Standard Specifications for Road, Bridge, and Municipal Construction 2020 (M 41-10)

Aggregates 9-03

a. Aggregates – The maximum adjustment from the approved mix design shall

be 2 percent for the aggregate passing the 1½″, 1″, ¾″, ½″, ⅜″, and the No.
4 sieves, 1 percent for aggregate passing the No. 8 sieve, and 0.5 percent for
the aggregate passing the No. 200 sieve. The adjusted JMF shall be within the
range of the control points in

Section 9-03.8(6)

b. Asphalt Binder Content – The Engineer may order or approve changes to

asphalt binder content. The maximum adjustment from the approved mix
design for the asphalt binder content shall be 0.3 percent.

9-03.9

Aggregates for Ballast and Crushed Surfacing

9-03.9(1) Ballast

Ballast shall consist of crushed, partially crushed, or naturally occurring granular material
from approved sources manufactured in accordance with the provisions of

Section 3-01

Aggregates for ballast shall meet the following test requirements:

Los Angeles Wear, 500 Rev

40 percent max.

Degradation Factor

15 min.

Ballast shall meet the following requirements for grading and quality when placed in
hauling vehicles for delivery to the roadway or during manufacture and placement into a
temporary stockpile. The exact point of acceptance will be determined by the Engineer.

The portion of ballast retained on No. 4 sieve shall not contain more than 0.2 percent
wood waste.

Sieve Size

Percent Passing

2½″

99-100

2″

65-100

1″

50-85

No. 4

26-44

No. 40

16 max.

No. 200

9.0 max.

Dust Ratio:

⅔ max.

Sand Equivalent

35 min.

All percentages are by weight.

Page 9-22

9-03.9(2) Permeable Ballast

Permeable ballast shall meet the requirements of

Section 9-03.9(1)

for ballast except for

the following special requirements.

The grading and quality requirements are:

Sieve Size

Percent Passing

2½″

99-100

2″

65-100

¾″

40-80

No. 4

5 max.

No. 100

0-2

% Fracture

75 min.

All percentages are by weight.

The sand equivalent value and dust ratio requirements do not apply.

The fracture requirement shall be at least one fractured face and will apply the combined
aggregate retained on the No. 4 sieve in accordance with FOP for AASHTO T 335.

9-03.9(3) Crushed Surfacing

Crushed surfacing shall be manufactured from ledge rock, talus, or gravel in accordance
with the provisions of

Section 3-01

. The materials shall be uniform in quality and

substantially free from wood, roots, bark, and other extraneous material and shall meet
the following quality test requirements:

Los Angeles Wear, 500 Rev.

35 percent max.

Degradation Factor – Top Course

25 min.

Degradation Factor – Base Course

15 min.

Crushed surfacing of the various classes shall meet the following requirements for
grading and quality when placed in hauling vehicles for delivery to the roadway, or during
manufacture and placement into a temporary stockpile. The exact point of acceptance will
be determined by the Engineer.

Aggregates 9-03

Sieve Size

Base Course

Top Course and Keystone

Percent Passing

1¼″

99-100

1″

80-100

¾″

99-100

⅝″

50-80

½″

80-100

No. 4

25-45

46-66

No. 40

3-18

8-24

No. 200

7.5 max.

10.0 max.

% Fracture

75 min.

Sand Equivalent

40 min.

All percentages are by weight.

The fracture requirement shall be at least one fractured face and will apply to the
combined aggregate retained on the No. 4 sieve in accordance with FOP for AASHTO
T 335.

The portion of crushed surfacing retained on a No. 4 sieve shall not contain more than
0.15 percent wood waste.

9-03.9(4) Maintenance Rock

Maintenance rock shall meet all requirements of

Section 9-03.9(3)

for crushed surfacing

top course except that it shall meet the following Specifications for grading:

Sieve Size

Percent Passing

⅝″

99-100

½″

90-100

No. 4

45-66

No. 40

10-25

No. 200

7 max.

All percentages are by weight.

9-03.10

Aggregate for Gravel Base

Gravel base shall consist of granular material, either naturally occurring or processed.
It shall be essentially free from various types of wood waste or other extraneous or
objectionable materials. It shall have such characteristics of size and shape that it will
compact readily, and the maximum particle size shall not exceed ⅔ of the depth of the
layer being placed.

