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PD 6682 — Aggregates Guidance on the Use of European Aggregate Standards Series
Aggregates — Guidance on the Use of European Aggregate Standards (BSI reference PD 06682)
🪨 PD 6682 (BSI catalogue reference PD 06682) is a series of Published Documents (PD) issued by the British Standards Institution (BSI) that provides guidance for UK engineering practice on the correct use of the European aggregate standards, principally BS EN 12620 (Aggregates for concrete) and BS EN 13043 (Aggregates for bituminous mixtures and surface treatments for roads, airfields and other trafficked areas). The series bridges the EU Construction Products Directive (CPD) framework with traditional UK aggregate practice (e.g. the BS 812 and BS 882 series), recommending UK aggregate size designations, overall grading limits, flakiness limits, fines-content categories, acid-soluble sulfate categories and recycled-aggregate composition requirements. It is an essential reference for aggregate selection in UK concrete, asphalt pavement, mortar and railway ballast engineering.
💡 European aggregate standards use a “categories” system (e.g. grading GC90/15, GF85; fines f; acid-soluble sulfate AS). PD 6682 gives UK users recommended categories for UK aggregate sources and end uses, closing the gap between the European “category” approach and traditional UK “specification” practice.
1. Series Overview 📌
The PD 6682 series is organised part-by-part according to the corresponding European aggregate standard. Each part outlines the scope and requirements of the relevant BS EN standard, adds UK implementation guidance, and states the levels of attestation of conformity under the EU Construction Products Directive with recommended categories:
- Part 1: Aggregates for concrete — guidance on the use of BS EN 12620:2002+A1.
- Part 2: Aggregates for bituminous mixtures and surface treatments — guidance on the use of BS EN 13043.
- Further parts: covering aggregates for mortar, aggregates for railway ballast, aggregates for unbound and hydraulically bound materials, and other BS EN aggregate standards.
⚠️ Most files in this series are scanned versions. For the scanned parts, this article gives a general explanation based on publicly available domain knowledge; specific recommended categories, limit values and clauses are subject to the official BSI publications.
2. Series Structure and Technical Points 🧩
| Part | Subject | Main Content |
|---|---|---|
| Part 1 | Aggregates for concrete (BS EN 12620) | Overview of 12620 requirements; UK aggregate size designations, sieve series, flakiness, fines and sulfate categories, recycled-aggregate composition recommendations and attestation levels. |
| Part 2 | Aggregates for bituminous mixtures and surface treatments (BS EN 13043) | Overview of 13043 requirements; recommended grading, fines, angularity categories and example specifications for asphalt and surface-treatment aggregates. |
| Part 3 | Aggregates for mortar | Guidance on the use of BS EN 13139 (scanned part, summarised from domain knowledge). |
| Part 4 | Aggregates for railway ballast | Guidance on the use of BS EN 13450 (scanned part, summarised from domain knowledge). |
| Part 5 | Aggregates for unbound and hydraulically bound materials | Guidance on the use of BS EN 13242 (scanned part, summarised from domain knowledge). |
| Parts 6–9 | Supplementary guidance parts | Further guidance and revision alignment for the BS EN aggregate standards (scanned parts, summarised from domain knowledge). |
3. Key Technical Requirements 🔧
Aggregate size and grading (Parts 1/2)
UK practice uses aggregate size fractions (e.g. 4/20) to denote the coarse-aggregate size range; PD 6682 recommends a sieve series (based on the ISO 565 R20 series and its neighbouring multiples/fractions), and gives overall grading limits for coarse aggregates (e.g. GC90/15, GC85/20, GC80/20) and fine aggregates (e.g. GF85).
Particle shape and content (Part 1)
Limits and categories for the flakiness index (FI) of coarse aggregates are specified, together with recommended categories for fines content (f) and filler content, preventing poor grading or particle shape from affecting concrete and asphalt performance.
Harmful substances and recycled aggregates (Part 1)
Recommended limits are given for acid-soluble sulfate (AS categories), chlorides and other substances that affect durability; for recycled coarse aggregate, category and limit recommendations are given for the constituent materials (concrete, brick, asphalt, other materials), supporting compliant use of recycled aggregate in the UK.
EU Construction Products Directive conformity
Each part applies the EU Construction Products Directive (CPD) requirements to aggregate products, specifying levels of attestation of conformity and factory production control (FPC) requirements, providing guidance for aggregate supply under CE marking.
⚠️ Note: PD 6682 is a “guidance” Published Document, not a mandatory British Standard. It helps users apply the corresponding BS EN aggregate standards correctly; where guidance conflicts with standard text, the relevant BS EN standard (and its amendments) prevails.
4. Engineering Practice 🛠️
- 📐 Concrete mix design: select coarse/fine aggregates per the Part 1 recommended categories, controlling grading and particle shape to ensure workability and strength.
- 🛣️ Asphalt pavements: select aggregates for asphalt mixtures and surface treatments per Part 2, controlling angularity, fines and bonding performance.
- ♻️ Recycled aggregates: assess the suitability of recycled aggregate against the composition categories to enable aggregate recycling.
- 📋 Procurement and acceptance: cite the relevant BS EN standards and PD 6682 recommended categories in technical specifications to harmonise acceptance requirements.
5. Frequently Asked Questions ❓
❓ Q: What type of document is PD 6682?
A: It is a Published Document (PD) issued by BSI giving guidance for the UK application of the European aggregate standards (BS EN 12620/13043 etc.) — guidance rather than a mandatory standard.
A: It is a Published Document (PD) issued by BSI giving guidance for the UK application of the European aggregate standards (BS EN 12620/13043 etc.) — guidance rather than a mandatory standard.
❓ Q: What is its relationship with BS EN 12620?
A: Part 1 specifically guides the application of BS EN 12620, giving UK-recommended grading, flakiness, fines, sulfate and recycled-aggregate categories.
A: Part 1 specifically guides the application of BS EN 12620, giving UK-recommended grading, flakiness, fines, sulfate and recycled-aggregate categories.
❓ Q: What does an aggregate size of 4/20 mean?
A: It denotes the nominal size range: aggregate passing the 20 mm sieve and retained on the 4 mm sieve — the nominal size range of the coarse aggregate.
A: It denotes the nominal size range: aggregate passing the 20 mm sieve and retained on the 4 mm sieve — the nominal size range of the coarse aggregate.
❓ Q: Can recycled aggregate be used?
A: Yes. PD 6682-1 gives category and limit recommendations for the constituents of recycled coarse aggregate; material meeting the requirements can be used in appropriate works.
A: Yes. PD 6682-1 gives category and limit recommendations for the constituents of recycled coarse aggregate; material meeting the requirements can be used in appropriate works.
❓ Q: How should the scanned parts be treated?
A: The scanned files are summarised here from publicly available domain knowledge; specific clauses are subject to the official BSI publications.
A: The scanned files are summarised here from publicly available domain knowledge; specific clauses are subject to the official BSI publications.