Our Cement Calculator is a useful tool for all your cement-related requirements! When mixing mortar or concrete, or even just cement and water, use it to figure out how much cement you’ll need. We may use it to determine how much sand and gravel to use in mortar and concrete mixes, as well as how much water to use.
Firstly, you’ll discover what cement is and how it differs from concrete with this calculator. You’ll also discover how to calculate it in terms of bags or other volume units. Also, you will be able to figure out how much sand and gravel you need for any concrete mix as an extra bonus, and what is cement texture, and types.
Take a look other related calculators, such as:
Cement
Therefore, cement is a sticky compound, it refers to the binding materials used in building and civil engineering projects. This type of cement comprises finely powdered particles that harden when combined with water. Hydration is the chemical reaction of cement compounds with water to produce submicroscopic crystals or/also a gel-like substance with a large surface area.
Also, it can cause setting and hardening. Constructional cement sometimes refers to hydraulic cement because of its hydrating capabilities. Portland cement is the most significant of them.
However, the hydraulic cement may be traced back to ancient Greece and Rome. Lime and volcanic ash were used, which reacted in water over time to form a hard solid. After that, over 2,000 years ago, this was the cementing material used in Roman mortars and concrete and subsequent buildings in Western Europe.
Traditional Roman pozzolana cement was manufactured from volcanic ash mined at Pozzuoli, Italy, particularly high in aluminosilicate minerals.
When John Smeaton was hired to build the Eddystone Lighthouse off the coast of Plymouth, Devon, England, in 1756, he came up with using Portland cement instead of hydraulic lime. A material formed by burning clayey limestone nodules was the next step, which firstly happened around 1800 in England and France. Soon after, in the United States, a similar substance was made by burning a naturally occurring mineral called “cement rock.”
Natural cement is a term used to describe materials comparable to portland cement but is, however, less intensely burned and have an unpredictable composition. Joseph Aspdin of Leeds, Yorkshire, England, is credited with inventing portland cement in 1824 when he filed a patent for a substance made from a synthetic blend of limestone and clay.
What is Concrete?
Concrete is an engineering substance made up of particles that are tightly linked together and mimic the qualities of rock. Also, it is frequently referred to as fake rock due to its general properties. Concrete has a high resistance to compression.
Reinforcement is placed into the concrete to absorb tension when tensile loads must be tolerated. For instance, we can use concrete as a building material. And it offers structural flexibility since it can be moulded into various shapes.
Therefore, concrete is quite different, we can say this from the point of view of the ratio of materials and the number of bags needed to cover a certain space whose number is usually measured in cubic meters (feet, length, square, width are taken into account).
In addition, for more information about concrete, concrete usage, concrete blocks sizes and dimensions (cubic feet, or square), concrete block cost, be sure to check out our Concrete Block Calculator.
Cement vs. Concrete
Many people think that concrete and cement are the same product, but they are not, although their frequent usage is interchangeable. It is a component of concrete and is rarely used on its own. Your home’s slab foundation, for example, is most likely of concrete, which was formed using cement and other components.
While we can use it on its own, also we know it as part of concrete. So, concrete is a common building material used in roads, bridges, dams, sidewalks, and backyard patios worldwide. Calcium and silica-rich minerals, as well as limestone and clay, make cement.
If we want to make concrete, we need to combine cement, aggregate, and water together. As a result, concrete is one of the most extensively building materials that we can use in residential and commercial uses worldwide.
Moreover, its appeal originates from the fact that the components needed to create it are almost universally available and its strength and lifespan, which make it a practical and desirable building material.
Cement is a binder, that we can make from a combination of aluminium, iron, silicon, calcium, and also other elements that we can find in limestone, shells, chalk, clay, iron ore, and silica sand, among others. These “ingredients” are burned to a very high temperature to produce cement, a rock-like material crushed into an exceedingly fine powder.
