Cement concrete materials are one of the most widely used building materials in modern infrastructure, but their production process is associated with high energy consumption and significant carbon emissions, imposing substantial environmental and resource pressures. While traditional mineral admixtures (such as fly ash and slag) can improve concrete workability, enhance mechanical properties, reduce hydration heat, and improve durability by partially replacing cement, they suffer from low early-stage activity. The application of advanced grinding or sorting technologies to refine mineral admixtures into ultrafine particles has proven effective. This process increases the specific surface area of the admixtures, thereby enhancing particle surface energy and reactivity, which compensates for the deficient early-stage activity of conventional mineral admixtures. Ultrafine mineral admixtures demonstrate remarkable potential in improving concrete workability, early-stage mechanical performance, and durability. In recent years, this approach has garnered widespread attention in academic and industrial research.This paper first elucidates the characteristics of fly ash microsphere, ultrafine fly ash, and ultrafine slag powder. Subsequently, it systematically investigates the impacts of these three typical ultrafine mineral admixtures on various properties of cement and concrete, accompanied by comparative analyses of their performance differences compared with conventional mineral admixtures. Furthermore, the intrinsic properties, compatibility design principles, and comprehensive effects of ultrafine composite mineral admixtures on cement concrete performance are expounded. Finally, the current application status of ultrafine mineral admixtures in cement concrete is summarized. Ultrafine mineral admixtures exert multiple beneficial effects in cementitious systems, including filling effect, morphological effect, nucleation effect, pozzolanic effect, density effect, dispersion effect, specific surface area effect, and interfacial effect. Their dosage and fineness significantly influence critical parameters such as water demand for standard cement consistency, setting time, rheological properties, and hydration heat release. Appropriately formulated fly ash microsphere, ultrafine fly ash, or ultrafine slag powder with optimized fineness can enhance concrete workability, improve durability, inhibit shrinkage, and suppress alkali-aggregate reactions, though potentially compromising carbonation resistance. These materials also demonstrate pore structure refinement, microstructural optimization, and mechanical performance enhancement. The primary distinction between ultrafine and conventional mineral admixtures (e.g., fly ash and slag) lies in particle fineness, which yields differential performance outcomes despite sharing identical chemical reaction mechanisms. Conventional admixtures typically enhance concrete workability, long-term strength, and durability at the expense of early-age strength reduction. In contrast, ultrafine variants leverage superior pozzolanic reactivity and filling capability, where the increased specific surface area amplifies nucleation effects, leading to significant improvements in early-age strength development and workability. Their micro-aggregate effect and enhanced pozzolanic activity further contribute to more pronounced durability enhancement. Compared with single-type ultrafine admixtures, ultrafine composite mineral admixtures employ “gradient hydration” and “functional complementarity” mechanisms to synergistically accelerate hydration processes. This strategy effectively increases amorphous C-S-H gel formation, optimizes pore structure of hardened paste, and enhances matrix compactness through multi-scale interactions. In the concrete mix design, the dosage of ultrafine mineral admixtures is recommended to be controlled between 20% and 35%, which can significantly improve the workability and mechanical properties of concrete. However, excessive dosage may trigger a significant dilution effect, which is detrimental to the overall performance of concrete. Ultrafine mineral admixtures have shown great application potential in enhancing the workability of cement-based repair materials, manufacturing cement-based refractory materials, producing high-performance insulation materials, enabling steam-free curing of prefabricated components, and improving the comprehensive performance of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC). Currently, the application of ultrafine mineral admixtures mainly faces two major challenges: First, the relevant standard and specification system is still incomplete. Second, it is challenging to produce ultrafine powders that meet the standard requirements using diverse and complex raw materials. Due to the complex sources of mineral admixtures, the performance of ultrafine mineral admixtures can vary significantly, and improper dosage control may adversely affect the performance of concrete. Therefore, it is urgent to improve the standard specifications, enhance the preparation processes and equipment, reduce energy consumption and pollution, and further investigate their effects on the hydration mechanisms of cementitious materials to promote their wider application.Summary and prospectsCompared with traditional mineral admixtures such as fly ash and slag, ultrafine mineral admixtures, characterized by higher specific surface area and pozzolanic reactivity, have shown significant advantages in improving the workability, mechanical properties, and durability of cementitious materials. Against the backdrop of green and low-carbon transformation in the cement and concrete industry, significant progress has been made in the application research of ultrafine mineral admixtures. By reducing the clinker factor and decreasing the cement content per unit of concrete, they provide an effective pathway for achieving sustainable development in building materials. Future research should focus on the following key areas: First, improving existing grinding equipment and processes to achieve rational composite grinding of mineral admixtures, thereby enhancing quality and reducing costs. Second, leveraging artificial intelligence technology to accurately predict the performance of ultrafine mineral admixtures, significantly improving design efficiency. Third, conducting in-depth studies on the hydration synergistic effects and microstructural evolution mechanisms of different ultrafine mineral admixtures. Fourth, refining technical standards and specifications to promote product quality improvement and the expansion of application fields. With technological advancements and increasing environmental demands, ultrafine mineral admixtures will play a more important role in enhancing the performance of cement concrete, reducing costs, and driving the development of green buildings.