Gravel base shall meet the following requirements for grading and quality when placed in
hauling vehicles for delivery to the roadway or during manufacture and placement into a
temporary stockpile. The exact point of acceptance will be determined by the Engineer.

Page 9-24

Sieve Size

Percent Passing

2″

75-100

No. 4

22-100

No. 200

0-10

Dust Ratio:

⅔ max.

Sand Equivalent

30 min.

All percentages are by weight.

Gravel base material retained on a No. 4 sieve shall contain not more than 0.20 percent
by weight of wood waste.

9-03.11

Streambed Aggregates

Streambed aggregates shall be naturally occurring water rounded aggregates. Aggregates
from quarries, ledge rock, and talus slopes are not acceptable for these applications.
Streambed aggregates shall meet the following test requirements for quality:

Aggregate Property

Test Method

Requirement

Degradation Factor

WSDOT

T 113

15 min.

Los Angeles Wear, 500 Rev.

AASHTO T 96

50% max.

Bulk Specific Gravity

AASHTO T 85

2.55 min.

9-03.11(1) Streambed Sediment

Streambed sediment shall meet the following requirements for grading when placed in
hauling vehicles for delivery to the project or during manufacture and placement into
temporary stockpile. Alternate gradations may be used if proposed by the Contractor
and accepted by the Engineer. The Contractor shall submit a Type 2 Working Drawing
consisting of 0.45 power maximum density curve of the proposed gradation. The
alternate gradation shall closely follow the maximum density line and have Nominal
Aggregate Size of no less than 1½ inches or no greater than 3 inches. The exact point of
acceptance will be determined by the Engineer.

Sieve Size

Percent Passing

2½″

99-100

2″

65-95

1″

50-85

No. 4

26-44

No. 40

16 max.

No. 200

5.0-9.0

All percentages are by weight.

The portion of sediment retained on No. 4 sieve shall not contain more than 0.2 percent
wood waste.

Aggregates 9-03

9-03.11(2) Streambed Cobbles

Streambed cobbles shall be clean, naturally occurring water rounded gravel material.
Streambed cobbles shall have a well-graded distribution of cobble sizes and conform to
one or more of the following gradings as shown in the Plans:

Percent Passing

Approximate

Size

4″ Cobbles

6″ Cobbles

8″ Cobbles

10″ Cobbles

12″ Cobbles

12″

99-100

10″

99-100

70-90

8″

99-100

70-90

6″

99-100

70-90

5″

70-90

30-60

4″

99-100

30-60

3″

70-90

30-60

2″

30-60

1½″

20-50

¾″

10 max.

Approximate Size can be determined by taking the average dimension of the three axes of the rock, Length,

Width, and Thickness, by use of the following calculation:

Length + Width + Thickness

= Approximate Size

Length is the longest axis, width is the second longest axis, and thickness is the shortest axis.

The grading of the cobbles shall be determined by the Engineer by visual inspection of
the load before it is dumped into place, or, if so ordered by the Engineer, by dumping
individual loads on a flat surface and sorting and measuring the individual rocks contained
in the load.

Page 9-26

2020 Standard Specifications M 41-10

9-03 Aggregates

9-03.11(3) Streambed Boulders

Streambed boulders shall be hard, sound and durable material, free from seams, cracks,
and other defects tending to destroy its resistance to weather. Streambed Boulders
shall be rounded to sub-angular in shape and the thickness axis shall be greater than
60 percent of the length axis. Streambed boulders sizes are approximately as follows, see
Plans for sizes specified:

Rock Size

Approximate Size

One Man

12″ – 18″

Two Man

18″ – 28″

Three Man

28″ – 36″

Four Man

36″ – 48″

Five Man

48″ – 54″

Six Man

54″ – 60″

Approximate Size can be determined by taking the average

dimension of the three axes of the rock, Length, Width, and
Thickness, by use of the following calculation:

Length + Width + Thickness

= Approximate Size

Length is the longest axis, width is the second longest axis,
and thickness is the shortest axis.

