What is meant by "Characteristic strength" (fck) of concrete??
Jan 04, 2013· The characteristic strength (fck) is the value in the xaxis below which 5% of the total area under the curve falls. From the graph we can clearly say that 30 MPa is the characteristic strength of the given concrete mix. The value of fck is lower than fcm (40 MPa mean strength) by σ, where σ is the standard deviation of the normal distribution.