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Concrete from ready-mixed concrete suppliers

A ready-mixed concrete plant is set up to produce many types of concrete. The concrete mixes have been designed to meet the potential specifications of clients. The constituent materials are batched by weight and not volume. This means that the concrete batched should be as originally designed and comply to the rigorous quality control systems implemented.

There are 5 main categories which have been devised to assist in the ordering of the concrete dependent on the needs and technical awareness of the customer. Although concrete can be ordered by discussion and arrangement with the local supplier, the British Standard BS 8500 Concrete - Complementary British Standard to BS EN 206 (2 parts) has been used by industry since December 2003 (replacing BS 5328). Using this standard, concrete is specified either as;

Designated concrete,
Designed concrete,
Prescribed concrete,
Standardised prescribed concretes,
or Proprietary concrete,

all conforming to BS 8500 part 2 and BS EN 206 Concrete, Specification, performance, production and conformity.

BS 8500 was revised and republished in 2015 to reflect that BS EN 206-1 (2000) and BS EN 206-9 (2010) Concrete: Additional rules for self-compacting concrete have been revised and rationalised as a single Standard BS EN 206:2013. Further amendments have also been included in 2016, 2019 and 2023.

The current version reflects a wider range of available cement types and ternary blends.

Acknowledgement: The Concrete Society

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Concrete on site 1: Ready-mixed concrete