Starting in the 1980s concretes with increasing compressive strengths started to become commercially available and primarily utilized in the construction of high-rise buildings. High-strength concrete (HSC) provides a high level of structural performance, especially in strength and durability, compared to traditional, normal-strength concrete (NSC).  .

Use of HSC offered economic advantages because concrete column size could be reduced, thus permitting more usable space. It also had application in the construction of prestressed girders for bridge construction and other specialized applications like offshore structures and infrastructure projects  in which high performance (e.g., low permeability) is required. 

Today concretes having compressive strengths up to 140 MPa and above can be produced, with strengths of 172 MPa and above attainable through use of special fabrication procedures.

Generally, concrete structural members perform well under fire situations. Studies show, however, that the performance of HSC differs generally from that of NSC and may not exhibit good fire performance. Spalling under fire conditions is one of the major concerns with HSC.