ASTM C1116 macro synthetic fiber
Macro synthetic fiber to ASTM C1116 and EN 14889-2
Every Polyguard Fibers grade is manufactured, classified and tested against the same published standards a European or North American specifier would name in a project specification. This page sets out which standard governs what, and what documentation you receive with an order.
Classification
The two standards that define the product
ASTM C1116 / C1116M — Standard Specification for Fiber-Reinforced Concrete. This is the American classification standard for fiber-reinforced concrete. It sorts fiber-reinforced concrete into types by fiber material, and sets the requirements a synthetic fiber must meet to be used in structural concrete. Polyguard macro synthetic grades are supplied as Type III synthetic fiber-reinforced concrete under this specification.
EN 14889-2 — Fibres for concrete, Part 2: Polymer fibres. This is the European counterpart, and it is the stricter of the two on classification. It splits polymer fibres into Class Ia (micro monofilament) and Class Ib (micro fibrillated), both below 0.30 mm in diameter, and Class II (macro fibres, used for structural purposes). The distinction matters commercially: only a Class II macro fibre may be declared as contributing to load-bearing capacity, and only a Class II fibre can be considered as a replacement for conventional reinforcement in a design. Polyguard macro grades are Class II polymer fibres; the PG MS-12 micro monofilament is a Class Ia fibre.
If a specification names one standard and you need the other, ask — the same product is documented against both.
Performance testing
What actually gets measured
Classification says what the fibre is. These three test methods, and the fire design code that follows them, say how the concrete containing it behaves — and they are what a structural engineer will ask for.
ASTM C1609 / C1609M — flexural performance of fiber-reinforced concrete. A beam is loaded in four-point bending past the point of first crack, and the load the beam still carries at defined deflections is recorded. This is the single most important test for macro synthetic fibre, because it measures residual strength — the load capacity that remains after the concrete has cracked. That residual capacity is the performance basis on which a macro synthetic fibre may be designed to reduce or replace a crack-control mesh layer. EN 14889-2 requires the equivalent measurement to declare a Class II fibre.
ASTM C1550 — flexural toughness by round panel test. A round panel on three supports is loaded centrally and the energy absorbed to a given deflection is recorded. This is the reference test for sprayed concrete, which is why it governs the PG SC-48 shotcrete grade: tunnelling specifications are commonly written in joules of energy absorption rather than in residual strength.
ASTM C157 — length change of hardened concrete. Measures drying shrinkage. Relevant to the micro monofilament grade, which is dosed specifically to control plastic shrinkage and settlement cracking in the hours after placing.
EN 1992-1-2 — structural fire design (Eurocode 2, Part 1-2). The design code governing concrete structures in fire. Polypropylene micro fibre is one of the methods recognised in EN 1992-1-2 for reducing the risk of explosive spalling in fire-exposed tunnel and structural concrete: during heating the fibre melts and can create additional pathways for vapour-pressure relief; suitability and dosage remain project- and mix-specific.
Test reports for the grade and dosage relevant to your project are issued on request. Ask for the specific test method your specification names, not for a general certificate — a general certificate is not what a checking engineer needs.
By grade
Which classification applies to which product
All six grades are produced from 100% virgin polypropylene. Recycled polymer is not used in any grade.
- PG MF-54 — 54 mm structural macro fiber. Class II macro fibre (EN 14889-2), Type III (ASTM C1116). Governing test: ASTM C1609.
- PG SC-48 — 48 mm shotcrete fiber. Class II macro fibre. Governing test: ASTM C1550 round panel.
- PG PC-40 — 40 mm precast and facade fiber. Class II macro fibre. Governing test: ASTM C1609.
- PG EC-45 — 45 mm economic macro fiber. Class II macro fibre, specified for crack control rather than full reinforcement replacement.
- PG AS-20 — 20 mm asphalt reinforcing fiber. Dosed at the asphalt plant; classified under bituminous mixture practice, not EN 14889-2.
- PG MS-12 — 6 / 12 / 18 mm micro monofilament. Class Ia micro fibre (EN 14889-2). Relevant to ASTM C157 and to EN 1992-1-2 fire design.
A Class Ia micro fibre and a Class II macro fibre are not interchangeable, and a specification that names one will not accept the other. Where a mix needs both plastic-shrinkage control and post-crack capacity, the two are dosed together rather than substituted.
Quality system
How consistency is controlled
Production runs under an ISO 9001 quality management system, on fully automatic extrusion lines, with an in-house laboratory and a dedicated QC team. Annual capacity is 10,000 tonnes.
A standard is only worth the batch consistency behind it. Every production batch carries its own quality control certificate, so the documentation you hold refers to the material actually delivered rather than to a type test carried out once.
- Product data sheet referencing the applicable ASTM and EN specifications
- Quality control certificate for the specific production batch
- Laboratory test results for the test method your specification names
- Dosage and mixing guidance for the intended application
- A free sample for trial batching with your own aggregates and cement, before any production order
For specifiers
Writing fiber into a specification
If you are drafting a specification clause, name the performance you need rather than a brand: the fibre class under EN 14889-2 or the type under ASTM C1116, the test method (ASTM C1609 or ASTM C1550), and the residual strength or energy absorption required at the stated deflection. That makes the clause enforceable and keeps it open to compliant suppliers.
Send us a draft clause and we will confirm in writing which grade and dosage meets it — or tell you plainly if none of ours does. For the dosage arithmetic behind a given slab thickness and loading, the fiber dosage and cost calculators work from your own rates.
Need the test reports for a submittal?
Tell us the grade, the dosage and the test method your specification names. You get the relevant documentation, not a generic brochure.