Different Grades of Concrete | Based on IS,

American Standard & European Standard

Table of Contents

   Grades  of Concrete  
o   1.1. Grades of Concrete Based on IS  
 Table – Grades of Concrete Based on IS
  1.1.1. Normal grades of concrete 
  1.1.2. Standard grades of concrete 
  1.1.3. High strength concrete grades 
  1.1.4. Tricks to remember the different mixture of grades of concrete 
o   1.2. Grades of Concrete Based on British Standard (BS)  
  1.2.1. Standard strength concrete grades 
  1.2.2. High-performance concrete grades 
o   1.3. Grades of Concrete Based on European Standard  
o   1.4. Grades of Concrete Based on American Standard  
o   1.5. Grades of Concrete Based on Canadian Standard  
o   1.6. Grades of Concrete Based on Australian Standard  

Concrete is the homogeneous mixture of cement or lime, sand, aggregate, and water in a
fixed proportion.

Its quality plays a vital role in the strength and durability of the structure. Hence, the quality
of concrete is expressed in terms of grade.

Higher the grade of concrete; higher will be the quality and vice versa.

  Grades  of Concrete  
Different nations have their own grade of concrete. We will discuss some of them.

  1.1. Grades of Concrete Based on IS  

The grade of concrete is the minimum strength that the quality-controlled concrete posses
after 28 days of construction.

There are different grades of concrete like M15, M20, M25, M60, etc.

For small-scale constructions; normal grade concretes like M10, M15 & M20 are used.
For large scale constructions; standard-grade & high-grade concrete like M25,M40, M45,
M50, etc are used.

There is a requirement of design mix in high-grade concretes.

{Note: 

In M20 grade concrete

“M” stands for Mix ratio of cement:sand: aggregate  &  “20 “Stands for Compressive
Strength.

Table – Grades of Concrete Based on IS

 

{Note:

~ Concrete less than M20 grade should not be used in the RCC work as per code IS
456:2000.

~ PQC stands for Pavement Quality Concrete.

 1.1.1. Normal grades of concrete 

 
a. M5 Grade 

o Mixing Ratio is 1:5:10 ( 1 part of cement, 5 parts of sand and 10 parts of aggregate).
o Compressive strength is 5 MPa.
o Used in foundation bed to prevent direct contact between soil and foundation
concrete.

b. M7.5 Grade

o Mixing Ratio is 1:4:8 ( 1 cement part: 4 sand part: 8 aggregate part).

o Its compressive strength is 7.5 MPa.
o Used in foundation bed to prevent direct contact between soil and foundation
concrete. (same as M5)

c. M10 Grade

o Mixing Ratio is 1:3:6 ( 1cement part: 3sand part: 6 aggregate part).

o Its compressive strength is 10MPa.
o Used in the base of footing, construction of levelling works, road construction, etc.

d. M15 Grade

o Mixing Ratio is 1:2:4 ( 1cement part: 2 sand part: 4aggregate part).

o Its compressive strength is 15 MPa.
o Used as Plain cement concrete ( PCC).
o Used in the base of footing, construction of levelling works, road construction, etc.

e. M20 Grade

o Mixing Ratio is 1:1.5:3 ( 1cement part: 1.5 sand part: 3aggregate part).
o Its compressive strength is 20 MPa.
o Used as Reinforced Cement Concrete(RCC).
o Used for construction of slabs,beams,columns,etc.

 1.1.2. Standard grades of concrete 

a. M25 Grade 
 o Mixing Ratio is 1:1:2 ( 1cement part: 1 sand part:2aggregate part).
o Its compressive strength is 25 MPa.
o Used as Reinforced Cement Concrete(RCC).
o Used for construction of slabs,beams,columns,etc.

b. M30 Grade

o M-30 Mix Designs as per IS-10262-2009

o Used as Reinforced Cement Concrete(RCC).
o Used for construction of slabs,beams,columns,etc.

c. M35 Grade

o M-35 Mix Designs as per IS-10262-2009

o Used as Reinforced Cement Concrete(RCC).
o Used for construction of slabs,beams,columns,etc.

d. M40 Grade

o M-40 Mix Designs as per IS-10262-2009

o Used as Prestressed Concrete.
o Used for construction of slabs,beams,columns,etc.

e. M45 Grade

o M-45 Mix Designs as per IS-10262-2009

o Used as Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC)

