Concrete and Cement Complete Information | Thumb Rules For Cement and Concrete Work

Cement is one of the most important building materials that is used in building construction. Cement is the most important constituent of concrete and RCC.

Cement is costly material and it should be used wisely and efficiently. If more cement is used then the cost can increase manifold. And on the other hand, if less cement is used then the strength of building can also be compromised.

We have thus come forward with this extensive post about cement used in construction as advised and used by experience and guidelines.

Thumb Rule For Concrete Mix

The general thumb rule for nominal concrete mixes is shown below.

Thumb Rule for Concrete Work

1. The volume of concrete required is 0.038 m³/sqft area.
2. The standard weight of 1 bag of cement is 50 kg.
3. 1 bag of cement is equal to 1.25 cuft or 0.0347 m³.
4. In high-rise buildings, 0.5 bags of cement is required per square foot of area.
5. The density of cement is 1440 kg/m3.
6. The specific gravity of cement is 3.15
7. The average cost of concrete is 50 to 80$ per cubic meter.
8. The initial setting time of cement is 30 minutes and the final setting time of cement is 10 hrs.

Cement Required In Brickwork

The quantity of cement required in 1 m³ of brickwork for different sizes of brickwork varies. Below is a thumb rule for the brickwork cement required.

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Thumb Rule for Brickwork for different mix ratio thicknesses of brickwork along with cement sand required are given below.

Important Thumb Rule For Plastering

Cement required changes according to the type of plastering. The cement required for internal plastering is comparatively lowered than the cement required for external plastering.

Below is a table containing cement requirements for different types of plastering work.

Cement sand requirements for wall and ceiling plastering are shown below:

Thumb Rule For Cement Masonry Work

Cement requirement in masonry work varies according to cement masonry type and mix. The quantity of cement required for different cement masonry work and mixes is shown below.

Bulk Density of Cement

The density of cement according to type is shown below:

Types of Concrete

Concrete has evolved over time and different types of concrete is nowadays used in construction. A list of Concrete types used in construction is given below:

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

Setting Time of Cement

The cement hardens when it is mixed with water. But how much time is required for the setting of cement depends upon the cement type and grade of cement.

There are two setting times, they are

• Initial setting time of cement
• Final Setting Time of Cement

Initial Setting Time of Cement:

The initial setting time of cement is the time taken by the cement paste when it starts to lose its fluidity after water is added to it.

As we know after adding water cement starts to set. The time elapsed after the addition of water and cement fluidity begins to lose is known as the initial setting time of cement.

Initial setting time is measured with the help of Vicat Apparatus. Generally, the initial setting time of cement is 30 minutes.

Final Setting Time:

Time intervention between the first addition of water and when the cement has completely lost its fluidity is known as the final setting time of cement.

The final setting time of cement is 600 for all types of cement.

Below is a list of cement types and the initial and final setting times of respective cement.