Types of Cement
1. Ordinary Portland Cement. The most extensively used form is ordinary Portland cement. However, it is suited for all types of concrete buildings.
2. Portland Pozzolana. In comparison to standard portland cement, this one has a higher resistance to different chemical attacks on concrete.
3. Cement That Hardens Quickly. Rapid hardening cement achieves high strength quickly and is identical to conventional portland cement. Also, we use it in concrete if formwork is removed early in the process.
4. Cement that sets quickly. The only difference between quick-setting and rapid-hardening cement is that quick-setting cement cures faster.
5. Low Heat Index Cement. Low heat cement is made by increasing the quantity of C2S while keeping the tricalcium aluminate below 6%.
6. Cement Resistant to Sulfates. Sulfate-resistant cement is used to build foundations when the soil has a high sulfate content to limit the danger of sulfate attack on concrete.
7. Slag Cement from Blast Furnaces. Blast furnace slag cement is made by grinding clinkers with around 60% slag and has qualities similar to Portland cement.
8. Cement with a high alumina content. In other words, high alumina cement is a mixture of melted bauxite-lime and mixing it with a clinker.
9. White cement. It is made from iron oxide-free raw materials and is a white variant of conventional portland cement.
10. Colored cement. It’s made by combining 5- 10% mineral pigments with regular cement.
11. Cement for Air Entrainment. During clinker grinding, air-entraining agents such as resins, glues, sodium salts of sulfates, and other indigenous air-entraining agents.
12. Expansive cement. Expansive expands somewhat over time but does not shrink during or after the hardening process.
13. Cement hydrographic. Hydrographic cement combines compounds that resist water and have good workability and strength also.
How to Calculate Cement?
Our calculator will help you with the calculation. We use a mix ratio to calculate the number of cement since it is generally mixed with other construction materials like sand and gravel. Therefore, mix ratios assist in calculating the number of cement, sand, and gravel required and provide information about the end product’s strength and durability.
The more we have it in the mix, the more durable the finished product. Its volume and thickness are usually calculated by multiplying the width, length, in some cases also depth and height. This calculator is a very handy tool.
When building a reinforced concrete single-story house nowadays, we usually employ a 1:2:4 mix ratio. This mix can be referred to as M15 grade, derived from its compressive strength of 15 MPa. However, a stronger mix, such as the M20 grade mix, with a 1:1.5:3 mix ratio, would be required if we wanted to build a two-story house.
It’s important to remember that when determining the amount of cement in a mix, the dry mix volume decreases once water is added, reducing the volume. However, when water is added to the dry mix, the tiny cement particles slide into the empty spaces in the sand and gravel combination.
Concrete mixing ratio chart
| Compressive strength | Mixing ratio cement : sand : stone | Generally used for |
| 2500 psi. | 1:2:4 | small slabs, fence posts |
| 3000 psi. | 1:3:3 | Slabs, floors, walls, footings |
| 3500 psi. | 1:2:5:3 | Patios, walks, slabs |
| 4000 psi. | 1:2:3 | Driveways, exterior slabs |
| 4500 psi. | 1:2:2 | Commercial floors and slabs |
Concrete mixing ratio chart for various grades of concrete
| Grade of concrete | Mixing ratio cement : sand : stone | Compressive strength in N/mm2 |
| M5 | 1:5:10 | 5MPa |
| M7.5 | 1:4:8 | 7.5MPa |
| M10 | 1:3:6 | 10Mpa |
| M15 | 1:2:4 | 15MPa |
| M20 | 1:2:2 | 20MPa |
| M25 | 1:1:2 | 25MPa |
If you want to learn something more about ratios, we have a calculator for that as well. Check out our Quick Ratio Calculator.
How Much Cement Do I Need? – Cement Calculator Example
In addition, let’s imagine we want to use a steel mold we created in our steel plate weight calculator to build a 5.0 MPa (725 psi) 20 cm x 20 cm x 20 cm concrete slab. Also, we can calculate the wet volume of concrete required by multiplying the size of the concrete slab steel mold.
