ACI 318

The structural design code for building concrete in the United States: how members are proportioned, how reinforcement is detailed, and what load combinations a design is checked against. It governs the design, not the mix — what concrete has to achieve is here, how to make it achieve that is in the materials standards this document points to.

Adoption is by reference: the IBC names an edition, so which edition applies where is a question about the local building code rather than about this document. Seismic detailing is where it diverges most from intuition: the reinforcement a member needs in a high seismic design category is governed by ductility rather than by strength, and a member sized for load alone can be detailed wrongly while being adequately strong.

It says nothing about constructability. A section that satisfies every clause can still be impossible to place concrete into, which is why bar congestion is checked separately and by eye.

Obtained from American Concrete Institute. What ACI publishes

This site holds no edition list for ACI 318, so a citation here names ACI 318 rather than a year. The publisher above has the current designation.