Used in the followings:

i. Runways

ii. Concrete Roads (PQC)

iii. Pressurized Concrete Girders

iv. Pressurized beams

v. RCC Columns

 
f. M50 Grade

o M-50 Mix Designs as per IS-10262-2009

o Used as Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC)

Used in the followings:

i. Runways

ii. Concrete Roads (PQC)

iii. Pressurized Concrete Girders

iv. Pressurized beams

v. RCC Columns

g. M55 Grade

o M-55 Mix Designs as per IS-10262-2009

o Used in the Pressurized Concrete Girders.
o Used in the Pressurized Concrete Piers.

 1.1.3. High strength concrete grades 

For M60  to M80 Grade of Concrete

These grades of concrete are used in the  following sectors:

a. Construction of high rise buildings, spillways of dams, long-span bridges, etc.

b. It can be used in the work where the environment is quite aggressive.

 1.1.4. Tricks to remember the different mixture of grades of concrete 

M5 has 1:5:10

M7.5 has 1:4:8

M10 has 1:3:6

M15 has 1:2:4

M20 has1:1.5:3

M25 has 1:1:2

From this list we can note;

a. The ratio of cement is constantly 1 for M5 to M25.

b. The ratio of sand is in descending order from 5 to 1.(except M20 of 1.5)

c. The ratio of aggregate is equal to 2 times of ratio of sand of grades.

Examples:

For M5,

5 part sand: ( 5×2) part aggregate

For M7. 5,

4 part sand: ( 4×2) part aggregate

And so on.

  1.2. Grades of Concrete Based on British Standard (BS)  

 

As per BS 8500-2; the grades of concrete is represented as C10, C20, C40, etc.

{ Note: 

In C10 grade concrete

‘C’ represents Concrete Strength Class and 10 represents 10 N/mm² Compressive

Strength of Concrete @ 28 days when tested with the 15cm dia & 30cm height cylinder in
a direct compression test. }

 1.2.1. Standard strength concrete grades 

a. C10 Concrete Grade

o It is also known as Gen1 concrete.

 o It gains 10 N/mm² compressive strength in 28 days.
o It can be used in trench fills, general floor binding, agricultural formations and
drainage.
o It is not suitable for structural mass formations.

b. C15 Concrete Grade

o It is also known as Gen2 concrete.

o It gains 15 N/mm² compressive strength in 28 days.
o It can be used in the construction of short walls, residential flooring, temporary
structures, etc.
o It is not suitable for large scale projects.

c. C20 Concrete Grade

o It is also known as Gen3 concrete.

o It gains 20 N/mm² compressive strength in 28 days.
o It is used in the construction of lightweight foundations, internal floor slabs,
driveways, garages, and sheds.

d. C25 Concrete Grade

o It is also known as  ST2.

o It is used in residential and commercial building projects for the construction of
foundations, reinforced bases, etc.

 1.2.2. High-performance concrete grades 

e. C30 Concrete Grade

o It is also known as ST3 or PAV1.

o It gains 30 N/mm² compressive strength in 28 days.
o It is used in reinforced bases, pavement construction, etc.

f. C35 Concrete Grade

o It is also known as PAV2.

 o It gains 35 N/mm² compressive strength in 28 days.
o It is used in large scale projects and constructions.

g. C40 Concrete Grade

o It gains 40 N/mm² compressive strength in 28 days.

o It is used in the construction of large industrial support beams and foundations.

  1.3. Grades of Concrete Based on European Standard  

The grades of concrete are represented as C16/20, C20/25, C25/30, C30/45, etc. ; which
means C represents Concrete Strength Class and the number behind C refers to
Compressive strength of Concrete in N/mm² when tested with Cylinder / Cube.

{ Note:

1MPA = N/mm2 }

Concrete Grade fck (MPa) fck, cube (MPa) Ecm (GPa)

C12/15 12 15 27
C16/20 16 20 29
C20/25 20 25 30
C25/30 25 30 31
C30/37 30 37 33
C35/45 35 45 34
C40/50 40 50 35
C45/55 45 55 36
C50/60 50 60 37
C55/67 55 67 38
C60/75 60 75 39
C70/85 70 85 41
C80/95 80 95 42
C90/105 90 105 44

Ecm = Elastic modulus of concrete

  1.4. Grades of Concrete Based on American Standard  

Cylinder strength (MPa or
Concrete Mix Cylinder Strength (psi)
N/mm²)
2000 2000 13.8
3000 3000 20.7
4000 4000 27.6
5000 5000 34.5
6000 6000 41.3
8000 8000 55.2
10000 10000 68.9

  1.5. Grades of Concrete Based on Canadian Standard  

The concrete grades of strength 20 Mpa to 40 MPa are listed in Canadian standard for the
general use.