9-03.11(4) Habitat Boulders

Habitat boulders shall be hard, sound and durable material, free from seams, cracks,
and other defects tending to destroy its resistance to weather. Habitat Boulders shall be
rounded to sub-angular in shape and the thickness axis shall be greater than 60 percent of

the width axis and the length shall be 1.5 to 3 times the width axis. Habitat boulders sizes

are approximately as follows, see Plans for sizes specified:

Rock Size

Approximate Size

Three Man

28″ - 36″

Four Man

36″ - 48″

Five Man

48″ - 54″

Six Man

54″ - 60″

Approximate Size can be determined by taking the average

dimension of the three axes of the rock, Length, Width, and
Thickness, by use of the following calculation:

Length + Width + Thickness

= Approximate Size

Length is the longest axis, width is the second longest axis,
and thickness is the shortest axis.

Aggregates 9-03

9-03.12

Gravel Backfill

Gravel backfill shall consist of crushed, partially crushed, or naturally occurring granular
material produced in accordance with the provisions of

Section 3-01

9-03.12(1) Gravel Backfill for Foundations

9-03.12(1)A

Class A

Gravel backfill for foundations, Class A, shall conform to the requirements of

Section 9-03.9(1)

for ballast or

Section 9-03.9(3)

for crushed surfacing base course.

9-03.12(1)B

Class B

Gravel backfill for foundations, Class B, shall conform to the requirements of

Section 9-03.10

9-03.12(2) Gravel Backfill for Walls

Gravel backfill for walls shall consist of free draining granular material, essentially free
from various types of wood waste or other extraneous or objectionable materials. It shall
meet the following requirements for grading and quality when placed in hauling vehicles
for delivery to the roadway or during manufacture and placement into a temporary
stockpile. The exact point of acceptance will be determined by the Engineer.

Sieve Size

Percent Passing

4″

99-100

2″

75-100

No. 4

22-66

No. 200

5.0 max.

Dust Ratio:

% Passing No. 200

% Passing No. 40

⅔ max.

Sand Equivalent

60 min.

All percentages are by weight.

That portion of the material retained on a No. 4 sieve shall contain not more than
0.20 percent by weight of wood waste.

Page 9-28

9-03.12(3) Gravel Backfill for Pipe Zone Bedding

Gravel backfill for pipe zone bedding shall consist of crushed, processed, or naturally
occurring granular material. It shall be free from various types of wood waste or other
extraneous or objectionable materials. It shall have such characteristics of size and shape
that it will compact and shall meet the following Specifications for grading and quality:

Sieve Size

Percent Passing

1½″

99-100

1″

75-100

⅝″

50-100

No. 4

20-80

No. 40

3-24

No. 200

10.0 max.

Sand Equivalent

35 min.

All percentages are by weight.

If, in the opinion of the Engineer, the native granular material is free from wood waste,
organic material, and other extraneous or objectionable materials, but otherwise does not
conform to the Specifications for grading and Sand Equivalent, it may be used for pipe
bedding for rigid pipes, provided the native granular material has a maximum dimension
of 1½ inches.

9-03.12(4) Gravel Backfill for Drains

Gravel backfill for drains shall conform to the following gradings:

Sieve Size

Percent Passing

1″

99-100

¾″

80-100

⅜″

0-40

No. 4

0-4

No. 200

0-2

As an alternative, AASHTO grading No. 57 may be used in accordance with

Section

9-03.1(4)C

. Alkali silica reactivity testing is not required.

Aggregates 9-03

9-03.12(5) Gravel Backfill for Drywells

Gravel backfill for drywells shall conform to the following gradings:

Sieve Size

Percent Passing

1½″

99-100

1″

50-100

¾″

0-20

⅜″

0-2

No. 200

0-1.5

As an alternative, AASHTO grading No. 4 may be used in accordance with

Section

9-03.1(4)C

. Alkali silica reactivity testing is not required.

9-03.13

Backfill for Sand Drains

Backfill for sand drains shall conform to the following grading:

Sieve Size

Percent Passing

½″

90-100

No. 4

57-100

No. 10

40-100

No. 50

3-30

No. 100

0-4

No. 200

0-3.0

All percentages are by weight.

That portion of backfill retained on a No. 4 sieve shall contain not more than 0.05 percent
by weight of wood waste.

