What is the American Concrete Institute?

It is not uncommon to find a number of people asking the question, “What is the American Concrete Institute?” Though it has been around for more than a century, not many people are familiar with the American Concrete Institute and what it stands for.

Certification programs

Overview
The American Concrete Institute was founded in 1904 with its headquarters in Farmington Hills, Michigan, USA.
Certification programs
During the period 1904-1929, a lack of concrete standards being employed in the construction industry, especially in the construction of concrete blocks, led to an overall negative perception of the use of concrete for construction.
Thus, the ACI organization was created so as to build and maintain standards of concrete pipe and other material used in construction.
The institute offers 17 certification programs.
These certification programs are designed in such a way as to provide the minimum qualifications for the personnel employed in the construction industry. Through 10 different centres, the ACI organization has been able to administer over 350,000 exams, with slightly over 90,000 certifications being maintained by the institute.

ACI membership

The basics of the membership
If you are considering joining the ACI organization as a member, there are a few things that you will have to know.
First of all, the institute will only take individual members who are 28-years old or older.
However, there are young professional allowances for candidates under this age limit.
The rates per year for individual, young professional and organizational new members are around $222, $124, and $990 respectively.

Benefits of American Concrete Institute membership

Benefits
There are quite a number of benefits to be gained from being a member of the American Concrete Institute.
Each member has access to free downloads of archived ACI documentation.
Though the access may vary in terms of duration, depending on the type of membership one has, the minimum access that one will be entitled to is 3 years. As a member, you will also have discounts on all publications, convention registration fees, as well as seminar registration fees.
You can also line up credit to a maximum limit of about $5000.
Final word
Other benefits that you may get with your membership to the American Concrete Institute include complete access to the site knowledge centre, as well as discounts for group insurance and auto-mobile rentals.