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🏗️Measured properties

Concrete · The hydraulic ceramic of cities — cement, water, rock and usually steel, with a fire story better than exposed steel.

At a glance
Score intensity

Darker cells mean a higher score for this topic on that metric.

Last reviewed Sources & creditsMedia creditsMethodology

Quick answers

Is Concrete non-combustible?

Declared reaction class in this atlas: A1. Assemblies still need resistance tests.

Does Concrete insulate?

Thermal mark 22/100 versus the atlas. Conductivity note: ~1.4 W/m·K.

What is the density band?

~2400 kg/m³

How is it made?

Origin story: Roman pozzolana; Aspdin 1824; Hennebique RC (Rome → Leeds → Paris).

Can it be recycled?

Circularity mark 30/100 — editorial, route-specific.

Typical melting or failure heat?

does not melt; dehydrates and spalls

heat 68 · fire 90

Start with this section - Measured properties

Numbers below are bands used by working engineers, not live quotes. Tensile note: compression 20–100+ MPa; tension needs rebar or fibres.

Fire performance in this atlas is editorial. Real projects need the assembly report.

Mechanical

Strength band

compression 20–100+ MPa; tension needs rebar or fibres

Stiffness

Modulus follows chemistry and orientation — not the marketing nickname.

Toughness

Crack growth, not peak stress, retires most real parts.

Fatigue / creep

Cyclic and time-dependent damage dominate certificates issued on static coupons.

Hardness / hand

Indentation, drape or compressive class — whichever the trade actually measures.

Thermal

Conductivity

~1.4 W/m·K — Concrete is not a substitute for a dedicated λ layer.

Service temperature

Melting / softening / decomposition band: does not melt; dehydrates and spalls.

Expansion

Joints and clearances must follow the expansion class of Concrete, not of steel-by-habit.

Thermal mass

Density ~2400 kg/m³ sets how fast a section changes temperature.

Ageing of λ

Foams, VIPs and moist batts drift; quote aged values.

Electrical

Conductor or dielectric

Concrete is generally a dielectric or semiconductor film, not building wire.

Static / EMI

Fillers and moisture change resistivity more than brochures admit.

Standards language

IACS, volume resistivity or dielectric strength — pick the quantity the job uses.

Fire

Reaction to fire

Typical declared class: A1. This is not a universal passport.

Resistance vs reaction

Euroclass is reaction. EI/R ratings are assemblies — boards, coats, cavities.

Melt-drip / char

Concrete tends to char or stay inorganic rather than melt-drip like commodity olefins.

Smoke / toxicity

CO, HCN, HF or fibres — the species depend on chemistry. Name the test (ISO 5659, EN 45545, NFPA 1971).

If a salesperson quotes a single “safety score”, ask which standard, which thickness, which year.

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