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Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minuteDo not order a product labelled only “steel slag cement.” First establish whether it is finely ground granulated blast-furnace slag cement, a finished blended hydraulic cement, or a product made with steelmaking slag. Those are different material categories, and the applicable specification, test evidence and project approval can change with the product and country.
For a separately supplied slag cement in a United States project, the current ASTM listing is C989/C989M-26. It covers finely ground granulated blast-furnace slag cement in Grades 80, 100 and 120—not automatically cement made from steelmaking slag. A safe purchase therefore combines an exact product designation, the governing standard and edition, a current certificate or test report, traceable source information, and written acceptance by the project engineer or authority having jurisdiction.
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Start by identifying the material, not the marketing name
“Steel slag” is too imprecise for a standards-based order. Blast-furnace slag is generated during ironmaking; steelmaking slag is generated during steel production. ASTM International’s current C989/C989M-26 listing specifically addresses finely ground granulated blast-furnace slag. The public listing does not establish that steelmaking slag falls within that specification.
A supplier may use “slag cement” as a commercial description, but the label alone cannot tell you the source, whether the material is a separate cementitious ingredient or a finished blended cement, or which acceptance criteria were applied. Obtain the full designation from the technical data sheet and certificate before comparing prices or arranging delivery.
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| What may be offered | What it means for the buyer | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Ground granulated blast-furnace slag cement supplied separately | A cementitious material intended for use in concrete and mortar. | Whether the product is declared to ASTM C989/C989M-26 (or the applicable local standard), its grade, test report and blast-furnace source. |
| Finished blended hydraulic cement containing slag | A manufactured cement in which slag is combined with portland cement, clinker, pozzolan or another permitted component. | Whether ASTM C595/C595M or another project-specified product standard applies, the edition in force, composition information and certificate. |
| Product made with steelmaking slag | A separate category unless a jurisdiction or project specification expressly accepts it. | Exact steelmaking-slag source, governing standard, performance data, environmental or durability requirements, and written project approval. Do not assume C989 compliance. |
If the seller cannot state which row describes the product, pause the purchase. Ask for a revised designation rather than trying to infer it from a trade name.
Which standard should appear on the paperwork?
ASTM C989/C989M-26 for separately supplied blast-furnace slag cement
ASTM International’s active listing, last updated September 11, 2026, says C989/C989M-26 covers three strength grades of finely ground granulated blast-furnace slag for use as a cementitious material in concrete and mortars. The grades are 80, 100 and 120. These numbers are product classifications; they are not market statistics and do not, by themselves, tell you which grade belongs in your mix.
For a C989 claim, the supplier’s documentation should identify the grade and report the properties required by the standard. The public ASTM summary names fineness, slag activity index, compressive strength, sulfide sulfur and sulfate among the quality attributes. It does not publish every numerical acceptance limit on the summary page, so obtain the current full standard or a certificate that clearly states compliance with its limits.
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ASTM C595 concerns blended hydraulic cements made with slag or pozzolan, or both, with portland cement or clinker; its scope also includes other permitted combinations. That is a finished cement product, not necessarily a bag, silo or bulk shipment of separate slag cement for the purchaser to blend.
The ASTM page surfaced for C595 is an older edition page that lists newer editions. Treat it as a scope description, not as confirmation of the edition your project must use. Ask the supplier to name the current edition required by your contract, code or specification and to provide the corresponding certificate.
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Do not confuse ingredient standards with performance specifications
ASTM’s descriptions distinguish C595’s ingredient and proportion provisions, together with certain performance requirements, from ASTM C1157, where performance criteria govern acceptance. This distinction matters when a supplier presents a “blended” product: the project may be buying a composition-controlled cement under C595 or a performance-specified cement under another standard. Have the engineer identify the required route before bids are evaluated.
European and other jurisdictions
A NEN listing surfaced for a 2026 draft EN 197-1 that includes common-cement compositions containing blast-furnace slag. A draft listing is not evidence that the text has been adopted in a particular country, nor that it approves a particular steelmaking-slag product. Outside the United States, identify the country, national adoption, conformity route and project specification. Never transfer an ASTM designation to another jurisdiction without confirmation.
