🏗️ Percentage of crushed, totally crushed and totally rounded particles in natural aggregate 4/63 mm — manual sorting of at least 100 particles per fraction and weighing, PN-EN 933-5

Construction PN-EN 933-5

Overview

WHAT THE STANDARD COVERS. We have a preview of EN 933-5:2022 in the Slovenian edition (SIST EN 933-5:2023) — the European foreword and clauses 1–8.1; the text is introduced unchanged (IDT) by PN-EN 933-5:2023-05. Scope (Clause 1): a reference method, used for type testing and in case of dispute, for determining the percentage of crushed, totally crushed and totally rounded particles in coarse natural aggregates and all-in natural aggregates; for other purposes, e.g. factory production control, other methods may be used provided that their relationship with the reference method has been established. It applies to the 4/63 mm fraction and not to lightweight aggregates; for aggregates of 4–20 mm the proportion of crushed surfaces is related to the flow coefficient according to EN 933-6. The foreword lists the changes compared with EN 933-5:1998: a new title and a clarified scope (coarse and all-in natural aggregates, without lightweight ones), an amended definition of crushed surface, the deleted definitions of aggregate size and rounded particle and a new definition of rounded surface, an amended principle, sample preparation, procedure (with a figure) and calculations, a coloured pencil as an auxiliary tool, updated lists of required and optional data in the test report (Clause 9), new informative annexes A (mass of a test portion with about 100 particles) and B (examples), and the former Annex A with the results sheet revised and moved to C.

DEFINITIONS AND PROCEDURE (clauses 3–8.1 of the preview). Crushed surface — a surface of a particle with angular, flat fracture faces, often with distinct corners and edges (usually from mechanical processing, but it may also be a natural fracture of a pebble without subsequent abrasion); totally crushed particle (tc) — more than 90 % of the surface crushed; crushed particle (c) — more than 50 %; totally rounded particle (tr) — more than 90 % of the surface rounded; constant mass — two weighings at least 1 h apart differing by no more than 0.1 %. Apparatus: sieves according to EN 933-2, drying oven (110 ± 5) °C, balance accurate to 0.1 % of the mass weighed, trays, brushes, optionally a sieve shaker and a coloured pencil (to mark the boundaries of the crushed and rounded parts). Analytical sample d0/D0: when d in the laboratory sample is less than 4 mm, d0 = 4 mm, when D exceeds 63 mm, D0 = 63 mm (e.g. 0/8 → 4/8, 0/90 → 4/63); reduction according to EN 932-2, minimum mass as for EN 933-1; the sample is washed on the d0 and D0 sieves, dried to constant mass at (110 ± 5) °C and sieved according to EN 933-1. Procedure (7.1): when D0 ≤ 2d0 — one fraction with at least 100 particles; the particles are spread on a flat surface and divided into four groups (Figure 1): totally crushed (> 90 %), partially crushed (50 %–90 %) — together "crushed particles" — totally rounded (> 90 %) and others (retained to check the result); Mtc, Mpc, Mtr and Mop are weighed; if their sum differs from the sample mass M1 by more than 1 %, the test is repeated. Procedure (7.2): a multi-fraction sample is divided by sieving into fractions di/Di (Di ≤ 2di), each with at least 100 particles; fractions making up less than 10 % of M1 are recorded and discarded, and fractions with fewer than 100 particles are recorded in the report; each is sorted as in 7.1. Calculation for one fraction (8.1): Mc = Mtc + Mpc; Ctc = Mtc/M1 × 100, Cc = Mc/M1 × 100, Ctr = Mtr/M1 × 100, the results are rounded to a whole number.

STATUS (state of the cards on 29 September 2026). The card of PN-EN 933-5:2023-05 (English version) has no "Wycofana" (withdrawn) header — the edition is CURRENT: published 04-05-2023, 22 pages, price group L, Construction and Building Structures Sector, PKN technical committee KT 108 (Aggregates and Building Stone), ICS 91.100.15, "Introduces: EN 933-5:2022 [IDT]", "Supersedes: PN-EN 933-5:2000/A1:2005 - Polish version, PN-EN 933-5:2000 - Polish version". Card of PN-EN 933-5:2000 (Polish version): "withdrawn and replaced by PN-EN 933-5:2023-05 - English version", published 11-01-2000, "Withdrawal date: 04-05-2023", 11 pages, KT 108, "Introduces: EN 933-5:1998 [IDT]", additional element PN-EN 933-5:2000/A1:2005; the second part of its title read: "Oznaczanie procentowej zawartości ziarn o powierzchniach powstałych w wyniku przekruszenia lub łamania kruszyw grubych" (determination of the percentage of particles with surfaces formed by crushing or breaking of coarse aggregates).

