These are the standards set forth to make concrete the strongest and have the best longevity. In the residential part of the concrete industry very few follow these standards.
The ACI (American Concrete Institute) is a leading authority and resource worldwide for the development and distribution of consensus-based standards for concrete work. The ACI publishes standards for
- installing concrete that govern key factors such as slump, air entrenchment, and the ratio of water to dry materials
- evaluating and repairing concrete
They also have standards for specialized concrete work such as
- cold weather concreting
- load distribution
- fiber reinforced concrete
The success of your project depends on how knowledgeable a contractor is and how well he applies known standards.