ASTM D5893
Standard Specification for Cold Applied, Single Component, Chemically Curing Silicone Joint Sealant for Portland Cement Concrete Pavements
Last updated: June 10, 2026
Overview
ASTM D5893 is the performance specification for cold-applied, single-component, chemically curing silicone joint sealants used in Portland cement concrete (PCC) pavement joints. It defines two material types based on modulus, prescribes the physical and adhesion tests every product must pass, and standardizes the laboratory conditions used to qualify a sealant for highway service.
The standard exists because building-envelope sealant criteria (most notably ASTM C920) do not address the unique demands of pavement joints — wide thermal swings, repeated wheel loading, water and de-icer exposure, and bond to freshly sawn concrete. D5893 fills that gap for cold-applied silicone, while ASTM D6690 covers the hot-applied rubberized-asphalt counterpart.
Why D5893 matters: Specifying "silicone joint sealant" without a D5893 reference invites substitution of building-grade products that are not qualified for PCC pavement service. State DOT specs nearly always cite D5893 explicitly, often pinned to either Type NS (low-modulus, non-sag) or Type SL (low-modulus, self-leveling) by application.
For a buyer-decision walkthrough that compares D5893 to hot-applied D6690 and preformed compression seals, see the Highway & Pavement Joint Sealant Guide. This page is the standards reference for D5893 itself.
Scope and Applicability
ASTM D5893 applies to cold-applied, single-component silicone sealants intended for transverse, longitudinal, and shoulder joints in Portland cement concrete pavement, including airfield pavements. The scope is deliberately narrow:
- Cold-applied — no heated kettle equipment is required at placement
- Single-component — the material chemically cures in place via atmospheric moisture
- Silicone chemistry — polysulfide, polyurethane, and rubberized-asphalt sealants are excluded from D5893 (see D6690 for hot-applied rubber-asphalt)
- Portland cement concrete substrate — D5893 was developed and validated for PCC, not asphalt concrete
The standard is referenced extensively in state DOT pavement specifications and in FHWA pavement preservation guidance (see the FHWA Pavement Preservation Compendium for federal-level treatment selection criteria). It does not cover bridge deck expansion joints — those are governed by AASHTO LRFD §20 and, for preformed compression seals, AASHTO M 297.
Watch the substrate: Using a D5893 sealant on asphalt or composite pavement is outside the standard's scope. For asphalt joints and cracks, hot-applied materials qualified under ASTM D6690 are the conventional choice.
Type NS vs Type SL
D5893 defines two product types. Both are low-modulus silicone formulations; the difference is rheology — whether the sealant holds its shape after extrusion or flows to a level surface.
The standard's own designations are Type NS (non-sag) and Type SL (self-leveling). Some agency spec books still write Type I and Type II for these materials; when a legacy spec does, confirm which product it means from the spec's own description (non-sag versus self-leveling) rather than from the numeral.
| Type | Consistency | Joint Orientation | Typical Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Type NS | Non-sag (gun grade) | Horizontal pavement joints; tooled | Transverse and longitudinal contraction joints when a tooled, recessed profile is preferred |
| Type SL | Self-leveling (pourable) | Horizontal pavement joints only | High-production pavement work where pour-and-walk-away placement is the cost driver |
Both types are formulated for the same movement service — pavement joints typically open and close 25 to 50 percent of the design width across a season. The NS / SL choice is a placement-method decision driven by crew workflow and joint geometry, not a movement-class decision. Neither type is intended for vertical or overhead application.
Performance Requirements
To carry the D5893 designation, a sealant must meet pass/fail criteria across the following categories. Resilience, bond, and weight loss are the three the standard treats as primary qualifiers.
Resilience (Recovery)
After compression and release, the sealant must recover a minimum percentage of its original height. Resilience is the proxy for how well the sealant will reseat itself when a pavement joint closes after summer expansion. Low resilience is a leading indicator of long-term cohesive failure.
Bond (Adhesion in Movement)
Bond testing is built into D5893 itself: specimens are extended to a defined strain, held, and inspected for adhesion or cohesive failure, with the test run non-immersed, water-immersed, and oven-aged to simulate field exposure. Pavement silicones that pass D5893's bond requirement are typically marketed for the +100% / -50% asymmetric movement service that pavement joints actually see (joints close more than they open, relative to the as-sawn width).
Weight Loss After Heat Aging
Cured specimens are oven-aged at elevated temperature for a defined interval; the maximum allowable weight loss screens out formulations with high volatile content that would shrink and harden in service. This is the durability surrogate that distinguishes pavement-grade silicones from generic gun-grade product.
