ASTM International’s committee on masonry units (C15) has approved a new standard that provides guidelines for masonry units manufactured with materials not currently addressed by existing ASTM standards.

Traditional ASTM masonry units are manufactured out of inorganic materials that can include fired clay, shale, concrete, sand-lime, or calcium silicates. Masonry units are used for a wide range of construction activities.

However, increasingly manufacturers are investigating the use of alternative materials in their manufacturing processes and this guide will provide guidance on establishing constant performance characteristics for these units with the material standards arena.

“This standard will hopefully spur innovation in masonry unit manufacturers, with consistent and reliable performance of the new units in the field,” says William McGinley, professor and chair for infrastructure research of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Louisville.

The new standard (soon to be published as C1825) will help consumers and manufacturers through the process of developing unit standards for masonry units made with alternative materials.

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