Cement? Concrete? Aren’t they the same?
Many people are unfamiliar with the difference between cement and concrete and the two terms are often used interchangeably. Cement is the ‘glue’ that binds aggregates together to form concrete, one of the key construction materials available today.
Second only to water, concrete is the most consumed material on earth, with three tonnes per year used for every person. Twice as much concrete is used in construction as all other building materials combined. Construction of a typical family home requires 14 tonnes of cement, and a kilometre of freeway contains as much as 2,500 tonnes of cement. There is little doubt that concrete will remain in use well into the future.
Varying the mix of cement, sand and aggregate used in a concrete blend enables its use in a range of applications. A building can be made to last for 100 years. Products can be designed, coloured and shaped to accommodate a variety of environmental conditions, architectural requirements and to withstand a wide range of loads, stresses and impacts.
The pre-mixed concrete industry consumes the greatest volumes of cement, using it in applications including:
- concrete slabs and foundations for buildings, roads and bridges
- precast panels, blocks, and roofing tiles
- fence posts, reservoirs and railway sleepers.
Cement is also used in bulk quantities in other diverse applications including:
- stabilisation of roads and rocky surfaces
- backfill mining operations and casings in oil and gas wells
- renders, mortars and fibre board.
Once the useful life of a concrete structure has passed, the concrete can be recovered during demolition and recycled for use as construction roadbase and aggregate.
For more information about concrete and its uses, please visit our related industry organisation> Cement, Concrete and Aggregates Australia.