The concrete made of OPC is the concrete that is recommended by most of the engineers. OPC stands for Ordinary Portland Cement. This cement is made with high quality clinker, gypsum and pozzolana materials. It has a high compressive strength and can be used in construction of strong structures. But there are different grades of this cement as well and therefore, it is important to know which grade of OPC will work best for your project.
Here are 5 rules that you should follow to choose the best cement for concrete.
OPC Cement is the most commonly used cement in the world. It has high strength and durability. OPC is made by grinding Clinker and Gypsum together. The most common variant of OPC is Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) 43 Grade.
You can find the best type of cement for concrete by following these rules:
1) Find out which brand is being used by your local reputable contractors.
2) Find out if the cement has passed all relevant tests for construction, for example, Compressive Strength Test.
3) Make sure that the cement you buy is fresh. Do not use old or left-over cement bags.
4) To check if it’s fresh, drop a handful of cement in a bucket full of water, if it tends to float then it’s old and vice versa.
5) Consult your civil engineer regarding the type of cement to be used for your house construction.
Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) is the most commonly used cement in the world and is used as a basic ingredient of concrete, mortar, stucco etc. The essential elements in its formation are lime, silica and alumina. OPC is available in three grades namely 33 grade, 43 grade and 53 grade having different compressive strength. The higher the grade of the cement the better is its quality and strength. The 53 grade OPC is used for RCC construction (slab, beam etc), 43 grade OPC for all types of masonry works and plastering.
The best cement for concrete should have the following properties:
1> It should be easily available
2> It should be durable
3> It should have good workability
4> It should have good compressive strength
5> It should not be costlier than other brands
How to choose the best cement for concrete?
[1] Start with a good quality cement. You may go for any major brand of OPC-43 or 53 Grade cement for construction.
[2] Do not buy any cement that you find in the market without checking its date of manufacture, unless it is from a very trusted source.
[3] If you are buying a bag that has been kept in the open, check its date of manufacture, and don’t buy bags older than 6 months. Bags that are older than six months are at risk of losing their strength and thus may not produce good quality concrete.
[4] Try using blended cements instead of OPC cement (OPC+GGBS/ PSC/ Fly ash). The use of blended cements can save clinker; make concrete more durable (due to lower permeability) and gives better workability due to micro-fine particles.
[5] Check if you can get the cement tested by an external agency before use.
Every mason and construction worker must know the best cement quality for his work, because the quality of cement is the major determinant of concrete strength. The same quality of concrete can be prepared using different types, qualities and brands of cement. Cement is the most important construction material which is used in every construction activity.
The properties of good cement are
1) Sufficiently resistant to sulfates
2) Proper initial setting time
3) Proper finel setting time
4) Satisfactory soundness
5) Good strength development rate at all ages
1. Always use OPC Cement for RCC (Reinforced Cement Concrete).
2. For masonry work, use PPC Cement (Pozzolana Portland cement).
3. If there is no requirement of strength, use low-heat cement.
4. For plastering work, use 53-grade OPC cement.
5. In the foundation, you can use 43-grade OPC cement and 33-grade OPC cement in the bedding course.
If you are a civil engineer, contractor or somebody who is involved in building construction with concrete, you must know the importance of cement in concrete.
Cement is an important ingredient of concrete. It acts as a binding material and makes concrete from individual ingredients like sand, coarse aggregate and water.
The important thing to be noted is that the cement should be good for the process of hydration. Hydration is a chemical reaction between cement and water to form silicates and hydroxides by which the concrete gets its strength.
The quality of cement is measured by its physical properties like fineness, soundness, setting time and so on. But what matters most is the compressive strength of concrete after 28 days from casting. To find out the strength at 28 days, standard tests are conducted in laboratories. These tests are based on IS standards. It includes 7-day test also where strength at 7 days shall not be less than 67% of strength at 28 days.