In Northern Illinois, we have a staff of 14 ACI and ASTM-certified QC technicians working on site and in our yards to insure that our materials and mixes meet or exceed all ASTM and state road building specifications. And though we are not the lab of record on any job we pour, we still perform our own independent tests to verify the accuracy of the lab results. And as backup, we also use other labs to independently test many of our samples to confirm our test results.

Working with the latest technology and equipment, Prairie tests every ingredient used to make concrete by various physical and chemical procedures. Automatic titration, hydration of heat examination, calorimetric examination, X-ray diffraction and fluorescence, and spectrophotometry are all used to make sure that the right elements are present, in the correct proportions and conforming to the manufacturer's stated specifications.

Our lab is equipped with three separate compression machines for breaking cylinders, beams and mortar cubes with capacity up to 675,000 pounds. We break 4x8" and 6x12" cylinders at a variety of dates to make sure our concrete meets the required mix design strength, whether that is a standard 4,000 psi mix or an 18,000 pound ultra high strength mix. We also test cylinders for modulus of elasticity, and test beams for flexural strength.