Overview
ISO 19720-1:2017 - "Building construction machinery and equipment - Plants for the preparation of concrete and mortar - Part 1: Terminology and commercial specifications" standardizes the vocabulary and commercial requirements for concrete mixing plants, concrete batching plants and dry mortar mixing plants. It establishes consistent terms and definitions, classifications, and required commercial characteristics to help manufacturers, buyers and specifiers communicate unambiguously about plant types, performance and components.
Key Topics
The standard covers the following technical topics and requirements:
- Terminology and definitions for core concepts such as concrete, mortar, dry mortar, mixing unit, batcher, storage bin, packer, discharge device, cycle time and batching accuracy.
- Classification of plants by production mode (batch-type, continuous), layout (vertical/tower, horizontal), and mobility (stationary, transferable, mobile). It also classifies dry mortar plant configurations (compact, serial, tower).
- Commercial specifications grouped into:
- General characteristics (nominal capacity, number of batches, discharge height, etc.)
- Characteristics of main components (concrete/dry-mortar mixing units, storage bins, conveying equipment, thermal energy and drying equipment, screening devices, batching equipment, packers, silos)
- Other characteristics relevant to procurement and performance.
- Performance metrics and calculation methods, including formulas and definitions for batching accuracy, cycle time, number of batches per hour and theoretical output capacity - enabling consistent capacity and productivity claims.
- Informative annexes with examples of concrete and dry mortar mixing and batching plant layouts to aid interpretation.
Applications
ISO 19720-1 is practical for:
- Manufacturers and designers of concrete mixing and dry mortar plants - for product specification, labeling and technical datasheets.
- Procurement teams and plant buyers - to create clear commercial specifications and evaluate supplier claims (capacity, cycle time, batching accuracy).
- Construction contractors and ready-mix producers - to compare plant types (batch vs continuous; vertical vs horizontal) and select suitable equipment for project needs.
- Regulators, testing bodies and consultants - to ensure consistent terminology when assessing conformity, performance and safety.
Using ISO 19720-1 supports clearer procurement, improved interoperability, and reduced disputes over capacity and performance claims for concrete mixing plants, concrete batching plants and dry mortar mixing plants.
Related standards
- ISO 11375 - Building construction machinery and equipment - Terms and definitions (referenced for foundational terminology).
- ISO 18650-1 - Provides related productivity and cycle-time concepts referenced by ISO 19720-1.
Keywords: ISO 19720-1, concrete mixing plant, concrete batching plant, dry mortar mixing plant, terminology, commercial specifications, batching accuracy, cycle time, plant classification.