Additional Required Properties
- Flow / sag (Type NS): gun-grade material must hold its tooled profile on a horizontal joint without slumping
- Flow (Type SL): self-leveling material must reach a level surface without operator manipulation
- Extrusion rate — quantifies how readily the sealant dispenses through standard pump or bulk-gun equipment
- Tack-free time — bounds the cure schedule the contractor uses for traffic opening
- Movement capability (durometer / modulus) — low-modulus class is the implicit requirement, ensuring the sealant transmits low stress to the joint face during temperature swings
For preformed polychloroprene compression seals, the alternative when liquid sealant is a poor fit (very small movement, very long maintenance cycle), see AASHTO M 297. M 297 is referenced here because state DOT pavement specs routinely cross-cite both standards in the same project specification.
Specimen Prep and Test Conditions
D5893 standardizes specimen geometry, substrate type, cure environment, and test sequence so that a Type NS / Type SL qualification means the same thing regardless of which laboratory ran the work.
- Substrate: mortar or concrete blocks meeting D5893's composition and surface preparation requirements; substrate is the same material the sealant must bond to in service
- Specimen geometry: defined cross-section (typically 1/2" wide x 1/2" deep with a 2" bonded length) so movement strain is uniform across labs
- Cure: standard atmosphere — 73°F (23°C) and 50% relative humidity for the prescribed cure interval before testing
- Bond qualification runs inside D5893 itself: the same specimen geometry is tested non-immersed, water-immersed, and oven-aged
- Conditioning: water immersion and oven aging cycles applied before bond and weight-loss tests to simulate field exposure
Documentation hygiene: Request the manufacturer's full D5893 test report, including the non-immersed, water-immersed, and oven-aged bond results. The report should state the substrate used, cure environment, and pass values for each required property. A datasheet that says "meets ASTM D5893" without backing test data is not sufficient evidence for a project specification reviewer.
Common Spec Language
Pavement specifications cite D5893 in a small number of recurring patterns. Use these as templates and confirm Type NS vs Type SL based on the joint geometry and placement method intended.
Self-leveling pavement joint sealant:
"Joint sealant shall be a cold-applied, single-component, low-modulus silicone, self-leveling formulation conforming to ASTM D5893, Type SL. Manufacturer shall submit D5893 bond test results (non-immersed, water-immersed, and oven-aged) with the material certification. Sealant shall be installed on a compatible closed-cell foam backer rod sized to produce a sealant width-to-depth ratio of 2:1."
Tooled (non-self-leveling) pavement joint sealant:
"Joint sealant shall be a cold-applied, single-component, low-modulus silicone, non-sag formulation conforming to ASTM D5893, Type NS. Manufacturer shall submit D5893 bond test results (non-immersed, water-immersed, and oven-aged) with the material certification. Sealant shall be tooled to a recessed profile per the project plans, on closed-cell foam backer rod sized to produce a sealant width-to-depth ratio of 2:1."
Compression-seal alternative line item:
"Where indicated on the plans, the Contractor may substitute a preformed polychloroprene compression seal conforming to AASHTO M 297, sized per the manufacturer's joint-width chart. Substitution requires Engineer approval."
Spec language for the hot-applied alternative is covered on the ASTM D6690 page; spec language for building-envelope joints is covered on the ASTM C920 page.
Selection Guide
Use D5893 when the project conditions favor a cold-applied silicone over a hot-applied or preformed alternative. The selection question is application-driven, not brand-driven.
| Project Condition | D5893 Suitability |
|---|---|
| New PCC pavement contraction joints | Strong fit; Type SL (self-leveling) is conventional |
| Resealing existing PCC joints | Strong fit, after sawing to fresh concrete and cleaning |
| No on-site kettle / small crew / urban work | Strong fit — cold-applied avoids hot-kettle staging |
| Cold-weather placement (low ambient) | Cold silicone tolerates lower placement temperatures than hot-pour |
| Asphalt joints or cracks | Out of scope — see D6690 hot-applied |
| Very small movement, long maintenance cycle | Consider preformed compression seals (AASHTO M 297) instead |
| High-production rural highway resealing | D6690 hot-applied often wins on placement speed; D5893 wins on cure simplicity |
| Bridge deck expansion joints | Out of scope — see AASHTO LRFD §20 and AASHTO M 297 |
Joint geometry drives Type NS vs Type SL: if the spec calls for a tooled, flush or recessed sealant profile, Type NS is the default; if the spec calls for pour-and-walk-away placement at production speed, Type SL is the default. The width-to-depth ratio (commonly 2:1 for pavement joints) and backer rod selection matter as much as the sealant choice itself — design errors here cause D5893-compliant material to fail prematurely.
