Submitted: 11.12.2025

Accepted: 26.01.2026

Published: 27.01.2026

Concrete pavement structures in Serbia and throughout the Western Balkans are still designed according to standards published more than 30 years ago, relying on material models derived from PBAB 87. Industrial floor slabs, although structurally almost identical to concrete pavements, are often designed according to foreign guidelines, using material properties determined in accordance with EN 206 and EC 2. Modern national regulation, including the Regulation on Technical Requirements for Concrete, SRPS EN 206:2021, SRPS U.M1.206:2023, and EC 2, requires a unified approach to defining concrete properties for all concrete structures. As a result, a significant discrepancy arises: structures exhibiting the same mechanical behavior are designed using different material models, with different values of tensile and flexural strength, modulus of elasticity, and compressive strength. This paper provides an overview of current design practice for concrete pavements and industrial floor slabs, with special emphasis on manipulation–traffic slabs used on industrial platforms. Concrete properties according to PBAB 87 / SRPS U.E3.020 are compared with those defined in EN 206 / EC 2, accompanied by a discussion on how this choice affects structural design. Since the second generation of EC 2 does not cover slabs on ground, the need to harmonize national road engineering standards with EN 206 is emphasized, as well as the need for the third generation of Eurocodes to introduce specific provisions for concrete pavements and industrial slabs.

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