Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute

What Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute does

The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI), founded in 1954 and headquartered in Chicago, Illinois, is the North American technical institute and trade association for the precast and prestressed concrete industry. Its constituents span precast concrete producers, field erection contractors, structural engineers, architects, academics, students, government professionals, and suppliers of goods and services, served through a distributed network of 10 regional affiliates plus the Precast Concrete Manufacturer's Association (PCMA) covering Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. Operating with an 11-50 employee headquarters staff and governed through more than 60 councils, committees, and subcommittees, PCI sets industry consensus standards and acts as the de facto rule-writer for the sector.

PCI's core offerings are anchored by the PCI Design Handbook — the authoritative technical reference, currently in 8th and 9th editions — and three national certification programs: Plant Certification for manufacturing facilities, Erector Certification for field installation companies (covering S1-Simple Structural, S2-Complex Structural, and A-Architectural Systems, with twice-yearly on-site audits), and Personnel Certification for individual professionals. Supplementary products include the PCI Journal, Ascent and Aspire magazines, eLearning courses, and quality control training. Certification directories are publicly searchable, providing reputational signaling across the industry.

Revenue is generated predominantly through recurring organizational memberships (producers, erectors, suppliers) and individual memberships ($90-$225/year tiered by role, free for students), recurring certification program fees, and one-time publication sales (Design Handbook 8th Edition at $500 non-member/$250 member; 7th Edition at $390/$195). The affiliated PCI Foundation, a separate nonprofit, channels funding into university studio programs, scholarships, and academic research to build the long-term workforce pipeline.

Name

Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute

Legal name

Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute

Website

https://pci.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1954

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI), founded in 1954 and headquartered in Chicago, is a nonprofit trade association and technical institute that develops industry standards, certification programs, and the authoritative PCI Design Handbook for the North American precast and prestressed concrete industry.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Construction Industry Trade Association and Standards

NAICS

Cement and Concrete Product Manufacturing (3273)

SIC

Concrete Products, Except Block & Brick (3272)

akta.pro primary industry

Precast Concrete Products (IMADAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Continuing Education (CE/CPD) & Provider Accreditation Bodies (EDADACAF)

Keywords

• Precast concrete standards
• Plant certification programs
• Concrete design handbook
• Industry association services
• Professional engineering education

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Organizational Membership: PCI generates revenue from organizational memberships including producer, erector, associate (services/supplier), and supporting memberships. These provide access to members-only resources, events, communications, reports, programs, and data.
2. Individual Membership: Individual memberships for architects, consultants, contractors, developers, educators, engineers, and students with annual dues ranging from free (students) to $225/year (professionals).
3. Publications and Bookstore Sales: Sale of technical publications including the PCI Design Handbook (8th Edition at $500 non-member, $250 member), 7th Edition ($390 non-member, $195 member), and other technical manuals.
4. Certification Programs: Revenue from plant certification, erector certification, and personnel certification programs that provide assurance of quality standards in the precast concrete industry.
5. Education and Training: Revenue from eLearning programs, professional development, quality control training courses, and leadership programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) is the technical institute and trade association for the precast/prestressed concrete structures industry in North America. It sells organizational and individual memberships, nationally recognized plant and erector certification programs, technical publications (including the PCI Design Handbook), and education/training programs (eLearning, quality control courses). The institute develops industry standards and quality assurance systems for precast concrete manufacturers, erectors, and design professionals.

Product overview

The Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI) is a trade association and technical institute, not a software product company. PCI's offerings consist primarily of industry publications (the PCI Design Handbook in multiple editions, PCI Journal, Ascent, and Aspire magazines), certification programs (Plant Certification, Erector Certification, Personnel Certification), and educational resources (eLearning courses and the PCI Foundation for academic programs). These products serve architects, engineers, manufacturers, and construction professionals in the precast concrete industry.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PCI Design Handbook (8th Edition, MNL-120-25; also 7th Edition MNL-120-10) The authoritative technical design handbook for the design, manufacture, and use of structural precast/prestressed concrete and architectural precast concrete, providing design procedures, numerical examples, and design aids for architects and structural engineers.
• PCI Drafting Handbook, 2nd Edition (MNL-119) Standards and guidelines publication for drafting precast concrete products, for use by drafting professionals in the precast concrete industry.
• PCI Plant Certification Program National certification program for precast concrete manufacturing plants, providing in-depth quality systems based on time-tested national industry standards; assurance to owners, developers, architects, and contractors.
• PCI Erector Certification Program Certification program extending PCI quality standards to the field erection of precast concrete products, covering Simple Structural Systems (S1), Complex Structural Systems (S2), and Architectural Systems (A) categories; crew audits twice per year.
• PCI Personnel Certification Certification program for individual professionals working in the precast concrete industry, validating competency against industry-defined standards.
• Organizational Membership (Producer, Erector, Associate, Supporting) Recurring membership for precast producers, erectors, associate suppliers/services, and supporting organizations, providing access to members-only resources, events, communications, reports, programs, and data.
• Individual Membership (Professional, Academic Professional, Associate Professional, Student, Government) Annual individual membership tiers for architects, consultants, contractors, developers, educators, engineers, students, and government professionals, with dues from free (students) to $225/year (professionals), prorated quarterly.
• PCI eLearning Programs Online education courses for precast concrete professionals covering various skill levels and topics, including quality control training and leadership development.
• PCI Journal Technical journal covering precast and prestressed concrete research, design, and industry developments.
• Ascent Magazine PCI's architectural magazine featuring precast concrete applications in building design, targeting architects and design professionals.
• Aspire Magazine PCI's magazine covering transportation infrastructure applications of precast concrete, targeting transportation and infrastructure professionals.