The strength of concrete greater than 70 MPa is classified into high strength concrete.

Highest strength of concrete 220 MPa has also been used in building applications.

  1.6. Grades of Concrete Based on Australian Standard  

Prefix N is used to symbolize concrete grades and value of the strength of concrete ranges
from N20 to N100 in Australian standard.
Concrete Mix Cylinder Strength (MPa)
N20 20
N25 25
N32 32
N40 40
N50 50
N65 65
N80 80
N100 100

Read More: Types of Concrete 

In other words, when water is added to a mixture of cement, fine and coarse aggregates, a
workable paste is formed which hardens with time. Such paste is known as concrete.

The binding material such as cement reacts with the water and other constituents to form a
hard matrix that binds the materials together into a durable stone-like material that has many
uses. Concrete is a type of construction material used all over the world. It is often said that
the present age is a concrete age.

Concrete is extensively used for the construction of columns, beams, foundations, slabs and
other load-bearing elements of buildings, roads, dams, bridges etc.

The growing popularity of the concrete in civil engineering works is due to its distinctive
characteristics like strength, durability, low-maintenance, energy-efficiency and
sustainability.

The major application areas of concrete include the following:

a. Concrete Dams

b. Residential and Commercial Buildings

c. Roads and Driveways

d. Foundations

e. Culverts and Sewers

f. Fences

g. Concrete Bridges
h. Marine Constructions

  2. Types of Concrete  
The classification of concrete is done based on various factors such as types of material used
in the preparation of concrete, the density of concrete, nature of the stress conditions etc. The
different types of concrete have been further discussed below:

  a. Plain Concrete / Ordinary Concrete  

Plain concrete is also commonly referred to as ordinary concrete.

It is one of the most extensively used concrete all over the world.

The plain concrete essentially constitutes of cement, sand, and coarse aggregates mixed with
a definite proportion of water.

The proportion of the different constitutes may vary depending upon the application of the
concrete. The most commonly adopted proportion of plain concrete is 1:2:4.

Plain concrete is widely used for the construction of buildings, pavements, dams and other
structures where high tensile strength is generally not required.

Some of the important properties of plain concrete can be listed as follows:

a. The density of plain concrete varies from 2200 kg/m³ to 2500 kg/m³.

b. The compressive strength of plain concrete varies from 200 kg/cm² to 500 kg/cm².

c. The degree of durability of plan concrete is satisfactory.

Some of the uses of Plain Concrete can be listed as follows:

a. It can be used as bed concrete below the wall footings, column footings as well as on the
walls below the beams.

b. It can be used as sill concrete to achieve an even and hard surface at the window sills and
the ventilator sills.

c. It can be used for the coping works over the parapet walls and the compound walls.
d. It can be used for the construction of buildings, retaining walls and pavements that do not
require high tensile strength.

e. It can be used for the dam construction and lining of storage tanks and reservoirs.

f. It can also be used for the plinth protection works.

However, a major limitation of Plain Concrete is that it is not suitable for construction of the
structures that are likely to be subjected to wind loads, seismic loads etc.

  b. Lightweight Concrete  
Lightweight concrete can be defined as the type of concrete that has a density of less than
1920kg/m³.

The lightweight concrete is also commonly referred to as the cellular concrete.

This type of concrete contains a mixture of lightweight coarse aggregates, fine aggregates,
binding material and water in a definite proportion.

The lightweight aggregates that are commonly used include expanded shale, clay and other
similar materials that have been burned in a rotary kiln and thus have developed a porous
structure.

Sometimes, blast furnace slag is also used as aggregate for the lightweight concrete.

Mostly, the density of the lightweight concrete may vary between 1440kg/m³ to 1840kg/m³.

