This European Standard describes three methods of determining the fineness of cement.
The sieving method serves only to demonstrate the presence of coarse cement particles. This method is primarily suited to checking and controlling the production process.
The air-jet sieving method measures the retention on sieving and is suitable for particles which substantially pass a 2,0 mm test sieve. It may be used to determine the particle size distribution of agglomerates of very fine particles. This method may be used with test sieves in a range of aperture sizes, e.g. 63 µm and 90 µm.
The air permeability method (Blaine) measures the specific surface area (mass related surface area) by comparison with a reference material sample. The determination of the specific surface area serves primarily to check the consistency of the grinding process of one and the same plant. This method only enables a limited assessment of the properties of the cement in use.
NOTE The air permeability method may not give significant results for cements containing ultrafine materials.
The methods are applicable to all the cements defined in EN 197.