Ottawa Sand: The ASTM Standard SAnd

Ottawa Sand: The ASTM standard sand

As with any laboratory testing, standards are important to ensure accuracy in the results. Sand is utilized in testing hydraulic cement to; increase the surface area, allowing cementing materials to adhere and spread, and to prevent shrinkage and cracks in the mortar.

One of the most famous standard sand used for physical testing of hydraulic cement, as set by international organizations such as the ASTM, is the Ottawa Sand. This is a fine to medium grained, well-rounded, pure, and white to colorless quartz deposit mined from the St. Peter Sandstone Formation in Ottawa, Illinois. What makes Ottawa sand desirable is its purity that prevents the possibility of unwanted reactions during testing and the well-roundedness that helps produce workable mortar.