Some of the uses of lightweight concrete can be listed as follows:

a. It is extensively used for the screeds and thickening purposes such as thickening of roofs,
floors etc.

b. It can be used for the casting of structural steel to prevent it from fire hazards, corrosion
etc.

c. It can be used for the heat insulation on roofs as well as for the insulation of water pipes
and walls.

d. It can be used for the construction of general partition walls and panel walls in the frame
structures.

e. It can be used for the surface rendering of external walls in residential buildings.

f. The possibility of spalling is relatively lower in lightweight concrete.

 

Some of the advantages of lightweight concrete can be listed as follows:

a. The lightweight concrete greatly reduces the dead load and thus allows longer span.

b. The decreased dead load also ensures lower haulage and handling costs and thus a faster
construction rate can be achieved.

c. The use of lightweight concrete in the construction of floors, partition walls, external
cladding and other structural members of the frame structures can offer greater flexibility in
design and also save the time and cost of construction.

d. Due to the low thermal conductivity of the lightweight concrete, it can be used for the
insulation works.

However, a major disadvantage of the lightweight concrete is that the depth within which
corrosion can occur is nearly twice than that of normal concrete.

  c. High-Density Concrete  
As the name itself implies, it has a relatively higher density than other types of concrete.

This type of concrete is also commonly referred to as the heavyweight concrete.

The high-density concrete is manufactured from the high density crushed rocks and similar
coarse aggregates such as barites, magnetites etc.

Mostly, the density of such concrete ranges from 3000 kg/m³ to 4000 kg/m³.

Some of the important uses of high-density concrete can be listed as follows:

a. It is extensively used in nuclear power plants and similar structures.

b. It is also used for high-density radiation shielding purposes.

 Some of the advantages offered by high-density concrete can be listed as follows:

a. It offers high gamma-ray and neutron attenuation.

b. This type of concrete has good mechanical properties and is suitable for a wide range of
structural constructions.
However, the major disadvantage of the high-density concrete is that it has an extremely
heavyweight and thus the handling of such concrete may be troublesome.

  d. Reinforced Concrete  
The reinforced concrete is very commonly referred to as RCC i.e. reinforced cement
concrete.

It is obtained from the conventional cement concrete after the addition of reinforcement in it.
The reinforcement includes the steel bars, rods and meshes.

The primary objective of using the reinforced concrete is to ensure that the concrete has
considerable compressive as well as tensile strength.

It is made such that the reinforcements withstand the tensile forces while the concrete
withstands the compressive forces.

Some of the advantages of reinforced concrete can be listed as follows:

a. It imparts high compressive and tensile strength.

b. It offers good durability with low maintenance costs.

c. It offers considerable resistance to fire hazard and weathering.

d. The construction using this type of concrete requires less skilled manpower.

Some of the disadvantages of reinforced concrete can be listed as follows:

a. It does not have certainty of final strength i.e. the final strength of the reinforced concrete
depends upon mixing, casting and curing of the concrete.

b. This type of concrete is prone to the development of shrinkage cracks.

c. The tensile strength of reinforced concrete is only about one-tenth of the compressive
strength.

  e. Precast Concrete  
Precast concrete is a construction product produced by casting the concrete in the steel or
timber mould which is then cured and transported to the site for assembling.
This type of concrete is used in the beams, columns, panels, floors, tunnels, concrete lintels,
staircase units, fence and precast poles etc.

The major applications of the precast concrete can be listed as follows:

a. It is extensively used in the structural components such as beams, columns, panel walls,
floors etc.

b. It is also used for making various forms of pre-stressed precast building elements.

c. It is used for the various utilities such as water tanks, drainage chambers, septic tanks,
tunnels etc.

d. It can be easily moulded into any desired shape and thus are used in various architectural
monuments, sculptures etc.

The major disadvantage of precast concrete is that it is extremely heavy and large. Thus, the
handling and assembling of the precast concrete can pose significant difficulties.

  f. Pre-stressed Concrete  
It essentially consists of reinforcement bars that have been tensioned beforehand.

In other words, it is the type of concrete that permits the inclusion of predetermined
engineering stresses on it to counteract the stresses induced due to loading.

The pre-stressed concrete not only have considerable compressive strength but also have
considerable tensile strength. This is ensured by utilizing the high compressive strength of the
concrete along with the high tensile strength of the reinforcement bars.

