One of the most common questions we get from DIY enthusiasts is: ‘What’s the difference between concrete and cement? Aren’t they the same thing?’ Well, to put it simply, they aren’t the same. Cement is one of the key ingredients of concrete so it’s understandable that some people (excusing the pun) mix them up.
What is concrete?
Concrete is the most widely used building material in the world. It starts as a dry mixture of aggregates such as sand, gravel, and cement to which water is added to start the curing or hardening process. At Hills the mixture or ready-mix is made at one of our eight specialist plants. The wet mixture hardens over a short period of time to become rock-solid. The amount of time concrete takes to set is influenced by external temperatures. You may find that concrete takes a bit longer to set in cold temperatures.
There are different types of concretes from self-levelling ready-mixes in the form of liquid screeds, regular screeds, and specialist mixes.
The advantages of concrete are that it can be made to almost any shape and form. This enables DIY enthusiasts to make simple bases for garden structures such as garages or sheds. It also inspires architects to achieve ambitious designs which couldn’t be made in other materials.
What is concrete used for?
The most obvious use is to provide foundations for buildings of all sizes from sheds to skyscrapers. It is also used throughout the constructions process to make beams, decorative and retaining walls.
As it can either be poured on site or precast it is one of the most flexible building materials available. It provides strength and long-life in construction projects. It can be strengthened further using steel reinforcement bars or rebars as they are commonly known.
What is cement?
Cement is a binding material which is supplied as a fine, dry powder. There are different types of cement, but we mainly use Portland cement. Portland is the most commonly used cement worldwide. It is a combination of raw materials extracted and crushed mostly from limestone with the addition of extracts of clay, shale, chalk, sand, bauxite and iron ore.
Portland cement is a generic name and is so-called because of its resemblance to Portland Stone which is quarried in Dorset. Portland cement is defined as hydraulic which means that it needs water to become the binding material we need to make concrete.
What is cement used for?
While cement is mainly used as binding agent in concrete, it can also be used to make mortar and other specialist building materials such as renders and grouts.
What does Hills Quarry Products supply?
We supply concrete for varied building projects. It can be supplied for small DIY or hard to access projects via our mini-mix service or for larger projects via our regular fleet of mixers. Hills Quarry Products doesn’t supply cement.
What type of concrete do I need?
If you are already working with an experienced builder or architect, they can advise you. Or, if you need advice for a DIY project then please contact us via the button below…
