Most common types of concrete

To say that concrete is a popular building material is a major understatement. You can find it basically anywhere you look. From skyscrapers to residences, to airports, schools, hospitals, you name it and it likely uses concrete. Concrete owes its popularity to its durability and versatility, which is why it is used for residential and commercial projects alike.

It is interesting to note that there is not just one single type of concrete. There are actually several different types. To people who are not in the concrete or even the construction industry, that might come off as a bit of surprise as they’ve probably thought otherwise.

One thing about the different types of concrete is that they are not made equal even if they might look the same. They are, in fact, made for different purposes. In that case, you’ll need to look more closely at each type in order to get a better idea of what they’re for. Below are some of the more important information on the 4 most common types of concrete.

Here are the 4 types of concrete considered to be the most common:

• Reinforced Concrete

• Lightweight Concrete

• High-Density Concrete

• Precast Concrete

1. Reinforced Concrete

Reinforced concrete uses other materials such as bars, fibers, and others to help improve its tensile strength. The one characteristic that those materials have in common is that they are more pliable than concrete. This property is exemplified in rebars and they are used in order to make sure that their pliability is transferred to concrete. One thing about reinforced concrete is that most projects use this type of concrete.

2. Lightweight Concrete

Lightweight concrete is usually used as non-load-bearing concrete walls and as protection for metal building materials. This type of concrete is not as structural as reinforced concrete as they are made from pumice rock. Other types of concrete are made from stone or rock aggregate instead. Another use for lightweight concrete is to serve as insulation for water pipes. They basically serve as fireproofing within facilities.

3. High-Density Concrete

High-Density Concrete is made for projects that require the concrete to be extra strong and high-performance. A good example of this is the concrete used in nuclear power plants. The same goes for other high-profile construction projects. In this type of concrete, iron or barytes are the ones that are used as a heavy aggregate. That’s opposed to other concrete types, which use rocks for standard aggregates. Compared to reinforced or plain concrete, high-density concrete is actually a little thinner.

4. Precast Concrete

Last, we have precast concrete. The term is actually a reference to how the concrete is made and not about what the concrete is made up of. Precast concrete is usually made by pouring concrete into forms at the job site itself. It is then left alone so that it can strengthen over a span of a few days or even weeks. This type of concrete requires a controlled environment to be made and that allows it to be created well ahead of time. It could then be subjected to strength testing before being delivered on time. 

Those are the 4 most common types of concrete that are used in all kinds of construction, from homes to industrial uses. Having an idea about the different types and the information about each one is important as you never know when you might need to use one or more of them. Visit your nearest Concrete Plano TX.