The DIN 1045:2023 series of standards – What should structural designers know about the new DIN 1045-2?

Having been in effect for fifteen years, the old concrete standard was superseded by its successor document published in 2023. This new DIN 1045-2 is a combined document comprising the European concrete standard DIN EN 206:2021-06 and the national annex. Its structure resembles that of DIN Technical Report 100 published in 2010.

The most notable change is the introduction of concrete construction quality classes and concrete classes. For instance, the previous standards did not differentiate whether the construction project involved a single-family or multi-family house, an office building, or a complex engineering structure such as a bridge or hydraulic structure. It seemed necessary to divide projects into standard and more complex cases. More complex cases do not only include engineering structures; they can also be specific to a structural component. The distinction between the level of requirements and complexity in concrete construction was considered by introducing the system of concrete construction quality classes and differentiating between normal, increased, and specific requirements.

Other changes incorporated in the new concrete standard include a stronger focus on sustainability, particularly through the possibility of adding recycled aggregates up to a ratio of 25 percent by volume to the concrete mix without specific declaration and the option of using new clinker-reduced cements.

Concrete specification is a technical concept. This specification comprises the final set of documented technical requirements provided to the producer as a service. The specification process begins with the project or structural engineer, or even earlier with the client if required, and is subsequently complemented by the contractor. As an on-site handover document, the delivery note contains the necessary information about the component-specific concrete.