C-S-H binder + aggregate
ChemistryConcrete is specified as C-S-H binder + aggregate. Density band ~2400 kg/m³.
What holds Concrete together is not the nickname. Formula C-S-H binder + aggregate, density ~2400 kg/m³.
Meters are atlas-relative. Grades are the SKUs buyers write.
Phases
Microstructure
OrderProcessing sets grain, crystallinity or fibre orientation — the reason two lots of Concrete can test differently.
Interfaces
SurfacesCoatings, oxide films, sizings or paper faces often decide weather and fire behaviour more than the bulk brochure.
Defects
FlawsInclusions, voids, knots, pinholes or residual stress start the failures that mill certificates do not list.
Grades
VariantsConcrete is a family. Grade names below are the ones buyers actually write on RFQs.
Ageing
TimeMoisture, UV, creep, hydrogen or carbonation shift properties in service. Design to the aged state.
Relative meters
Strength70
Strength is an editorial 0–100 mark relative to the other 31 materials in this atlas — not a laboratory certificate.
Heat envelope68
Heat envelope is an editorial 0–100 mark relative to the other 31 materials in this atlas — not a laboratory certificate.
Fire behaviour90
Fire behaviour is an editorial 0–100 mark relative to the other 31 materials in this atlas — not a laboratory certificate.
Insulation22
Insulation is an editorial 0–100 mark relative to the other 31 materials in this atlas — not a laboratory certificate.
Workability60
Workability is an editorial 0–100 mark relative to the other 31 materials in this atlas — not a laboratory certificate.
Circularity30
Circularity is an editorial 0–100 mark relative to the other 31 materials in this atlas — not a laboratory certificate.
Grades
C25/30
Ordinary structural.Ordinary structural.
C50/60 HPC
High-rise columns.High-rise columns.
UHPC
Bridge overlays, façades.Bridge overlays, façades.
Foam / AAC
Insulating cousins.Insulating cousins.
Refractory castable
Furnace, not building.Furnace, not building.
Bonds
Primary bonding
Concrete holds together by ionic/covalent networks.
Secondary forces
Hydrogen bonds, van der Waals stacks or grain-boundary cohesion set toughness and moisture uptake.
Composites & fills
Fillers, fibres, plasticisers or aggregates are part of the real product, not impurities.
Environment film
Oxides, chars, sizings or paints are the layer the world actually meets.
Change the grade, the coating or the moisture and you have a different material with the same English name.
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