53 Grade Cement: Which Grade Cement Is Best?

Cement is one of the most used and essential building construction materials. Without the use of cement building construction can not be completed. Cement is used for various purposes like concrete making, cement mortar, cement block, and repair work in construction.

The grade of cement indicates the compressive strength of cement. Higher the grade of cement superior will be the quality and strength of cement used in construction work.

You buy cement we buy known about different grades of cement which are available in the market. The strength of cement is denoted by the grade of cement. There are mainly 3 types of cement grades available in the market such as 1. OPC 53 Grade Cement 2. OPC 43 Grade Cement3. OPC 33 Grade cement.

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53 Grade Cement

The OPC 53 grade cement is the most popular grade of cement used in construction. In fact, all the construction work where it is a bridge, road, dam, building, water tank, tunnel are used OPC 53-grade cement.

OPC 53 means, It gives compressive strength of 53 N/mm when it is tested for compressive strength as per Indian standard guidelines.

OPC 53 grade cement has better quality, strength, and less setting time compared to 33 and 43 grades of cement. Due to its high strength, is used for making concrete of higher grade (Above M20).

It is the best choice for all houses, buildings, apartments, and high-rise building construction work. It is also being used for pressing concrete work in bridges and other precast concrete works.

So, OPC 53 will be your final choice while purchasing cement for your dream home. But Just selecting OPC 53 is sufficient, the cement brand also has equal importance.

Be sure about which brand 53-grade cement is best and give you assurance about the quality of cement.

OPC 33 Grade

OPC 33-grade cement means ordinary portland 33-grade cement. In these, the number 33 represents the compressive strength of cement at end of 28 days of curing and tested as per Indian standard code recommendation.

It means, that if cement mortar cubes are tested for compressive strength after 28 days, it should be more than 28 N/mm for OPC 33 grade cement.

This cement grade was popularly used in plain cement concrete work and other unimportant work. OPC 33 grade cement is not recommended to be used for making a concrete mix of higher grade (More than M20). It can be used in a place where the strength of cement is not a big factor or lower strength can be accepted for work.

The OPC 33 grade is not used for important work as there is a higher grade of cement available in the market.

In fact, Most cement manufacturing companies have already stopped their production for many years.

So, keep these recommendations in mind while going to purchase the cement for house construction. Do not buy the lower grade of cement for quality construction work.

OPC 43 Grade Cement

The OPC 43 Grade cement gives compressive strength at end of 28 days of curing is 43 N/mm. These cement grades are used for making a concrete mix of higher grades up to M 30 grade of concrete.

The 43 grade of cement is manufactured by many companies like Ultratect, Ambuja, and ACC cement. It can be used for making precast concrete members, sewer pipes and fence posts, etc.

But, it is popularly used in plain cement concrete work and plastering work. It is recommended for work where strength and lower setting time can be accepted during construction.

Due to the higher 53 grade of cement available for construction, its use is limited in some areas.

So, you always go for a higher grade if you are constructing your own home.

PPC Grade of Cement

PPC’s full form is Portland Pozzolana cement is made of gypsum and pozzolanic material and fly ash which is the waste material of power plants. These types of cement are used where low heat of hydration is required during concreting work. It is mostly suitable for mass concrete work like bridge and dam construction work. It offers a good finished surface of the concrete.

PSC Grade of Cement

PSC means Portland Slag Cement is produced by internal grinding of Portland cement clinker. This cement is manufactured using partial slag and partial ordinary portland cement. As the slag is a waste product of power plants is eco-friendly construction material.

Super Grade of Cement

Super grade cement is possessed high compressive strength. This is one of the advanced and latest high-strength cement types manufactured by limited companies like Ultratech, and Ramco cement.

Best Cement In India For House Construction 2023

The following are the best cement in India for house construction. These are the top 10 cement in India nowadays.

UltraTech Cement
ACC Cement
Ambuja Cement
Shree Cement
Ramco Cement
The India Cements Limited
Binani Cement
Wonder Cement
JSW Cement

Price Of Various Cement In India

Cement Grade –	Grade 33 Cement	Grade 43 Cement	Grade 53 Cement
Cement Brand Name	Price (in Rs.)/ Bag	Price (in Rs.)/ Bag	Price (in Rs.)/ Bag
UltraTech	330	370	400
Shree	310	340	370
ACC	315	345	375
Ambuja	315	345	385
Ramco	335	355	415

Cement Price

1. IS Codes For 53 Grades Of Cement

For Grade 33 Cement IS 269 is recommended
Grade 43 Cement follows IS 8112 for construction
For 53 grade IS 12269 is recommended

2. Compressive Strength

Compressive Strength is calculated using the following procedure,

Water is added to the cement along with sand in proportion.
After proper mixing is ensured to obtain uniform concrete.
Which is later poured into formwork and cured till hardening.
Cubes obtained are tested in the lab for 3 days, 7, and 28 days of intervals.
Testing shows the strength obtained by cement in that time interval.

3. Initial Strength

The initial setting time of OPC 53 grade cement is less than OPC 33 and OPC 43 grade cement.

OPC 53 cement gains faster strength as water is added to cement and achieves 30% strength in 3 days, 70% in 7 days, and 100 % strength at end of 28 days.

Therefore, OPC 53 is the grade of cement that is most used in construction where faster concrete is required.

4. Heat Of Hydration

As the water is added to cement it reacts with chemicals available in cement and which produce heat. This process is called heat of hydration.

OPC 53 grade cement produces more heat of hydration compared to OPC 33 and OPC 43 grade cement. The high heat of hydration can cause small cracks in concrete during the initial stage of curing.

Therefore, The OPC 53 grade cement is neglected in mass concrete work, or ice is added to the concrete mix to keep the heat of hydration under control.

5. Price Comparison

There is no big difference between the price of these 3 grades of cement, but quality matters.

The following is the price of cement per bag

OPC 53 Grade	OPC 43 Grade	OPC 33 Grade
Rs. 300-380 per bag	Rs. 280-320 per bag	Rs. 265-300 per bag

Cement Price per Bag

Cement Types	OPC 53 Grade	OPC 43 Grade	33 Grade
Compressive Strength
3 days	27	23	16
7 days	37	33
28 days	53	43	33
Soundness
Maximum (mm)	10	10	10
Minimum (m)	0.8	0.8	0.8
Setting Time (Min)	Initial – 30 min,Final – 600 min	Initial – 30 min,Final – 600 min	Initial – 30 min,Final – 600 min
Fineness (cm²/gm)	2250	2250	2250

Difference between 33, 43, and 53 grades of cement

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