9-03.13(1) Sand Drainage Blanket

Aggregate for the sand drainage blanket shall consist of granular material, free from wood,
bark, or other extraneous material and shall meet the following requirements for grading:

Sieve Size

Percent Passing

2½″

90-100

No. 4

24-100

No. 10

14-100

No. 50

0-30

No. 100

0-7.0

No. 200

0-3.0

All percentages are by weight.

That portion of backfill retained on a No. 4 sieve shall contain not more than 0.05 percent
by weight of wood waste.

Page 9-30

9-03.14 Borrow

9-03.14(1) Gravel Borrow

Aggregate for gravel borrow shall consist of granular material, either naturally occurring or
processed, and shall meet the following requirements for grading and quality:

Sieve Size

Percent Passing

4″

99-100

2″

75-100

No. 4

50-80

No. 40

30 max.

No. 200

7.0 max.

Sand Equivalent

50 min.

All percentages are by weight.

Ballast may be substituted for gravel borrow for embankment construction.

9-03.14(2) Select Borrow

Material for select borrow shall consist of granular material, either naturally occurring or
processed, and shall meet the following requirements for grading and quality:

Sieve Size

Percent Passing

6″

99-100

3″

75-100

No. 40

50 max.

No. 200

10.0 max.

Sand Equivalent

30 min.

All percentages are by weight.

99 to 100 percent shall pass 4-inch-square sieve and 75 to

100 percent shall pass 2-inch sieve when select borrow is
used in the top 2 feet of embankments or where Method C
compaction is required.

Aggregates 9-03

9-03.14(3) Common Borrow

Material for common borrow shall consist of granular or nongranular soil and/or aggregate
which is free of deleterious material. Deleterious material includes wood, organic waste,
coal, charcoal, or any other extraneous or objectionable material. The material shall not
contain more than 3 percent organic material by weight. The plasticity index shall be
determined using test method AASHTO T 89 and AASHTO T 90.

The material shall meet one of the options in the soil plasticity table below.

Soil Plasticity Table

Option

Sieve

Percent Passing

Plasticity Index

No. 200

0 - 12

N/A

No. 200

12.1 - 35

6 or Less

No. 200

Above 35

All percentages are by weight.

If requested by the Contractor, the plasticity index may be increased with the approval of
the Engineer.

9-03.14(4) Gravel Borrow for Structural Earth Wall

All backfill material within the reinforced zone for structural earth walls shall consist of
granular material, either naturally occurring or processed, and shall be free draining, free
from organic or otherwise deleterious material. The material shall be substantially free
of shale or other soft, poor durability particles, and shall not contain recycled materials,
such as glass, shredded tires, concrete rubble, or asphaltic concrete rubble. The backfill
material shall meet the following requirements for grading and quality:

Sieve Size

Geosynthetic Reinforcement

percent Passing

Metallic Reinforcement

percent Passing

99-100

75-100

1¼″

99-100

1″

90-100

No. 4

50-80

No. 40

30 max.

No. 200

7.0 max.

Sand Equivalent

50 min.

All percentages are by weight

Page 9-32

Property

Test Method

Geosynthetic

Reinforcement

Requirements

Metallic Reinforcement

Requirements

Los Angeles Wear

500 rev.

AASHTO T 96

35 percent max.

Degradation Factor

WSDOT

T 113

15 min.

Resistivity

WSDOT

T 417

3,000 ohm-cm, min.

WSDOT

T 417

4.5 - 9

5 - 10

Chlorides

AASHTO T 291

100 ppm max.

Sulfates

AASHTO T 290

200 ppm max.

If the resistivity of the gravel borrow equals or exceeds 5,000 ohm-cm, the specified
chloride and sulfate limits may be waived.

Wall backfill material satisfying these grading and property requirements shall be
classified as nonaggressive.

9-03.15

Native Material for Trench Backfill

Trench backfill outside the roadway prism shall be excavated material free of wood waste,
debris, clods or rocks greater than 6 inches in any dimension.

9-03.16 Vacant
9-03.17

Foundation Material Class A and Class B

Foundation material Class A and Class B shall conform to the following gradations:

Sieve Size

Percent Passing

Class A

Class B

2½″

98-100

95-100

2″

92-100

75-100

1½″

72-87

30-60

¾″

27-47

0-5

⅜″

3-14

No. 4

0-5

All percentages are by weight.

