Differences Between Ready Mix and Site Mix Concrete

The concrete is mixed in a batching plant, where various ingredients such as cement, water, and aggregates are measured and mixed together to produce a consistent quality of concrete. Once the concrete is mixed, it is transported to the construction site in a truck mixer. Ready-mix concrete is ideal for large construction projects that require a high volume of concrete to be poured in a short amount of time.

Ready mix concrete and site mix concrete are two types of concrete used in construction projects. The main between ready mix concrete and site mix concrete is the way they are prepared and delivered to the construction site. Ready-mix concrete, as the name suggests, is concrete that is pre-mixed and delivered to the construction site.

Difference Between Ready Mix Concrete vs. site Mix Concrete

Difference between ready mix concrete and site mix concrete

Sr. No.	Activity	Site mixed concrete	Ready Mixed Concrete
1	Raw materials required at the location	Near site	At batching plant
2	Time	Less time required; as it is delivered ready for placement	More time is required; as it has to be mixed thoroughly
3	Weigh batching	Manually	Computerized
4	Accuracy while batching materials	Approximate	Computerized
5	Adjustment for moisture	Manually	Computerized
6	W/c ratio	Manually	Computerized
7	Admixture Dosage	Manually	Computerized
8	Discharge of concrete	On platform	Transit mixer or Pump
9	Degree of Control over Processes	Medium	Excellent
10	Yield of concrete	Variable	Consistent through all batches
11	Selection and Testing of Raw materials by	Client	Concrete supplier
12	Testing of Fresh Concrete at the interval of	Per 25 batches	Each batch
13	Storage of Materials	At various location	At single location
14	Space requirements	Large	Comparatively less
15	Delivery of Concrete	Manually	Transit mixers
16	Distribution of concrete	Multiple sites located in the vicinity of central batching plant	Can be distributed at a single site only
17	Mode of Placing Concrete	Manually OR Hoist OR Crane	Pumping
18	Wastage of material	Minimal	Material is wasted during storage and mixing at site
19	Size of a single batch of concrete	140 L	1000 L
20	Rate of Discharge of Concrete	3 m3/hr/mixer	3 m3/hr/plant
21	Rate of Placing Concrete	1.5 m3/hr	As needed; < 56 m3/hr

What Is Site Mix Concrete

Site mix concrete refers to the process of preparing concrete at the construction site itself, rather than having it pre-mixed and delivered by a ready-mix concrete supplier.

In site mix concrete, the raw materials like cement, aggregates, water, and admixtures are combined in the appropriate proportions and then mixed together to form the desired consistency. This can be done using portable mixers or mixer trucks, depending on the volume of concrete required.

Site-mix concrete requires more manual labor and equipment than ready-mix concrete, and the quality can be variable depending on the skill of the workers. However, it may be more cost-effective and convenient for smaller projects or projects in remote locations where transportation of pre-mixed concrete is not feasible.

Overall, the choice between site-mix concrete and ready-mix concrete depends on the specific needs of the project, such as volume requirements, quality standards, location, and budget.

Read More: What is a Concrete Pump? How it’s Better Than Normal Placing?

What Is Ready Mix Concrete?

Ready-mix concrete, abbreviated as RMC, is manufactured in either a batching plant or a factory where the constituents of concrete are batched as per the proportion mentioned and mixed together.

Then, this mixed concrete ready for placing is transported to the site of work through transit mixers mounted on the trucks. The very first ready-mix concrete was developed as early as 1930 itself, however, it gained popularity after 1960.

The first RMC plant in India started in 1992 in Pune. Nowadays, ready-mix concrete is widely used. The concrete is delivered to the site in the form of freshly mixed concrete that is still in the plastic state (i.e. Unhardened state).

No other treatment to the concrete is required after it is delivered to the site; it can be placed directly in the formwork. RMC is bought and sold in terms of the volume calculated in cubic meters.

Advantages of RMC

• Centralized concrete batching plant is established from where the concrete can be easily supplied to several sites.
• As the constituents are batched and mixed with precision, a better quality of concrete is produced.
• Also, the consistency in the quality of concrete can be maintained precisely.
• With a better quality of concrete, construction speed is increased and maintenance costs are reduced too.
• It can solve the problem of mixing concrete in narrow roads. The plant can be located in the remote industrial areas and the concrete ready to be placed is delivered to the site of place.
• The space consumed by the materials stored on the site is liberated.
• Hiring or procurement of machinery for concrete preparation is not required in the case of RMC.
• The noise and dust pollution at the site of work is reduced, as concrete mixers are mostly noisy.
• The labor engaged in the production of the concrete is also eliminated.
• Basic materials are not much wasted in the plant as compared to the site.
• Modern construction techniques can be easily implemented while using RMC.
• For mass concreting and construction work at narrow sites, RMC is quite useful.

Disadvantages of RMC

• It should be ensured first that the basic road and access roads to the site are not blocked.
• Traveling time from the plant to the site is crucial in the case of RMC. Batching of materials is done at the central plant. However, the mixing is carried out while the truck is in transport. If the time is not properly calculated and managed, then the concrete would not be appropriately mixed when it reaches the site.
• More careful planning is required as compared to on-site concrete as the mixed concrete ready for placement arrives at site and delay in placement may result in concrete starting to harden before placement.
• If there is traffic on the route, the setting of concrete may occur. The unpredictable nature of traffic may prove to be a problem during the transport of RMC.

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