It is the strongest and most reliable type of concrete. It is extensively used for the massive
structures constructions and various structural components such as columns, floor beams and
utilities such as railway sleepers, roofing etc.

Some of the main advantages offered by the pre-stressed concrete can be listed as
follows:

a. It offers a very high degree of durability and reliability.

b. It has higher strength and thus can withstand massive loads.

c. It requires fewer joints and lesser construction materials.

 
Some of the disadvantages of prestressed concrete can be listed as follows:

a. Pre-tensioning of the reinforcement bars must be done before they are embedded in the
concrete.

b. The installation of the pre-stressed concrete requires special equipment and tools such as
anchorage, jacks etc as well as highly skilled manpower.

c. The cost of prestressed concrete is relatively higher.

  g. Air-Entrained Concrete  
Air-entrained concrete consists of microscopic air bubbles that comprise about 4 to 7 %  of
the total concrete volume.

In this regard, the air-entrained concrete is manufactured using certain air-entraining agents
such as air-entraining admixtures and similar cement.

The most common types of air-entraining agents used include fatty acids, resins and fatty
alcohols.

The air bubbles in the concrete are microscopic with varying sizes.

The main purpose of adding the air bubbles in the concrete is to remove or minimize the
internal pressure by allowing space for the water to extend during the freezing of water.

Some of the advantages of air-entrained concrete can be listed as follows:

a. It offers a high degree of resistance to alternate freezing and thawing actions.

b. It is less susceptible to deterioration by abrasion, shrinkage crack and scaling.

c. It offers a greater degree of workability.

However, the major drawback of the air-entrained concrete is that the addition of the air-
entraining agent significantly increases the porosity of the concrete thereby increasing the
total unit weight of the concrete.

  h. Lime Concrete  
As the name itself implies, lime is used as binding material.
It is a mixture of coarse aggregates, fine aggregates and lime in a suitable proportion of
water.

Lime concrete was used extensively in ancient times.

Some of the important properties of lime concrete can be listed as follows:

a. It is capable of withstanding considerable magnitude of loads.

b. It offers a high degree of plasticity as well as workability.

c. It has good resistance to weathering actions.

d. It also possesses significant waterproofing property and volumetric stability.

e. The setting time of lime concrete is relatively longer.

f. It consumes less energy during production and the carbon dioxide emitted is also lower.

Some of the advantages offered by lime concrete can be listed as follows:

a. It is cheap and readily available.

b. It is suitable for almost all type of load-bearing constructions such as beams, columns,
walls etc.

c. Due to its waterproofing property, lime concrete can be used to prevent the dampness in
floors and walls.

Some of the disadvantages of lime concrete can be listed as follows:

a. It takes a considerably longer time to set.

b.The curing period of lime concrete is also longer.

c. The time taken by the lime concrete to gain strength is longer.

  i. Rapid Hardening Concrete  

As the name itself implies, it hardens within a very short period.
The hardening time of such concrete is only about 30 mins.

Due to the quick hardening property, it is extensively used in the construction works that
have to be completed within a short period.

Some of the major uses of rapid hardening concrete can be listed as follows:

a. It is widely used for the repair of road pavements.

b. It is also used for underwater construction works.

  j. Asphalt Concrete  
Asphalt Concrete is made up of a mixture of aggregates and asphalt cement.

Asphalt concrete is also commonly known as asphalt or blacktop.

Generally, the composition of asphalt concrete consists of 90-95% of aggregates and 5-10%
of asphalt cement.

This type of concrete also hardens within a relatively short period.

Some of the uses of asphalt concrete can be listed as follows:

a. It is widely used for the surfacing as well as repairing of the highway pavements, runways
in airports and parking lots.

b. It is also used for the construction of the core of embankment dams.

  k. Glass Concrete  
Glass concrete essentially consists of a mixture of binding materials and recycled glass as the
aggregates. It is a modern type of concrete.

The addition of recycled glass in the concrete enhances the thermal insulation properties.

Glass concrete is used for the architecturally important structures due to its pleasing aesthetic
properties.

 
  l. Roller Compacted Concrete  
Roller compacted concrete is the lean concrete that is placed and duly compacted utilizing
heavy earth moving equipment.

The most commonly used earthmoving equipment for this purpose is the heavy roller.

Roller compacted concrete consists of a very little amount of the binding material i.e. cement.
Due to this reason, the roller compacted concrete is mostly used for the filling and excavation
works.