9-03.18

Foundation Material Class C

Foundation material Class C shall consist of clean bank run sand and gravel, free from dirt,
roots, topsoil, and debris and contain not less than 35 percent retained on a No. 4 sieve
and with all stones larger than 2 inches in the longest dimension removed.

Aggregates 9-03

9-03.19

Bank Run Gravel for Trench Backfill

Trench backfill material shall consist of aggregate for gravel base, as specified in

Section

9-03.10

, excepting however, that 100 percent of the material shall pass a 2½-inch screen.

9-03.20

Test Methods for Aggregates

The properties enumerated in these Specifications shall be determined in accordance with
the following methods of test:

Title

Test Method

FOP for AASHTO R 90 for Standard Practice for Sampling

Aggregates

FOP for AASHTO R 90

Organic Impurities in Fine Aggregates for Concrete

AASHTO T 21

Clay Lumps and Friable Particles in Aggregates

AASHTO T 112

Resistance to Degradation of Small Size Coarse Aggregate by

Abrasion and Impact in the Los Angeles Machine

AASHTO T 96

Material Finer than 0.075mm (No. 200) Sieve in Mineral Aggregates

by Washing

AASHTO T 11

FOP for AASHTO for Determining the percentage of Fracture in

Coarse Aggregates

FOP for AASHTO T 335

FOP for WAQTC/AASHTO for Sieve Analysis of Fine and Coarse

Aggregates

FOP for WAQTC T 27/T 11

FOP for AASHTO T 176 for Plastic Fines in Graded Aggregates and

Soils by Use of the Sand Equivalent Test

FOP for AASHTO T 176

Method of Test for Determination of Degradation Value

WSDOT

T 113

Particle Size Analysis of Soils

AASHTO T 88

9-03.21

Recycled Material

9-03.21(1) General Requirements

Hot Mix Asphalt, Concrete Rubble, Recycled Glass (glass cullet), and Steel Furnace Slag
may be used as, or blended uniformly with, naturally occurring materials for aggregates.
The final blended product and the recycled material component included in a blended
product shall meet the specification requirements for the specified type of aggregate. The
Contracting Agency may collect verification samples at any time. Blending of more than
one type of recycled material into the naturally occurring materials requires approval of
the Engineer prior to use.

Recycled materials obtained from the Contracting Agency’s roadways will not require
toxicity testing or certification for toxicity characteristics.

Reclaimed asphalt shingles samples shall contain less than the maximum percentage of
asbestos fibers based on testing procedures and frequencies established in conjunction
with the specifying jurisdiction and state or federal environmental regulatory agencies.

Page 9-34

Recycled materials that are imported to the job site will require testing and certification
for toxicity characteristics. The recycled material supplier shall keep all toxicity test results
on file and provide copies to the Engineer upon request. The Contractor shall provide
the following:
1. Identification of the recycled materials proposed for use.
2. Sampling documentation no older than 90 days from the date the recycled material

is placed on the project. Documentation shall include a minimum of five samples
tested for total lead content by EPA Method 6010. Total lead test results shall not
exceed 250 ppm. Samples that exceed 100 ppm must then be prepared by EPA
Method 1311, the Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP), where liquid
extract is analyzed by EPA Method 6010B. The TCLP test must be below 5.0 ppm.

3. Certification that the recycled materials are not Washington State Dangerous Wastes

per the Dangerous Waste Regulations,

WAC 173-303

4. Certification that the recycled materials are in conformance with the requirements

of the Standard Specifications prior to delivery. The certification shall include
the percent by weight of each recycled material.

9-03.21(1)A

Recycled Hot Mix Asphalt

For recycled materials incorporating hot mix asphalt, the product supplier shall certify
that the blended material does not exceed the Maximum Allowable percentage of hot mix
asphalt shown in

Section 9-03.21(1)E

9-03.21(1)B

Recycled Concrete Aggregate

Recycled concrete aggregates are coarse and fine aggregates manufactured from
hardened concrete mixtures.

