Generally, the low water-to-cement or binder ratio (w/c or w/b) of high-performance concrete (HPC) and ultra-high performance concrete (UHPC) 1 results in extremely low porosity and high compressive strength. However, it impacts significantly the hydration reaction due to the lack of free water and pore spaces. Insufficient water in low w/b pastes results in autogenous shrinkage and internal stresses caused by self-desiccation, which leads to the development of earlyage cracking (micro-or macro-cracks). 2 To mitigate the above problems, additional water should be provided within the concrete, which is referred to as internal curing (IC). 3,4,5 IC, through the use of pre-wetted lightweight aggregates (LWA) or superabsorbent polymers (SAPs), enables a subsequent release of water as cement hydrates, improving thus the degree of saturation of capillary pores while maintaining high internal relative humidity (IRH) in low w/b ratio cement-based materials. Besides, IC decreases the capillary stresses, promotes the hydration reaction 6 and improves laterage strength, 6 resistance to carbonate, 7 chloride ion penetration, 8 freeze-thaw resistance, 8,9,10 and self-sealing. 11,12,13,14 Compared with LWA, SAP is usually added in a dry state during mixing. 15 Upon addition, SAP absorbs part of the mixing water and gradually empties it after setting. The absorption capacity of SAP can be measured using direct or indirect methods such as the tea-bag method, 16,17 filtration method, 17 optical microscopy, 18 hydration heat method, 19 traditional