Once the concrete is placed, compaction is done to ensure the concrete gains high density and
forms a hard monolithic block.

  m. Stamped Concrete  
Stamped Concrete consists of a mixture of aggregates, binding materials and stamped
materials.

Usually, the stamps of various design and pigments of different colours are added during the
plastic state to the concrete to increase the aesthetic appearance of the concrete.

The commonly used stamps are replicate stones, slate, flagstone, tile, brick etc.

Stamped concrete is widely employed for the architectural purpose such as for patios, pool
decks, driveways etc.

Some of the advantages of the stamped concrete can be listed as follows:

a. It greatly increases the aesthetic value of the constructions where it is used.

b. It is cheaper than pavers, bricks and tiles.

c. The stamped concrete offers great flexibility in terms of design and colour.

d. It is quite durable with a long life span.

Some of the disadvantages of stamped concrete can be listed as follows:

a. It is more susceptible to develop cracks.

b. It requires relatively more maintenance and repair.

c. It is also prone to damage by the alternate freezing and thawing action.

  n. Pumped Concrete  
Pumped concrete is transported utilizing rigid pipes or flexible hoes at suitable pressure and
directly discharged to the desired area.

Mostly, such pumping of the concrete is done when there is a limitation of space.

The common types of the pumping equipment used includes piston-type concrete pump,
pneumatic type concrete pump and squeeze pressure type concrete pump and the conveying
equipment includes rigid pipes, flexible hose, couplings etc.

The concrete must be mixed into a very workable mix so that it can easily be pumped.

For the ease of conveyance and discharge, a sufficient amount of the fines are added to the
mix.

Pumped concrete is extensively used for high rise buildings where other means of concrete
transportation is difficult.

  o. Vacuum Concrete  
In the vacuum concrete, a significant amount of water is first added to the concrete mix then
the mixture is duly poured in the formwork and finally the excess water is removed utilizing
the vacuum pump or vacuum mats. Thus, the name vacuum concrete is given to this type of
concrete.

The main purpose of dewatering the excess water from the concrete is to ensure early gain of
strength of concrete.

Usually, the vacuum concrete gains its strength within 10 days.

Some of the advantages of vacuum concrete can be listed as follows:

a. The curing period of vacuum concrete is very short.

b. The bond strength of vacuum concrete is about 20% higher than that of ordinary concrete.

c, The final strength of the vacuum concrete is also 25% higher than that of the ordinary
concrete.

d. Vacuum concrete has a relatively higher density.

e. This concrete also hardens rapidly and the formworks can be removed within thirty
minutes of pouring the concrete.

Some of the disadvantages of vacuum concrete can be listed as follows:

a. Vacuum concrete is more prone to damage by seepage and joint breakage.

  p. Permeable Concrete  
As the name itself implies, it permits a certain amount of water to pass through it.

Permeable concrete is designed such that it has high porosity.

The void content in the permeable concrete is about 15 to 20% to ensure the passage of water.

This type of concrete is highly suitable for areas where the passing of runoff and stormwater
exists.

It is used extensively in the sustainable construction techniques in the parking areas,

greenhouses, side lots etc.

  q. Shortcrete  
Shortcrete consists of the mixture of water, aggregates and binding materials like the ordinary
concrete but is sprayed pneumatically utilizing a nozzle.

The spraying of the shortcrete is done at a high velocity to ensure a homogenous mass of
concrete.

Apart from the regular constituents, the shortcrete also includes some additives such as silica
fumes to improve its characteristics.

Shortcrete if mixed and applied properly, develops high strength and is highly durable.

  r. Ready-mix Concrete  
Ready-mix concrete is already mixed and can be directly transported to the site.

Such type of concrete is prepared in the concrete plants and transported utilizing transit
mounted trucks.
It is highly suitable when the works have to be completed within a short period.

Some of the advantages offered by the ready-mix concrete can be listed as follows:

a. It reduces the total time required for the completion of works thereby ensuring the speed of
construction.

b. The use of ready-mix concrete reduces the overhead costs of labour.

c. It reduces the possible wastage of materials and has less impact on the environment.

  s. Self Consolidated Concrete  

Self consolidated concrete is also commonly referred to as self-compacting concrete (SCC).

