Category: Concrete Materials
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How to Integrate Pigments into On-Site Concrete Mixing
Color is no longer a specialty add-on in concrete. It has become a mainstream design feature for residential, commercial, and municipal projects alike. For contractors, that means knowing how to properly mix, dose, and finish pigmented concrete on-site is essential to delivering consistent, high-quality results. This guide outlines best practices for pigment use in field…
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Cold-Weather Concreting: Technical Guidance for Preventing Winter Damage
As construction timelines stretch deeper into the colder months, concrete contractors are increasingly expected to deliver high-performance placements under challenging conditions. Cold weather can slow hydration, delay strength gain and significantly increase the risk of early-age concrete damage. Without proactive measures and technical know-how, cold-weather concreting can lead to compromised structural performance, costly repairs or…
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Ecocem ACT I Ternary Blended Cement Earns ASTM C1157 Certification
It’s been said that the world places nearly a New York City amount of concrete every year. Within every cubic yard of this tonnage is the cement and the cloud of CO2 created in its production. The acceptance of cements with additional limestone and higher percentages of supplemental cementitious materials (SCMs) in the mix has…
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How Contractors Can Strengthen Our Roads & Highways
Far more than just physical connections between cities, our nation’s road and bridge systems are the lifelines of our economy and daily life, enduring relentless loads, severe weather, and chemical assault. Despite their robust design, these structures are deteriorating at an alarming rate. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, the average age of…
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Jobsite Concrete Curing: Essential Pro Tips
Concrete curing tends to get pushed down the list of priorities on the jobsite. It doesn’t have the same immediate visual payoff as placing and finishing. Add this to budget constraints and tight project timelines, and it’s easy to see why curing in the field is often messy and improvised — even sometimes altogether overlooked.…
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A Solid Foundation for a Virtual World: State of the Concrete Industry
Artificial intelligence platforms, such as ChatGPT and Microsoft’s Co-Pilot, are changing workplaces in ways we haven’t seen since the internet was launched in 1983. None of this would be possible today without two of the world’s oldest construction materials — cement and concrete. After all, technology can only operate if it’s housed in resilient infrastructure…
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Concrete Contractor’s Role in the Circular Economy
As the concrete industry evolves under the dual pressures of climate responsibility and resource scarcity, a new paradigm has emerged — one that prioritizes sustainability not as an afterthought but as a fundamental framework. The circular economy, long championed in manufacturing and materials science, is now taking root in the concrete construction sector. And while…
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Gordian Reports Concrete Construction Material Costs Holding
It seems everything is more expensive. Eggs, for one easy example. Practically everything else in the grocery store. In construction, the fluctuating price of materials seems never to favor the contractor. Even concrete, the annual perspective according to Gordian, says that the price of concrete is up 0.84 percent from Q2 of 2024. In their…
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Concrete Project Profile – SK Construction Places Green Concrete for Simpson University
The drive to reduce the carbon footprint of the cement production and concrete construction industries continues. According to the statistics and facts from Statista.com published on March 2025 these industries would be the world’s fourth-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases. Yet, works and efforts continue and every foot and every slab provides an opportunity for some sustainable…
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Study Finds Concrete-eating Bacteria on Road Tunnels
A biofilm forms on the interior surface of concrete as seawater penetrates the concrete of a road tunnel. A study by researchers at Chalmers University of Technology (located in Sweden) points to the mechanisms behind the degradation and its unexpectedly rapid progression. Permit me to nerd out with some concrete science news for a moment. …