Cement Vs Concrete: Know Everything About Them7 min read

What Is Cement?

Cement is a finely ground power material, which can work as a binder when water is added to it. It is a mixture of different compounds consisting mainly of silicates and aluminates of calcium formed out of silica, calcium oxide, aluminum oxide, and iron oxide.

It works is the same as the glue we use for sticking two objects together, but it can bind natural compounds like sand and aggregate. When water is added to cement the hydration process starts (hydration is the chemical process between water and cement) and produces a bond between sand and aggregate. That is the major difference between cement and concrete.

In concrete, the material sand and aggregate give the mass or body to the rete, while cement it functions is to bind the two materials together and fill the between them to make hard concrete.

There are different types of cement and its grade available in the market. Types of cement used to depend on the nature of work.

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Types of Cement Available in USA

Classification as per ASTM C150

1. Type I (Portland cement)
2. Type II (Sulphate Resisting Cement)
3. Type III (Rapid Hardening Cement)

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Types of Cement Available in Europe

Classification as per Euro EN 197-1

1. CEM I (Portland cement)
2. CEM II (Portland-composite cement)
3. CEM III (Blast furnace cement)
4. CEM IV (Pozzolanic cement)
5. CEM V (Composite cement)
6. Type IV (Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC)
7. Type V (Hydrophobic Cement)

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Types of Cement Available in India

1. Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC)
2. Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC)
3. Rapid Hardening Cement
4. Extra Rapid Hardening Cement
5. Quick Setting Cement
6. Low Heat Cement
7. Sulphate Resisting Cement
8. Portland Slag Cement (PSC)
9. High Alumina Cement
10. White Cement
11. Coloured Cement
12. Air Entraining Cement
13. Hydrophobic Cement
14. Masonry Cement
15. Expansive Cement
16. Oil Well Cement

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What Is Concrete?

Concrete is the most widely used and popular construction material, although no construction can be done without the use of concrete.

“Concrete is a composite material made by mixing different material like cement, sand, aggregate & water with or without admixture”

Concrete is the oldest and most used man-made material on earth. Its most common construction material is extensively used for buildings, bridges, roads, and dams. Its uses range from structural applications to sidewalk ways, curbs, pipes, and drains.

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How to Make Concrete

Steps of making concrete are given below:

1) Decide ratio of concrete (1:1.5:3 or 1:2:4).

2) Take out the material as per ration like,

1 – For cement (take 50 kg)

1.5 – Sand (take 50 x 1.5 = 75 kg)

3 – Aggregate (take 50 x 3 = 150 kg)

3) These two methods of mixing are concrete mixing and machine mixing.

4) First, add coarse aggregate on the floor and over it add sand then spread cement over it. Mix this ingredient well at least for 2 minutes.

 5) After that add water according to the water-cement ratio.

6) Mix all materials together for at least 2-4 min or up until all materials are well mixed and form a homogeneous mix.

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Types of Concrete

1. Normal Strength Concrete
2. Plain or Ordinary Concrete
3. Reinforced Concrete
4. Prestressed Concrete
5. Precast Concrete
6. Light – Weight Concrete
7. High-Density Concrete
8. Air Entrained Concrete
9. Ready Mix Concrete
10. Polymer Concrete
11. Polymer concrete
12. Polymer cement concrete
13. Polymer impregnated concrete
14. High-Strength Concrete
15. High-Performance Concrete
16. Self – Consolidated Concrete
17. Shotcrete Concrete
18. Pervious Concrete
19. Vacuum Concrete
20. Pumped Concrete
21. Stamped Concrete
22. Limecrete
23. Asphalt Concrete
24. Roller Compacted Concrete
25. Rapid Strength Concrete
26. Glass Concrete

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Advantages of Concrete

Following are the advantages of concrete,

• Availability of concrete ingredients easily.
• It can be easily handled and can be molded in any shape.
• It can be easily transported from one place to another place where it is required by truck mixer before the initial set takes place.
• Ability to pump/spray to fill into cracks and lining of tunnels.
• When reinforced, all types of structures are made possible from an ordinary lintel to massive flyovers
• Monolithic character gives a better appearance and much rigidity to the structure.
• The property of concrete to possess high compressive strength makes a concrete structure more economical than that of a steel structure.

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Difference Between Cement Vs Concrete

The following table shows show a comparison of Cement vs Concrete

Sr. No.	Cement	Concrete
1.	Cement is manufactured by a chemical combination of calcium, silicon, aluminum, iron, and other ingredients.	It is a mixture of cement, sand, aggregate, and water to form a strong mass.
2.	It is used as a bond agent in concrete, mortar.	Concrete is strong material used to cast structural components like columns, beams, and slabs, etc.
3.	When water is added to cement it produces heat of hydration.	Cement within concrete produces heat to hydration which helps in gaining strength.
4.	The strength of cement depends on the chemical composition of different ingredients used to make cement.	The strength of concrete depends on the water-cement ratio and concrete mix ratio of materials like cement, sand, aggregate, and water.
5.	Cement manufacturing is a complex process only possible in manufacturing factories.	Concrete making is a simple process. It can be made on a construction site with decent skilled work.
6.	Test of Cement: Fineness, Consistency, Initial and final cement time, soundness, specific gravity Test	Concrete Test: Compressive strength test, Slump test, Rebound hammer, Compaction factor test.

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Conclusion

There is a clear difference between cement and concrete. Cement and concrete are two different materials but they are used together to form a strong and durable mass called “concrete”. Cement is one of the main ingredients of concrete, without cement concrete cannot be made.

Cement works as a binding agent in concrete which binds all other ingredients of concrete together to form a strong mass. Concrete is a widely used construction material. In fact, no construction work can complete without the use of concrete nowadays.

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Infographic: Cement Vs Concrete

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