Self consolidated concrete essentially consists of an extremely flowable mix that can easily
flow through the formwork.

Thus it does not require any form of mechanical consolidation.

This type of concrete is non-segregating in nature and offers a high degree of workability.

  t. Fibre Reinforced Concrete  

Fibre Reinforced Concrete consists of a mixture of aggregates, binding materials and
uniformly dispersed fibres.

Mostly, the fibre used includes steel fibres having a diameter ranging from 10 to 20 microns
and having a length of 10 to 50mm.

However, fibres made up of polymers, glass carbon etc may also be used.

The primary objective of adding such fibre is to increase the tensile strength, resilience and
flexibility of the concrete.

Fibre-reinforced concrete is extensively used as the overlays for road pavements, bridges,
runways etc.

  u. Fly Ash Concrete  

Fly ash concrete essentially consists of fly ash.
The fly ash may be used in place of the fine aggregates or cement or even both in some cases.

The most widely used replacement proportion is 30 % of fine aggregates and 20 % of cement.

The most commonly used fly ash is the one obtained from coals that is finer than cement
particles.

The primary objective of adding fly ash is to enhance the workability and durability of the
concrete.

  v. High-Strength Concrete  
High-strength concrete is also commonly referred to as high-performance concrete (HPC).

The concrete having a strength greater than 40N/mm² is known as high-strength concrete.

In general, the strength of such concrete ranges from 60N/mm² to 80N/mm².

The general composition of the high strength concrete consists of aggregates, binding
materials, water and additives such as fly ash silica fumes, superplasticizers etc.

Some of the important properties of high-strength concrete can be listed as follows:

a. It consists of very high strength and has good resistance to heavy loadings.

b. It also offers a high degree of resistance to fire hazards and shrinkage.

c. It has fair self-compacting property.

  w. Silica Fume Concrete  

Silica Fume Concrete consists of silica fumes added to it.

The silica fume is a finely divided particle mostly obtained as the by-product of silica.

The silica fumes are in actual six times finer than the cement particles.

The primary objective of adding the silica fumes is to reduce the pore spaces in the concrete
thereby ensuring that the concrete gains high strength.

  x. Polymer concrete  
Polymer concrete consists of additional substances known as polymers.

The primary objective of this concrete is same as that of the silica fume concrete i.e. to
increase the strength of the concrete by reducing the pore spaces present in the concrete.

The polymer concrete can be further classified into the following types:

a. Polymer Impregnated Concrete

b. Polymer Portland Cement Concrete

c. Polymer Concrete

d. Partially Impregnated and Surface Coated Polymer Concrete

  y. Ferro Cement Concrete  

The Ferro cement concrete is a mixture of water, aggregates, binding materials (cement) and
wire meshes.

The wire meshes are impregnated into the cement concrete in a closely spaced manner.

Mostly, the steel wires of diameter ranging from 0.5to 1mm are used to form such meshes.

The primary objective of adding such wire meshes is to increase the tensile strength and
ductility of the concrete.

  z. Pre-Packed Concrete  
Pre-packed concrete is the type of concrete in which the coarse aggregate is first packed into
the formwork followed by the pouring of cement-sand grout.

The addition of the cement-sand grout ensures that all the pores of the pre-packed aggregates
are filled thereby eliminating the shrinkage.

Such type of concrete is extensively used for large constructions with construction joints.

 
Articles Blog

Concrete Admixtures | 7 Types of Concrete

Admixtures | Functions of Concrete
Admixtures
Table of Contents

   1. Introduction  
   2. Functions of Admixtures   
   3. Types of Concrete Admixtures  
o a. Air- entraining agents: 
o b. Retarders: 
o c. Accelerators: 
 o d. Water-proofers: 
o e. Pozzolanas: 
o f. Pigments: 
o g. Workability agents: 

  1. Introduction  
A concrete admixture is a material other than water, sand, aggregate and cement and is added
to the batch immediately before or during its mixing. It is used to improve or give special
properties to concrete. It should not adversely affect any properties of the concrete. The
admixture is generally added to a concrete mix in a relatively minute quantity.

The degree of control must be higher to ensure that overdosages that are unlikely to occur.
Excess quantity of admixture may cause harm to the properties of concrete.

