ACI 301 is ACI’s reference specification for concrete construction; it applies to a project only when the project specification cites it, and it relies on mandatory and optional requirements checklists for the Architect/Engineer to designate project requirements. To review a set against it, confirm the edition the project specification cites, then check that each item your licensed copy’s mandatory checklist calls for is designated once, in the specification or on the drawings, and that the mixtures, specialty concrete, finishes, tolerances, and testing on the structural and architectural sheets match it. AI can flag conflicts; the engineer of record and the specifier decide the requirements.
What does ACI 301 cover?
ACI describes ACI SPEC-301-20, Specifications for Concrete Construction, as a reference specification the Architect/Engineer applies by citing it in the project specification, with a mandatory requirements checklist and an optional requirements checklist to help designate project requirements. Its first five sections cover general requirements: materials and proportioning, reinforcement and prestressing steel, production, placing, finishing, and curing, formwork performance criteria and construction, joints, embedded items, repair of surface defects, finishing of formed and unformed surfaces, and the testing, evaluation, and acceptance of concrete and of the structure. Sections 6 through 14 cover architectural, lightweight, mass, post-tensioned, and shrinkage-compensating concrete for interior slabs, industrial floor slabs, tilt-up construction, and precast structural and precast architectural concrete. It is a construction specification, not the design code; member design and detailing are governed by the building code and ACI 318.
ACI’s store lists ACI SPEC-301-20 in inch-pound and SI units, and lists the metric and Spanish-language versions under related products as 2016-edition documents (301M-16 and 301S-16). Checked October 21, 2026. Because ACI 301 enters a project through the contract, not through code adoption, the edition that governs is the one the project specification cites, and an older specification template may still cite an earlier edition. The building code the jurisdiction adopts governs the structural design separately, so record both and do not treat the newest ACI 301 as required.
Tolerances are a separate ACI document: the store lists ACI SPEC-117-10, Specification for Tolerances for Concrete Construction and Materials and its commentary, reapproved 2015. Check which tolerance document and edition the project specification names before comparing tolerances on the drawings. For the design side, see the ACI 318 guide; for the cast-in-place section itself, the concrete specifications guide.
Gather the specifications and the sheets that complete them
Collect the concrete specification sections and the Division 01 references article, the structural general notes, concrete and mixture schedules, foundation and slab plans, slab joint plans, sections and typical details, the architectural finish plans and elevations that show exposed concrete, the special inspection statement, and any delegated design requirements for post-tensioning, precast, or tilt-up.
Add your licensed ACI 301 and ACI 117 editions, including the notes to specifier and both checklists, because the checklists are where the review starts.
Trace ACI 301 choices through the set
| Review question | Sources to compare | Decision to record |
|---|---|---|
| Edition and citation | Specification references article, structural general notes, Division 01 | Confirm one ACI 301 edition is cited and that no note, schedule, or detail cites a different one. |
| Mandatory checklist designations | Mandatory requirements checklist, project specification, structural notes and schedules | Record each checklist item and where the project designates it, and flag items designated nowhere or twice with different values. |
| Optional requirements selected | Optional requirements checklist, project specification, drawings | Record which optional requirements the specification invokes, and flag drawing notes that assume one it does not. |
| Specialty concrete sections | Drawings showing architectural, post-tensioned, tilt-up, precast, mass, or industrial floor work; specification | Check that each specialty condition drawn is invoked in the specification and located on the sheets. |
| Finishes and tolerances | Architectural finish plans and elevations, slab plans, specification, tolerance reference | Match each formed and unformed finish and each stated tolerance to a location and to the cited tolerance document. |
| Testing, inspection, and acceptance | Specification testing articles, special inspection statement, structural notes | Confirm who provides testing and inspection and that the statement, notes, and specification describe the same scope. |
Reinforcement continues in the concrete reinforcement checklist and the rebar shop drawing checklist, openings and embeds in the shaft and opening checklist, floor coverings in the resilient flooring specifications guide, and inspections in the special inspections corrections guide.
Example: an industrial floor the specification never invokes
Hypothetical example. A distribution building’s slab plan labels the warehouse floor as an industrial floor slab with a stated flatness requirement and a polished finish, and the structural notes cite an earlier ACI 301 edition. The concrete specification cites ACI 301-20 but invokes only the general sections, designates one finish for all slabs, and names no tolerance document edition.
The slab plan describes an industrial floor slab with its own flatness and finish requirements, but the specification invokes only the general ACI 301 sections, assigns one finish to every slab, and names no tolerance document, and the structural notes cite a different ACI 301 edition. Confirm the edition, the sections invoked, and the floor finish and tolerance basis, and coordinate the notes, plan, and specification.
The specifier and structural engineer settle the edition and the sections the project invokes and issue one floor requirement. The finding is a gap between documents, not a judgment of the floor design.
Review ACI 301 project specifications with Groundbook
Upload the current drawings and specifications to Groundbook, and state the edition, amendments, and review scope in your instructions. Add the ACI 301 edition the project uses from a copy you are licensed to use, where the license permits uploading it, and the jurisdiction’s published amendments. See how Groundbook works with local and licensed codes.
Compare the concrete specification sections, structural general notes, mixture and concrete schedules, foundation, slab, and joint plans, sections and details, architectural finish plans and elevations, and the special inspection statement. Flag mixed ACI 301 or ACI 117 editions, mandatory checklist items designated nowhere or with conflicting values, drawing notes that assume optional requirements the specification does not invoke, specialty concrete drawn but not invoked, finishes or tolerances with no location or tolerance basis, and testing scope that differs between documents. Use the supplied ACI 301 and cite both sources.
Groundbook links each potential finding to the sheets and specification articles involved. It does not proportion mixtures, compute tolerances, or edit the specification.
Document review does not certify compliance or accept concrete work, and it does not replace the engineer of record, the specifier, the testing agency, or the building official.