Airfield Use and FAA Item P-605
D5893's scope explicitly includes airfield pavement, and the FAA's airport construction specification treats it as a first-class material: FAA Item P-605, Joint Sealants for Pavements, published in Advisory Circular 150/5370-10H, names ASTM D5893 as one of three acceptable joint sealant materials, alongside hot-applied ASTM D6690 and jet-fuel-resistant ASTM D7116. The engineer specifies the material in the project spec and may call for Type NS or Type SL. See our FAA Item P-605 reference page for the full material acceptance rules, joint preparation requirements, and submittal checklist.
On fueling aprons, P-605 limits the jet-fuel-resistant hot-applied option (ASTM D7116) to PCC aprons where fueling occurs, and it permits D5893 silicone as the alternative in those same areas. That makes cold-applied silicone the one P-605 material usable on both general airfield joints and fueling aprons.
Joint detail on FAA work: P-605 notes that D5893 sealants sometimes require a shape factor of 0.5 (sealant depth equal to half the joint width) instead of the default 1, which is the same 2:1 width-to-depth geometry described in the joint design guidance above. The contract drawings must show the modified detail. AIP-funded projects also carry the FAA Buy American preference (49 USC 50101); see the Buy America Compliance Guide for documentation requirements.
Compliant Products
US Made Supply does not list pavement-grade D5893 silicone in the public catalog today. We work directly with domestic manufacturers of cold-applied, single-component pavement silicones and can source D5893 Type NS or Type SL material for project quantities, including the manufacturer's D5893 bond test documentation for spec submittals.
Need pricing or sourcing on D5893 pavement silicone? Email partnerships@usmadesupply.com with project location, joint linear footage, joint geometry (width and depth), and whether your spec calls for Type NS or Type SL. We will return domestic-supplier options with current lead times and Buy America documentation where required.
Frequently Asked Questions
What bond testing does ASTM D5893 require?
D5893 qualifies bond performance through its own test battery: specimens bonded to mortar or concrete blocks are tested non-immersed, water-immersed, and oven-aged, so the qualification covers dry service, wet service, and heat-aged service. A complete spec submittal includes the manufacturer's D5893 conformance statement with those bond results. One caution: ASTM D5894 is sometimes mis-cited as a companion adhesion test for D5893. It is not. D5894 is a cyclic salt fog and UV exposure practice for painted metal and has no role in pavement sealant qualification.
What joint geometry should I design for a D5893 sealant?
The conventional pavement-joint design for D5893 silicones is a 2:1 width-to-depth ratio (for example, 1/2" wide by 1/4" deep of sealant) with a closed-cell foam backer rod sized 25 percent larger than the joint width to seat by friction. The sealant is recessed below the pavement surface — a common recess depth is 1/8" to 1/4" — to keep tires off the sealant and to preserve a sacrificial wear margin. Two-sided adhesion (sealant bonded only to the joint faces, not the backer rod) is essential for movement performance.
Is D5893 silicone compatible with new (green) concrete?
D5893 silicones develop best bond on cured, clean, sawn concrete. Most manufacturers of pavement-grade silicone require a minimum concrete cure age (commonly 7 to 14 days, sometimes 28 days for full strength) before sealant placement, and the joint reservoir must be sawn, sandblasted or water-blasted, and dried per the manufacturer's instructions. Placing D5893 sealant on green concrete with surface laitance, residual cure compound, or moisture above the manufacturer's threshold is a leading cause of early adhesion failure. Confirm the specific cure-age and surface-prep requirements against the manufacturer's installation instructions for the project submittal.
How long does cold-applied silicone need to cure before traffic opens?
D5893 single-component silicones cure by reaction with atmospheric moisture, so cure schedule depends on temperature, relative humidity, and joint cross-section. Typical tack-free times are 30 to 90 minutes; typical traffic-opening windows are 1 to 3 hours for foot traffic and several hours to overnight for vehicular traffic, depending on the manufacturer and conditions. Cold or dry conditions extend cure time. Always confirm the manufacturer's published traffic-open time for your placement temperature and humidity rather than relying on a standard rule of thumb.
Can a D5893 cold-applied silicone substitute for a hot-applied D6690 sealant?
Sometimes, but it is a project-by-project decision and usually requires Engineer approval of a substitution request. D5893 silicones generally out-last hot-applied D6690 sealants in PCC pavement service and are easier to place without kettle equipment, but they cost more per linear foot and place more slowly than hot-pour on long highway runs. For most asphalt joints and crack sealing, D6690 is the conventional choice and a D5893 silicone is not a direct substitute. For PCC joints, both standards are used; the FHWA Pavement Preservation Compendium and individual state DOT pavement spec libraries are the right places to confirm which is preferred for your project type.
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