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Put the documentation request in writing and make it a condition of purchase. Ask for:
- The complete product name and whether the shipment is a separate slag-cement ingredient or a finished blended hydraulic cement.
- The slag source and production route, stated plainly as blast-furnace slag or steelmaking slag rather than a generic “slag.”
- The governing standard, edition and declared grade. For a C989 product, check for C989/C989M-26 (or the project’s expressly required edition) and Grade 80, 100 or 120.
- A current certificate of compliance and the latest representative test report, with test dates, lot or production identification and the laboratory or quality system identified.
- Reported fineness, slag activity index and compressive-strength results when C989 is claimed.
- Reported sulfide sulfur and sulfate results when C989 is claimed.
- Any restrictions on storage, moisture exposure, batching, replacement level or use in particular concrete or mortar applications.
- Evidence of local acceptance, such as an approval list, code reference or written project-engineer acceptance, when the material is outside a routinely accepted category.
A certificate that merely says “conforms to ASTM” without naming the standard, edition, grade and product identity is incomplete for procurement. Ask the supplier to correct it before you compare quotations.
How to compare quality evidence
| Item to compare | Question for the supplier | Why it affects the decision |
|---|---|---|
| Material identity | Is this finely ground granulated blast-furnace slag, steelmaking slag, or a finished blend? | It determines whether C989, C595 or another specification can apply. |
| Source traceability | Which plant and slag stream produced this lot? | Different sources are not interchangeable merely because both are called slag. |
| Standard and edition | Which exact standard and edition are claimed? | Requirements can change between editions and jurisdictions. |
| Grade | Is the product Grade 80, 100 or 120 under C989? | The grade must match the project mix design and specification. |
| Test evidence | Are fineness, activity index, compressive strength, sulfide sulfur and sulfate results reported for the offered material? | These are the property categories named in the C989 public summary. |
| Project acceptance | Has the engineer or authority accepted this exact product and source? | A standards statement does not replace a project approval. |
| Delivered logistics | What quantity, packaging, lead time and delivered cost are firm? | A technically acceptable product that cannot arrive for the placement is not a usable option. |
Compare delivered cost rather than the material price alone. Include freight, silo or handling requirements, minimum order quantities, testing requested by the engineer and the cost of any trial batch. No verified market price or general availability claim can be made from the standards information alone, so obtain a current written quotation for your location.
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A step-by-step buying process
- Write the project requirement. Record the country and jurisdiction, concrete or mortar use, exposure or durability requirements stated by the engineer, required cement type, acceptance standard and required delivery date.
- Define the product form. State whether you need a separate cementitious slag ingredient for batching or a finished blended hydraulic cement. Do not let a supplier substitute one for the other without a written design decision.
- Describe the source precisely. Use “ground granulated blast-furnace slag cement” only when that is what the supplier documents. If the proposed material is steelmaking slag, name it as such and require the applicable approval route.
- Issue a document-based request for quotation. Require the full designation, standard and edition, grade, certificate, recent test report, source identification, packaging or bulk details, lead time and delivered price.
- Have the engineer review compliance. The engineer or materials specialist should match the declared grade and test data to the mix design and project specification. A Grade 80, 100 or 120 label is not a standalone recommendation.
- Resolve gaps before award. If a certificate omits a property, uses an outdated edition, or says only “slag,” obtain clarification or remove the product from consideration. Do not fill an undocumented value with an assumption.
- Approve a representative trial when required. Use the project’s established trial-mix and testing procedure. Keep the source and lot identification tied to the trial so an approved result is not mistakenly applied to a different material.
- Write the purchase order around the approved product. Include the exact designation, source, standard and edition, grade, required documents with each shipment, notice of source change and the procedure for nonconforming material.
Quality checks before delivery, on receipt and before batching
Before delivery
- Check that the certificate describes the same product name, source and grade as the quotation and purchase order.
- Confirm that the reported tests correspond to a current production period or identified lot; a generic historical brochure is not a lot certificate.
- Verify that the project engineer has accepted the exact material, not merely a different product from the same supplier.
- Confirm storage capacity, moisture protection and delivery equipment with the batch plant.
At receiving
- Match the bill of lading, silo or bag labels and certificate to the purchase order.
- Record the supplier, plant, product designation, grade, lot or batch number, quantity and delivery date.
