Concrete or Cement: What is the Difference? : a blog discussing the different types and applications of cement, concrete, mortars, grouts and other related materials.

Concrete and cement are not interchangeable terms. Cement is actually an ingredient of concrete. The primary binding material in concrete is cement. Concrete gets stronger as it gets older. Portland cement is not a brand name, but the generic term for the type of cement used in virtually all concrete, just as stainless is a type of steel and sterling a type of silver. Cement comprises from 10 to 15 percent of the concrete mix, by volume. Through a process called hydration, the cement and water harden and bind the aggregates into a rocklike mass. This hardening process continues for years, which is why concrete gets stronger as it gets older.

Concrete or Cement: What is the Difference? : a blog discussing the different uses of concrete and cement and which one is right for your project.

Concrete or Cement: What is the Difference?

Cement, concrete, cement or concrete—they aren’t really the same thing but they do have some similarities. Concrete is commonly used as a foundation for buildings, but it can also be used to make countertops, furniture, and flooring.

What is Cement?

Cement is a powdery ingredient of both concrete and mortar, and is made from lime stone, clay, shells and silica sand. It’s combined with water, sand and gravel to create concrete. The water causes the hardening through a process called hydration. Hydration creates gel that fills the gaps between each of the other ingredients in the mixture and binds them together into solid stone-like material.

Concrete or Cement: What is the Difference?

This question has been asked a lot, and we have heard many responses. We have gotten all kinds of responses from “they are the same thing” to “there is nothing that concrete and cement have in common.” The truth is somewhere in between.

Cement is an ingredient in concrete and mortar. If you are not familiar with them, you may be wondering why one would want to know the difference. After all, what does it matter, as long as you get the job done correctly?

It matters because there are some things that you can do with concrete that you cannot do with mortar, and vice versa. For example, if you use mortar to build a patio floor or driveway, it will crack and crumble over time. It lacks the strength needed for these uses.

Conversely, if you try to use concrete for projects such as a small walkway or a retaining wall, it will be more expensive than necessary and could crack under pressure because it is too rigid.

So we hope that this post has helped clear up any confusion about what cement, mortar and concrete are made of.

Concrete or Cement: What is the Difference?

Concrete and cement are not the same thing. There is confusion and misuse of these terms, mostly by people who should know better. So, let’s start by defining each term.

Cement is a powdery substance made with calcined lime and clay. It can be mixed with water, sand, and gravel to make concrete, the most widely used construction material in the world. But it doesn’t end there. Cement is also an ingredient in mortar, grout, and stucco, and as a binder in brick, concrete block, and concrete roofing tiles.

Hydration is a chemical process that occurs when water molecules combine with cement particles to form new compounds (tricalcium silicate [3CaO·SiO2], dicalcium silicate [2CaO·SiO2], tricalcium aluminate [3CaO·Al2O3], and tetracalcium aluminoferrite [4CaO·Al2O3Fe2O4]). These compounds are extremely small compared to the aggregate particles in fresh concrete but remain suspended indefinitely in the paste phase of hardened concrete.

Concrete and Cement: What is the Difference?

When it comes to building materials, cement and concrete are often used interchangeably. However, these terms do not mean the same thing. Concrete, in fact, is a component of cement. Cement is just one ingredient in concrete. The main difference between cement and concrete is that while cement is an ingredient used in the production of concrete, concrete is a construction material in and of itself.

Definition

Cement is a fine-grained powdery substance made up of a mixture of elements that can bind together certain materials to form a hydraulic cement. When mixed with water, it hardens to form solids with adhesive properties. Cement is defined as a bonding agent that hardens over time after mixing with water and has adhesive properties when used with stone or brick products.

Concrete is a mixture of aggregates (sand, gravel, small rocks) and paste (water and portland cement). It has been defined as cementing material which when mixed with sand, gravel or other aggregates forms a composite stone like material called concrete. It should not be confused with cement which on its own does not have any adhesive properties but acts as a bonding agent for other materials such as bricks, stones etc.

There are many misconceptions about concrete and cement. As a result, there is often confusion about which product should be used in different applications.

It’s easy to see how people can confuse the two products because they are similar and often used interchangeably. But, in actuality, cement is an ingredient in concrete. Concrete is made up of three basic components: water, aggregate (rock, sand, or gravel) and Portland cement. Cement acts as the binding agent or glue. When mixed with water, it acts as the paste that holds together the aggregates to make concrete.

Portland cement is manufactured through a closely controlled chemical combination of calcium, silicon, aluminum, iron and other ingredients. Common materials used to manufacture cement include limestone, shells, and chalk or marl combined with shale, clay, slate, blast furnace slag, silica sand, and iron ore. These ingredients when heated at high temperatures form a rock-like substance that is ground into the fine powder that we commonly think of as cement.

The short answer is: No. Cement is an ingredient of concrete. Concrete is a mixture of aggregates and paste. The aggregates are sand and gravel or crushed stone; the paste is water and portland cement. Concrete gets stronger as it gets older. Portland cement is not a brand name, but the generic term for the type of cement used in virtually all concrete, just as stainless is a type of steel and sterling a type of silver. Cement comprises from 10 to 15 percent of the concrete mix, by volume.

Through a process called hydration, the cement and water harden and bind the aggregates into a rocklike mass. This hardening process continues for years, which is why concrete gets stronger as it ages.

Concrete has been around for thousands of years – the Romans used it in their buildings, and there are still some standing today! It was not until 1824 that Aspdin invented “Portland cement” (named after its resemblance to Portland stone), which came to dominate world trade in hydraulic cements. Although lime cements date back thousands of years, we now use portland cement to make concrete because it can be made relatively cheaply, easily transported over long distances, and has very reliable properties when mixed with water