Abstract
The cement industry contributes 5–9% of global anthropogenic CO₂ emissions, and the long-term availability of conventional supplementary cementitious materials such as fly ash (FA) and slag is declining. Limestone Calcined Clay Cement (LC3), a ternary blend of Portland cement clinker, calcined clay (CC), and limestone (LS), offers a globally scalable alternative, reducing clinker content by up to 50% and CO₂ emissions by 30–40% relative to ordinary Portland cement (OPC). This review consolidates the evidence base for LC3 from the perspective of self-compacting concrete (SCC), covering raw material requirements, calcination conditions, hydration chemistry and microstructural development including fresh-state, mechanical, and durability behaviour of LC3-SCC systems. The evidence shows that LC3 matches or exceeds OPC compressive strength from 28 days onwards, exhibits superior chloride and sulphate resistance through pore-structure refinement, and satisfies EFNARC fresh-state criteria. The studies on carbonation resistance and high-temperature performance of LC3 are limited in the literature. Currently existing key knowledge gaps include rheological modelling across clay quality ranges, admixture compatibility, long-term durability data specifically for LC3-SCC, freeze-thaw and wet-dry performance, and the absence of standardised mix design guidance for LC3 in SCC applications.