- Inspect packaging or conveyance for water intrusion, damaged bags, contamination or an unexplained change in appearance.
- Quarantine a shipment when the identity, lot paperwork or seal is missing. Do not discharge an unidentified load into an approved silo.
Before use
- Confirm that the material has been stored in the manner specified by the supplier and project quality plan.
- Use the approved mix-design quantity and batching procedure; do not alter proportions to compensate for an undocumented difference.
- Send a retained sample or independent sample for testing when the engineer, contract or quality plan requires it.
- Document any deviation and obtain a disposition from the engineer before placing concrete or mortar.
These checks verify identity and traceability. They do not create a new acceptance limit. Numerical limits must come from the applicable current standard and project specification.
What the C989 property categories tell you
Fineness
Fineness is one of the property categories identified in the ASTM C989 summary. Compare the reported result with the limit in the current edition and with the value used in the approved mix design. Do not treat a supplier’s statement that a material is “fine” as a test result.
Slag activity index
The slag activity index is a standardized indication of cementitious contribution at specified test ages and conditions. Use the reported result to verify the declared C989 grade, not to predict field strength by itself. Field performance also depends on the complete mix, curing and construction conditions.
Compressive strength
Compressive-strength results in the certificate should be associated with the stated test method, age, grade and lot or production period. Ask the supplier or laboratory to explain any result that cannot be traced to those identifiers.
Sulfide sulfur and sulfate
These chemical-composition categories are expressly named in the C989 public summary. Require the actual reported values and the applicable limits from the current standard. If the product is steelmaking slag rather than blast-furnace slag, do not assume that a C989-style report proves suitability; obtain the tests and acceptance criteria specified for that product.
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Steelmaking-slag-specific cautions
The available ASTM C989 scope does not establish a general approval for cement made with steelmaking slag. A seller may have a proprietary product, a regional approval or project-specific data, but those facts must be demonstrated for the jurisdiction and application in question.
For a steelmaking-slag proposal, ask for the exact slag type and processing description, the standard or technical approval governing the finished product, durability and environmental documentation required by the project, lot-specific testing, and a written statement from the engineer or authority that the material may be used. If the supplier responds by pointing only to C989, ask how the product meets C989’s blast-furnace-slag scope and request the approving authority’s interpretation.
Common purchasing mistakes and their fixes
Mistake: treating every slag as the same material
Fix: Put the source and product form in the request for quotation. Reject labels that omit them.
Mistake: buying on a grade number alone
Fix: Match Grade 80, 100 or 120 to the project specification and mix design, using the complete test report.
Mistake: accepting an undated brochure as certification
Fix: Request a current certificate or lot-linked report showing the standard edition, grade and test results.
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Mistake: using an old C595 reference without checking the edition
Fix: Ask which C595/C595M edition the contract requires and obtain documentation to that edition.
Mistake: assuming a US designation applies everywhere
Fix: Confirm national adoption, conformity assessment and project acceptance in the country where the material will be used.
Mistake: changing the source after approval
Fix: Require advance notice and renewed review whenever the producing plant, slag stream, product designation or grade changes.
Suggested request-for-quotation wording
You can adapt the following text for a supplier inquiry:
Quick Recap
Please quote the exact product proposed for [project]. State whether it is (1) separately supplied ground granulated blast-furnace slag cement, (2) finished blended hydraulic cement, or (3) a product made with steelmaking slag. Identify the source plant and slag stream; governing standard and edition; declared grade; current certificate of compliance; lot-linked test report; fineness; slag activity index; compressive strength; sulfide sulfur; sulfate; packaging or bulk-delivery details; lead time; delivered cost; storage requirements; and procedure for notifying a source or formulation change. The quotation is subject to written acceptance by the project engineer and authority having jurisdiction.Decision checklist
- Have you identified blast-furnace slag versus steelmaking slag?
- Have you identified separate slag cement versus finished blended hydraulic cement?
- Does the proposed standard and edition match the project requirement?
- For C989, is the product identified as Grade 80, 100 or 120?
- Do the documents report the named C989 property categories and identify the tested lot?
- Has the engineer accepted the exact product, source and grade?
- Are delivery, storage, traceability and change-notification requirements written into the order?
- Will an unidentified or undocumented shipment be quarantined rather than used?
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