Recycled concrete aggregate may be used as coarse aggregate or blended with coarse
aggregate for Commercial Concrete, Class 3000 concrete, or Cement Concrete Pavement.
Recycled concrete aggregate shall meet all of the requirements for coarse aggregate
contained in Section

9-03.1(4)

9-03.1(5)

. In addition to the requirements of Section

9-03.1(4)

9-03.1(5)

, recycled concrete shall:

1. Contain an aggregated weight of less than 1 percent of adherent fines, vegetable

matter, plastics, plaster, paper, gypsum board, metals, fabrics, wood, tile, glass,
asphalt (bituminous) materials, brick, porcelain or other deleterious substance(s) not
otherwise noted;

2. Be free of components such as chlorides and reactive materials that are detrimental

to the concrete, unless mitigation measures are taken to prevent recurrence in the
new concrete;

3. Have an absorption of less than 10 percent when tested in accordance with

AASHTO T 85.

4. For Cement Concrete Pavement mix designs using recycled concrete aggregates, the

Contractor shall submit evidence that ASR mitigating measures control expansion in
accordance with

Section 9-03.1(1)

Aggregates 9-03

Recycled concrete aggregate shall be in a saturated condition prior to mixing.

Recycled concrete, in any form, shall not be placed below the ordinary high water mark of
any surface water of the State.

9-03.21(1)B1 Recycled Concrete Aggregate Approval and Acceptance

Recycled concrete aggregate may be approved through a three tiered system that consists
of the following:

Tier 1

Approval

Requirements

Approval of the Reclamation Facility is not required

Acceptance

Requirements

Certification of toxicity characteristics in accordance with

Section 9-03.21(1)

Field acceptance testing in accordance with

Section 3-04

Approved to provide the following Aggregate Materials:

9-03.10

Aggregate for Gravel Base

9-03.12(1)B

Gravel Backfill for Foundations Class B

9-03.12(2)

Gravel Backfill for Walls

9-03.12(3)

Gravel Backfill for Pipe Zone Bedding

9-03.14(1)

Gravel Borrow

9-03.14(2)

Select Borrow

9-03.14(2)

Select Borrow (greater than 3 feet below subgrade and side slope)

9-03.14(3)

Common Borrow

9-03.14(3)

Common Borrow (greater than 3 feet below subgrade and side slope)

9-03.17

Foundation Material Class A and Class B

9-03.18

Foundation Material Class C

9-03.19

Bank Run Gravel for Trench Backfill

Page 9-36

Tier 2

Approval

Requirements

The Reclamation Facility shall have a Quality Control Plan (QCP) in

accordance with WSDOT QC 9 “Standard Practice for Approval of

Reclamation Facilities of WSDOT Recycled Concrete and Returned

Concrete”. The Reclamation Facility’s QCP shall be submitted and

approved by the WSDOT State Materials Laboratory. Once accepted,

any changes to the QCP will require a new QCP to be submitted for

acceptance.
Evaluation of aggregate source properties (LA Wear and Degradation)

for the recycled concrete aggregate is not required.

Acceptance

Requirements

Certification of toxicity characteristics in accordance with

Section

9-03.21(1)

, required if requested.

Field acceptance testing in accordance with

Section 3-04

is required.

Provide certification in accordance with WSDOT QC 9 for every lot. A

lot shall be no larger than 10,000 tons.

Approved to provide the following Aggregate Materials:

Tier 1 aggregate materials
9-03.1 Coarse Aggregate for Commercial Concrete or Concrete class 3000
9-03.9(1) Ballast
9-03.9(2) Permeable Ballast
9-03.9(3) Crushed Surfacing
9-03.12(1)A Gravel Backfill for Foundations Class A

Tier 3

Approval

Requirements

The Reclamation Facility shall have a Quality Control Plan (QCP) in

accordance with WSDOT QC 10 “Standard Practice for Approval

of Reclamation Facilities of Recycled Concrete Aggregates from

Stockpiles of Unknown Sources”. The Reclamation Facility’s QCP shall

be submitted and approved by the WSDOT State Materials Laboratory.

Once accepted, any changes to the QCP will require a new QCP to be

submitted for acceptance.
Evaluation of aggregate source properties (LA Wear and Degradation)

for the recycled concrete aggregate is required.

Acceptance