HOW MANY LABORATORIES AND IN WHAT FORM (copy of the accreditation scope database, data up to 17 September 2026, read on 28 September 2026). All records of number 933-5: 16 entries at 12 laboratories. The 2023-05 edition — 9 laboratories (AB 298, AB 687, AB 1110, AB 1344, AB 1354, AB 1470, AB 1486, AB 1511, AB 1641); the 2000 edition with amendment A1:2005 — 5 (AB 1110, AB 1354, AB 1470, AB 1483, AB 1641); without a year — AB 054 and AB 937. AB 1354, AB 1470 and AB 1641 have both editions in separate entries — the old one under the former name ("ziarn o powierzchni przekruszonej lub łamanej" — particles with a crushed or broken surface) and the new one ("ziarn przekruszonych" — crushed particles); AB 1110 lists both editions in one entry; AB 1483 — only the 2000 edition. The "Laboratories" tab searches for records BEGINNING with "PN-EN 933-5" and will show all 12 laboratories — checked with the tab query on the labcoda.pl production server on 29 September 2026: 12. Current scopes on the PCA website (read on 29 September 2026, issues from 18 December 2025 to 18 August 2026): all entries stand in the valid issues, every pair of range limits from the copy appears in the current document and no entry is suspended (in the scope of AB 054 the footnote on suspension concerns other entries — checked on the image of page 50, because the file does not carry the typeface).

TEST ITEM, TECHNIQUE AND RANGES. Aggregates — all 12 laboratories. Fraction "(4 - 63) mm" — AB 054, AB 687 and AB 937 (two entries); technique: "metoda wagowa" (gravimetric method) — AB 687 and AB 1511, "makroskopowa" (macroscopic) — AB 054; the others give no technique.

ALONGSIDE THIS STANDARD. Under another document a similar test appears in the copy at one of these 12 laboratories: AB 1344 determines the "zawartość powierzchni przekruszonych i łamanych" (content of crushed and broken surfaces) of armourstone for hydraulic engineering works under PN-EN 13383-1:2003 with correction AC:2004 (issue No. 18 of 21.07.2026). Other parts of the PN-EN 933 series — particle size distribution (933-1), flakiness index (933-3), shape index (933-4) and sand equivalent (933-8) — have separate Knowledge Base entries.

WHAT WE DO NOT GIVE. The preview ends at clause 8.1, so we do not give the calculation for multi-fraction samples (8.2), the content of the report (Clause 9) or annexes A–C (masses of test portions with about 100 particles, examples, results sheet). We did not read the text of the 2000 edition — we know the differences only from the foreword of the 2022 edition.

Method principle

The d0/D0 fraction within 4/63 mm is separated from a sample of natural aggregate, washed, dried to constant mass and weighed (M1); at least 100 particles per fraction are spread on a flat surface and divided by hand, visually, into four groups according to the proportion of crushed and rounded surface: totally crushed (> 90 %), partially crushed (50 %–90 %), totally rounded (> 90 %) and others. The masses of the groups are related to the sample mass: Ctc, Cc (crushed particles = totally + partially) and Ctr in percent, rounded to a whole number; the sum of the group masses must agree with M1 within 1 % (EN 933-5:2022, clauses 1–8.1).

Applications

• Coarse and all-in natural aggregates (gravels, gravel mixtures) — type testing and settling disputes; in the scopes of 12 laboratories
• Aggregates 4–20 mm — relationship with the flow coefficient according to EN 933-6

Key parameters

Standard

Standard number

PN-EN 933-5:2023-05 (wersja angielska; EN 933-5:2022 IDT)

Title (PL)

Badania geometrycznych właściwości kruszyw — Część 5: Oznaczanie procentowej zawartości ziarn przekruszonych w kruszywie o grubym i o ciągłym uziarnieniu

Title (EN)

Tests for geometrical properties of aggregates — Part 5: Determination of percentage of crushed particles in coarse and all-in natural aggregates

Step-by-step procedure

1. Analytical sample

   Determination of d0/D0 (4/63 mm), reduction according to EN 932-2, washing on the d0 and D0 sieves, drying at (110 ± 5) °C to constant mass, sieving according to EN 933-1, weighing (M1).

2. Fractions

   When D0 ≤ 2d0 — one fraction with ≥ 100 particles; otherwise division into fractions di/Di (Di ≤ 2di), each with ≥ 100 particles; fractions < 10 % of M1 are recorded and discarded.

3. Sorting

   The particles on a flat surface are divided into four groups: totally crushed (> 90 %), partially crushed (50 %–90 %), totally rounded (> 90 %) and others; the boundaries of surfaces may be marked with a coloured pencil.

4. Weighing and check

   Masses Mtc, Mpc, Mtr and Mop; when their sum differs from M1 by more than 1 %, the test is repeated.

5. Calculation

   Mc = Mtc + Mpc; Ctc, Cc and Ctr as a percentage of M1, rounded to a whole number; the calculation for multi-fraction samples (8.2) is NOT GIVEN.

Required equipment and apparatus

Health and safety (OHS)

• When washing, drying and sieving aggregates — protection against dust and hot trays from the oven
• SUBSTANTIVE NOTE: the result depends on visual assessment — the standard gives thresholds (50 % and 90 % of the surface) and a mass balance check, and in a dispute it is the reference method; 5 laboratories still cite the 2000 edition — when asking for the test, establish the edition

Frequently asked questions