  2. Functions of Admixtures   
Some of the important purposes for which the admixtures could be used are:

1. To accelerate the initial setting of concrete.

2. To retard the initial set.

3. To increase the strength of concrete.

4. To reduce the heat of evolution.

5. To improve the workability.

6. To inhibit the corrosion of concrete.

7. To increase the durability of concrete.

8. To increase the bond of concrete to the steel reinforcement.

9. To increase the resistance to chemical attacks.

10. To control the alkali-aggregate expansion.

11. To reduce the segregation in grout mixtures.

12. To decrease the weight of concrete per cubic meter.

13. To produce coloured concrete or mortar for coloured surfaces.

14. To produce concrete of fungicidal, germicidal and insecticidal properties.

15. To strengthen the bond between new and old concrete surfaces.

  3. Types of Concrete Admixtures  

There are 7 types of concrete admixtures that are commonly used:

a. Air- entraining agents: 

The main objects of entraining air in concrete are:

i. To increase the workability and

ii. To improve its resistance to weathering and especially to action of frost.

There are three main ways of incorporating air or gas cells in concrete:

1. By the use of gas-forming materials such as aluminium or zinc powder, hydrogen

peroxide.

2. By the use of surface-active agents which reduce surface tension. These are known as air-
entraining agents and are subdivided into:

i. Natural wood resins and their soaps, e.g. vinsol resin;

ii. Animal or vegetable fats or oils, their fatty acids and their soaps;
iii. Alkali salts of sulfonated or sulphated organic compounds such as synthetic detergents,
e.g. Darex.

3. By the use of cement dispersing agents.

Air-entraining should not be used unless site control is good, since the amount of air
entrained may vary considerably with changes in sand grading, errors in proportioning,
workability of the mix and temperatures.

b. Retarders: 

The retarders, as the name suggests delay the setting time of cement. Calcium sulphate, a
form of gypsum is generally added during the manufacture of cement to retard the setting.

Some other materials which are effectively used to retard the rate of hydration are
Ammonium chloride, ferrous and ferric chlorides, alkali bicarbonates, salts of carboxymethyl
cellulose etc.

c. Accelerators: 

The agents that are added to the cement to make it set and acquire strength more rapidly are
called accelerators.

Calcium chloride is a commonly used accelerator.

Sodium chloride may also be used as an accelerating agent.

d. Water-proofers: 

These may be obtained in powder, paste or liquid form and can consist of pore-filling
materials or water-repelling materials. They can be chemically active or inactive.

Alkaline silicates notably silica of soda, aluminium and zinc sulphates and aluminium and
calcium chlorides are the chief pore-filling materials.

These are all chemically active and hence may accelerate the setting time of the concrete thus
making it more impervious at any early age.

Chalk, Fuller’s earth and talc in a very finely ground form are chemically inactive pore-filling
materials.

They improve workability and improve the density of concrete. Materials in the water
repellent class are soda and potash soaps.
 

e. Pozzolanas: 

Pozzolana is a siliceous material which while itself having no cementitious properties will
either be processed or unprocessed and in finely divided form, react in the presence of water
with lime at normal temperatures to form compounds of low solubility having cementitious
properties.

Pozzolanas may be natural or artificial. The examples are:

Natural:  Clay sand shale’s (to be calcined to become active), diatomaceous earth and
opaline cherts and shale’s and volcanic tuffs and pumicites etc.

Artificial: Ground blast furnace slag and fly ash.

Advantages

Following advantages are obtained through the use of pozzolanas:

1. The heat of hydration is reduced.

2. Workability with less amount of water is improved.

3. Attack from salts and sulphates are reduced.

4. Calcium hydroxide leaching is prevented.

Disadvantages: 

Some of the disadvantages of pozzolanas are:

1. Strength development is slowed.

2. Drying shrinkage may be increased.

3. Durability may be impaired.

f. Pigments: 

Pigments are substances added to produce coloured cement. The chief pigments used in
concrete are Brown, black, red, green, blue and yellow.

To obtain a good colouring effect, the pigment should be ground with cement in a ball mill.
 

g. Workability agents: 

Workability agents and water-reducing retarders are sometimes grouped together because
many materials appear to perform all these functions. These are mineral powder ground at
least as fine as the cement and usually much finer.

They are generally classified into three chemical types: Lignosulfonates, organic acid, and
carbohydrates. The excessive use of these agents may increase the shrinkage of concrete.