PQC Concrete Mix Design
(Pavement Quality Concrete)

Pavement Quality Concrete mix design as per IRC 44 for rigid pavement construction — achieving specified flexural strength, durability and workability for highway, airport and industrial floor slabs.

Overview

What is the PQC Concrete Mix Design?

Pavement Quality Concrete (PQC) is a high-quality, low-slump concrete used in rigid pavement construction — highways, airport runways, industrial floors and toll plazas. PQC mix design focuses primarily on achieving minimum flexural strength (modulus of rupture) rather than compressive strength, along with low water-cement ratio for durability.

Conducted as per IRC 44 and IRC 58, PQC mix designs specify flexural strength targets of 4.5 MPa (MR 4.5) or higher at 28 days. Global Lab designs PQC mixes using actual project aggregates and cement, validates through trial mixes with flexural beam testing, and issues NABL-accredited mix design reports accepted by NHAI and state highway authorities.

Flexural Strength Focus

Mix designed to achieve MR 4.5 or MR 5.0 flexural strength per IRC 44/58.

NHAI Accepted Reports

Mix design reports formatted and certified for NHAI, MORTH and state PWD acceptance.

Low W/C Ratio

W/C ratio ≤0.40 per IRC 44 for freeze-thaw and abrasion resistance.

Flexural Beam Testing

150×150×700mm beams tested at centre-point and third-point loading per IS 516.

NABL Certified Reports

Complete PQC mix design report on NABL-accredited letterhead.

Air Entrainment Option

Air-entrained PQC mix design for freeze-thaw exposed pavements in northern India.

Test in Action

PQC Concrete Mix Design — Site Images

PQC Trial Mix Preparation

PQC

Third-Point Loading Flexural Strength Test

PQC

Test Procedure

How the PQC Concrete Mix Design is Conducted

1

Material Testing

Cement (OPC 43 or 53), coarse aggregate (max 31.5mm), fine aggregate and water tested per IS 383 and IS 4031.
2

Target Flexural Strength

Target mean flexural strength calculated from specified characteristic strength + margin per IRC 44.
3

Mix Proportioning

W/C ratio, cement content, aggregate proportions and workability aids calculated per IRC 44 method.
4

Trial Mix — Fresh & Hardened

Fresh properties (slump 25–75mm), air content, density. Flexural beams and cubes cast — tested at 7 and 28 days.
5

IRC 44 Mix Design Report

Flexural and compressive strength results vs IRC 44 requirements. NABL report with JMF (Job Mix Formula) issued.

Standards & Specifications

Applicable Test Standards

Standard	Title	Scope	Type
IRC 44	Guidelines for Cement Concrete Mix Design for Pavements	PQC Mix Design	IRC
IRC 58	Guidelines for the Design of Plain Jointed Rigid Pavements for Highways	Rigid Pavement	IRC
MORTH	Specifications for Road and Bridge Works (5th Revision)	Highway Spec	MORTH
IS 516	Methods of Tests for Strength of Concrete	Strength Testing	Indian Standard

Applications

Where is the CAPO Test Used?

NHAI national highway rigid pavement construction

State highway and MDR rigid pavement construction

Airport runway, taxiway and apron PQC construction

Industrial floor slab construction for warehouses and logistics parks

Toll plaza approaches and heavy vehicle parking areas

Bus rapid transit (BRT) and dedicated freight corridor pavements

Why Choose Global Lab

Our Advantages

NABL Accredited ReportsNHAI and MORTH accepted PQC mix design certificates.

JMF Format ReportsJob Mix Formula format accepted directly by NHAI quality control engineers.

Flexural Beam TestingThird-point and centre-point loading flexural tests per IS 516 / ASTM C78.

Autovity Digital AccessMix design data and trial results accessible digitally 24/7.

NHAI Project Experience15+ years of PQC mix design for NHAI and state highway projects.

On-Site Technical SupportEngineers available for first PQC pour quality monitoring on site.

PQC Concrete Mix Design(Pavement Quality Concrete)