Quantifiable outcome

• 50% member discount on publications including the PCI Design Handbook
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• PCI FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe PCI Foundation is an affiliated nonprofit organization focused on advancing the mission of PCI through research, education, and university studio programs. It supports Project Precast and the Professors Conference, and manages grantmaking processes including proposal review and funding decisions.
• Florida Prestressed Concrete Association (FPCA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional affiliate organization for Florida providing continuing education, design assistance, and university support. Executive Director: Diep Tu, PE.
• Georgia/Carolinas PCI (GCPCI)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional affiliate covering Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Executive Director: Marti Harrell.
• PCI Mid-Atlantic (PCI-MA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional affiliate covering New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, Maryland & Washington D.C. Executive Director: Dawn Decker.
• PCI Central Region (PCI-C)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional affiliate covering Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, West Virginia, and Windsor, ON, Canada. Executive Director: Matt Ballain.
• PCI Gulf South (PCI-GS)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional affiliate covering Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama. Executive Director: Dan Eckenrode.
• PCI of Illinois & Wisconsin (PCI-IW)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional affiliate covering Illinois and Wisconsin. Executive Director: Joe Lombard.
• PCI Midwest (PCI-MW)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional affiliate covering Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota & South Dakota. Executive Director: Mike Johnsrud, PhD, PE.
• PCI Mountain States (PCI-MS)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional affiliate covering Colorado, Idaho, Montana, and Utah. Executive Director: James Schneider.
• PCI Northeast (PCINE)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional affiliate covering Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and New York. Executive Director: Sarah Patrie, PE.
• PCI West (PCI-W)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional affiliate covering California and Nevada. Executive Director: Ruth Lehmann, PE, PMP, LEED Green Associate.
• Precast Concrete Manufacturer's Association (PCMA)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPartner organization covering Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico. Executive Director: Chris Lechner. Phone: 866-944-7262.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• American Concrete Institute: ACI is the primary peer trade association setting codes, standards, and certification for concrete in North America (ACI 318, ACI 301). It overlaps directly with PCI on design standards and certification, competing for specifier mindshare in structural concrete.
• National Precast Concrete Association: NPCA is the closest direct peer — a trade association for precast concrete producers and erectors with its own plant certification program. It competes for the same organizational members and certification revenue that PCI pursues.
• National Ready Mixed Concrete Association: NRMCA is a parallel trade association for the ready-mix concrete industry. It offers overlapping certification (Concrete Plant Certification), sustainability (Green Business), and workforce development programs serving a complementary but adjacent concrete segment.
• Precast Concrete Manufacturers Association (Texas/OK/NM): PCMA is PCI's partner regional affiliate serving Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. It operates the same hub-and-spoke model for precast manufacturers in its territory and competes/cooperates with PCI for producer memberships.
• Post-Tensioning Institute: PTI is a specialty trade association setting standards and certification for post-tensioned concrete — a technology directly used in prestressed precast that PCI certifies. It is a closely adjacent peer with overlapping technical committee and member audiences.

Broad incumbents

• Portland Cement Association: PCA represents cement manufacturers upstream of PCI's precast members. It conducts industry research and advocacy on sustainability and resilience topics that intersect with PCI's priorities and is a partner/thought-leadership organization in the concrete value chain.
• American Institute of Steel Construction: AISC is the structural steel analog to PCI — a trade association setting steel design standards, certifying fabricators and erectors, and producing the Steel Construction Manual. It is comparable because it competes for specifier decisions (steel vs. precast) and operates an analogous certification plus publications model.
• Construction Specifications Institute: CSI is a trade association for building specifiers that publishes MasterFormat and certifies construction specifiers (CCS, CCCA). Its overlap with PCI lies in controlling specification language that drives plant and erector certification requirements in project documents.
• American Society of Civil Engineers: ASCE is a professional society publishing infrastructure standards and offering continuing education to the same engineer audience PCI serves. Comparable as a parallel professional body funding CE/credential programs and advocacy in the built environment.

Emerging players

• National Concrete Masonry Association: NCMA represents concrete masonry producers and operates adjacent certification programs (e.g., NCMA TEK manuals). It competes for the segment of designers choosing between precast/prestressed systems and CMU/masonry systems.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PCIprecast
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/pciprecast
• Facebookfacebook.com/pciprecast
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/precast-prestressed-concrete-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/pciprecast

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute