construction procedures to ‘meet the tolerance limits normally specified, that is, My in in 10 ftor Ys in in 10 ft and the widespread lack of conformance and lack of testing for conformance of slab surfaces + Failure of the method to predict acceptability of inregularties or roughness in the floor surface ‘The evaluation othe roughness for a given amplitude sould be based upon the frequency of the wave forms + The inability ofthe unleveled straightedge to evaluate levelness ofthe surface ‘The major deficiency of the straightedge measuring sys- tem in evaluating floor finishes is demonstrated in Fig, 456(0) ‘The unleveled straightedge measuring system is adversely affected by shrinkage and curling, therefore, measurementsWs ‘ACI COMANITTEE REPORT & /STRAIGHTEDGE EQUIVALENTS (1/8 Wax. GAP) (BNET MAK. GAP) (5/16 MAX GAP) (1/27 MAX. GAP) F, 20.2 F135 ge F841 FS “ Ss 5 flee! [elslee! Peet BYEY Fr 27.9 iq F188 yng Fet1.2 wlelel [elele| [ele Fr 52.9 ue F, 35.2 2 F,21.2 wo le eo | wo | F,127.6 sng Fr 76.5. = 1 a ae Fig 45 6(c)—F-number system is clearly superior to the “gap under a straightedge” ‘approach for distinguishing between the surfaces of obviously different qualities shown in this diagram are to be taken within 72 hr after floor slab installation and. before shores and/or forms are removed ‘SECTION PRECAST CONCRETE For guidance and recommended tolerances for precast el- ‘ements not set forth in ACI 117, the specifier should refer to “Tolerances for Precast and Prestressed Concrete,” pub- lished in Journal, Prestressed Concrete Institute, V_ 30, No 1, Jan-Feb 1985, pp 26 to 1123 5.1—Fabrication tolerances ‘5.1.1 The fabricated length can be longer or shorter than specified by an amount dependent on its design length with an absolute limit of either /, in shorter or 3, in longer See Fig S11 DESIGNERS ARE CAUTIONED TO PROVIDELONG. ER BEARING ELEMENTS TO ACCOMMODATE. SHORTER MEMBER LENGTHS AND ROOM FOR OVERLENGTH MEMBERS (WITHIN TOLERANCES ) 5.1.3 The lateral alignment is the displacement of any point on the surface relative to the centerline ofthe as- built ‘member The centerine is determined by passing alin through the midpoint of the as-built end See Fig $13 and 523 5.1.4 Camber is measured at the midpoint between the as- built ends of the member ‘The allowable deviation isa func- tion of the length of the member with an absolute limit Cam- ber tolerances in prestressed members may require reevaluation after initial member castings due to the inaccura- cies inherent in initial engineering predications based upon the ‘member design The specified camber may require adjustment based upon the actual camber that results from the specified design or the design may require modification. See Fig 514 5.1.5 Surface irregularities—See Fig 515 5.2—Fabrication tolerances for piles '52.3 Tolerance determination is similar to Section 5 111 ‘The exception is that there is no absolute limit applied tothe tolerance envelope 5.2.5 The slope across the pile head can vary a a function of the width ofthe pile head with an absolute limit’ The ‘widths the diameter of circular pile andthe cross-sectional dimension in te direction of slope measurement of noncir- cular piles See Fig 525 5.3—Fabrication tolerances in planar elements '5.3.1 The allowable skew of planar elements is determined by comparing the length ofthe diagonals This pre-presumes rectangular unis for the application of this fabrication con- ‘ol For irregularly shaped units the comparison of diago- nals may not be possible or meaningful and the concept of skew may not apply See Fig 53 1 5.4—Erection tolerances 4.2.2 The allowable taper of the joint between exposed panels is a function of the length ofthe joint with absolute limits on the minimum and maximum width ofthe tolerance envelope See Fig 5422 5.4.3 The control over the offset of top surfaces of adjacent clements applies to members immediately adjacent to each other or separated members that will ultimately be joined in the structure (se Fig 54 3) The roofing system must be co- ordinated withthe tolerance for roof elements without top- ping slabs Roofing systems that are to be applied directly to the precast surface may require a leveling grout to fill and feather the resulting offsetTOLERANCES A-Telerance envelope (erage eie vie sane as eT A-Tolerence envelope 60.125" 70" 710" 201. 75>1-5,4e1.5" Fig 51 1—Length of member aterel plignmens (exegp) heveret siseton gig a” Actual surrece location ‘Specifies surface location Fig 513 and $2.3—Lateral alignment Fig 51 4—Camber SePetghesdoe" Fig 51 5—Surface irregularities 1R9 envelope Fig 52.5—Pile head Fig 53 1—Panel iength and width eet.in, felerorelols a Seleloe101) TTT ~son0DaDOT -=0000000-- a-ofrees oF st top eurte: Sea" Brees Fig 5 4 3—Difference in elevation1178-10 Elevetion S20P op aemae ope. =ESGET Signment enverope Fig 6 1,62, 63, and 6 $—Masonry alignment Retetion Fig 7 1—Slipform vertical alignment Actuel Teeetion Teta T eT Tonment Fig 11 land 115 2—Ventical seetion — Fig 12 1—Pavement dowels ‘ACI COMMITTEE REPORT SECTION 6—MASONRY 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, and 6.5—Alignments See Fig 61,62,63, and 65 SECTION 7—CAST-N-PLACE, VERTICALLY ‘SLIPFORMED BUILDING ELEMENTS 7.A—Vertical alignment See Fig 71 72,723, and 7.4 Refer to the commentary in Section 4 SECTION 8—MASS CONCRETE STRUCTU RES ‘OTHER THAN BUILDINGS 8.1, 8.2, 8.3, and 8.4 ‘Refer to the commentary in Section 4 ‘SECTION 9—CANAL LINING 9.1, 9.2, and 9.3 Refer to the commentary in Section 4 ‘SECTION 10—MONOLITHIC SIPHONS AND CULVERTS 10.1, 10.2, and 10.3 Refer to the commentary in Section 4 ‘SECTION 11—CAST-IN-PLACE BRIDGES 11.4, 11.2, 11.3, 11.4, and 11.5 Refer to the commentary in Section 4 See Fig 11 1 and 1152 ‘SECTION 12—PAVEMENT 12.1—Lateral alignment 12.1.1 Placement of dowels—See Fig 121 ‘SECTION 13—CHIMNEYS AND COOLING TOWERS, 13.1 Tolerances on the size and location of openings and ‘embedmentsin the concrete shell cannot be uniformly estab- lished due to the varying degree of accuracy required de- pending on the nature of their use Appropriate tolerances for, ‘opening and embedment sizes and locations should be estab- lished for each chimney SECTION 14—CAST-N-PLACE NONREINFORCED 14.1 Cast-in-place conerete pipe tolerances relate to the accuracy of construction that can be achieved with tracked excavators‘TOLERANCES SECTION 15—REFERENCES 15.1—Recommended references “The documents of the various standards producing orga- nizations referred to in this document are listed below with their serial designation American Concrete Institute 2111-81 ‘Standard Practice for Selecting (Revised 1985) Proportions for Normal, Heavyweight and Mass Conerete 223-83 ‘Standard Practice for the Use of Shrinkage-Compensating Concrete 302 1R-80 Guide for Concrete Floor and Slab Construction 303R-74 Guide to Cast-in-Place Architectural (Revised 1982) Concrete Practice 304R-85 Guide for Measuring, Mixing, ‘Transporting, and Placing Concrete 307-88 Design and Construction of Cast-in- Place Reinforced Concrete Chimneys 313-77 Recommended Practice for Design (Revised 1983) and Construction of Concrete Bins, Silos, and Bunkers for Storing Granular Materials 315-80 Details and Detailing of Concrete Reinforcement 316R-82 Recommendations for Construction ‘of Concrete Pavements and Concrete Bases 318R-83 ‘Commentary on Building Code Requirements for Reinforced Concrete (318-83) 325 3R-85 Guide for Design of Foundations and (Revised 1987) Shoulders for Concrete Pavements, 332-84 Guide to Residential Cast-in-Place Conerete Construction 334 1R-64 Concrete Shell Structures-Practice (Revised 1982) (Reapproved 1986) 344R-W and Commentary Design and Construction of Circular Wire and Strand Wrapped Prestressed. Concrete Structures Design and Construction of Circular Prestressed Concrete Structures with Circumferential Tendons Standard Practice for Concrete Highway Bridge Deck Construction 347-78 Recommended Practice for Concrete (Reapproved 1984) Formwork 344R-T 345-82 349R-85, Commentary on Code Requirements for Nuclear Safety Related Concrete Structures 350R-83, Concrete Sanitary Engineering Structures we 357R-84 Guide for the Design and Construction of Fixed Offshore Conerete Structures 358R-80 ‘State-of-the-Art Report on Concrete Guideways S31R-79 ‘Commentary on Building Code (Revised 1983) Requirements for Concrete Masonry ‘Structures 531 1-76 ‘Specifications for Concrete Masonry (Revised 1983) Construction 543R-74 Recommendations for the Design, (Reapproved 1980) Manufacture, and Installation of Concrete Piles ASTM E1155-87 ‘Standard Test Method for Determining Floor Flatness and Levelness Using the F-Number System (Inch-Pound Units) Concrete Reinforcing Steel Institute MSP-1-86 Manual of Standard Practice (24th Edition) ‘The preceding publications may be obtained from the fot- lowing organizations American Conerete In PO Box 9094 Farmington Hills, MI 48333-9094 te AST™™ 1916 Race Street Philadelphia, PA 19103 Concrete Reinforcing Steel Insitute 933 North Plum Grove Road ‘Schaumburg, IL 60173-4758 15.2—Cited references 1 Face, Allen, "Specification and Convol of Concrete Floor less,” Concrete international: Design & Consiracion, V6, No 2, eb 1984, pp 56-63 2 Huson, W Ronald; Halbach, Dan; Zalewski, Joh P: and Mose, Len, "Root-Mean-Squae Vrical Acceleration as a Summary Roughness Satstie.” Measuring Road Roughness and is Eject om User Cost and Comfora, STP-884, pp 20-21 3 PCI Commitee on Tolerances, “Tolerances for recast and Pre stressed Concrete,” Journal, Prestese Conert Instits, V 30, NO I, Jan-Feb 1985, pp 264112 This repr sbi oe alt of crea proved in secon th n'ai pedeTHIS DOCUMENT IS PROTECTED BY THE LAWS OF COPYRIGHT If additional copies are needed, in whole or in part, contact the Member Services Department of the American Concrete Institute: P.O. 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