\text{Wet Volume }= 20 cm \cdot 20 cm \cdot 20 cm = 0.2 m \cdot 0.2 m \cdot 0.2 m = 0.008 m^3For meters, it is important to mention that they are usually here as cubic meters. Let’s assume we wish to employ a ratio of 1.54:1 for dry to wet volume. The dry volume may then be estimated by multiplying the computed wet volume by the number of 1.54.
\text{Dry Volume }=\text {Wet Volume} \cdot 1.54 = 0.008 m^3 \cdot 1.54 = 0.01232 m^3For instance, to build a 5.0 MPa (725 psi) concrete block, we require a 1:5:10 mix ratio. We get the total components of the ratio by putting the parts together: 1 + 5 + 10 = 16. It makes up one of these 16 elements, sand makes up another five, and gravel makes up the other ten.
Volume of Component = \frac {Dry Volume \times Part From Total} {Total Number of Parts}Firstly, we need to determine the formula for calculating the volume of cement, which is:
\text{Volume of Cement }= 0.01232 m^3 \cdot \frac{1}{16} = 0.00077 m^3\newlineSo, now when we know the volume of cement, be aware that you need to remember formula for calculating the volume of sand:
\text{Volume of Sand }= 0.01232 m^3 \cdot \frac{5}{16} = 0.00385 m^3and thirdly we have the formula for calculating the volume of gravel:
Cement Calculator – How to Use?
It’s simple to use our Cement Calculator. Firstly, decide the mixture you wish to produce. Secondly, enter the required mix’s wet volume. The dry-to-wet volume ratio is already pre-filled, but you can still adjust it. The determined dry volume will be presented immediately.
Thirdly, you can enter the percentage of expected waste you’ll require based on the worker’s handling of the materials, as normal. The complete dry volume will be delivered to you after that.
To acquire the volumes of it and sand for a mortar mix or cement, sand, and gravel for a concrete mix, first choose your chosen mix ratio. Then, using a cement density of 1440 kg/m3 (90 lb/ft3), the weight of cement is also automatically determined.
Because you can buy cement in bags, we’ve included it in our cement calculator. In conclusion, to determine the number of bags needed to fit the calculated weight of cement, enter the weight of a bag of cement available in your region. You can simply do it when you are using our calculator.
Cement Usage in Real Life
Cement is an important part of our life that goes unseen most of the time. We can use it as a binder in homes, roads, schools, hospitals, dams, ports, and ornamental applications (for patios, floors, stairwell project, driveways, and pool decks project) things such as tables, sculptures, and bookshelves.
Therefore, concrete is a dependable and flexible building material that we can use in various ways. When considering measures to lower the European cement industry’s carbon footprint, it’s crucial to consider some of its features that will impact the availability and practicality of emission-reduction solutions.
FAQ
How many bags of cement do I need?
We use the following formula to calculate volume: length x width x thickness. The length, width, thickness, as well as height and feet, can be very different. Secondly, divide the total cubic yards needed by the yield to find how many bags of concrete you’ll need.
How much cement do I need for a 10×10 slab?
For a 10 by 10 slab, you’ll need 1.3 cubic yards; we usually add 10% more to account for any slab depth changes or spills that may occur.
How much does an 80 pound bag of cement cover?
An 80-pound bag of concrete yields 0.60 cubic feet, or 0.0222 cubic yards, covering roughly 3.6 square feet up to a typical depth of 2 inches for excavation or backfills, and 1.66 bags of 80-pound concrete will yield 1 cubic foot of landfill.
What is cement made of?
On the other hand, cement isn’t a naturally occurring organic substance. Also, it’s made by combining eight key elements in a chemical reaction during the cement manufacturing process. For instance, limestone, clay, marl, shale, chalk, sand, bauxite, and iron ore are the most common components.
