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Beatson’s Concrete Products
What is Concrete?
Concrete is a versatile construction material that can take up any shape. It is a composite material, both strong and durable, made from cement, aggregate (coarse and fine), water and invariably an admixture.
Concrete is categorised by its 28-day crushing strength. Our helpful guide below will assist you in your selection of the concrete for your project.
Please note that this is only a guide and you should always refer to any drawings or technical documents you have prior to ordering your concrete.
For more information on any of our products below please contact a member or our team.
C8/10 - ST1, ST2
This concrete is relatively weak and used in applications where the firm base is needed but no structural strength is required. It can be used in drainage works and for blinding.
Ideal for: Floor blinding, foundations for steps, drainage works and void filling.
C12/15 - ST3
This concrete is suitable for house floors with no embedded metal where a non-permanent finish will be applied (e.g. carpet). It can be used for kerb bedding where there is no risk of excess force being applied to the kerb (e.g. driveways).
Ideal for: Lightweight kerbing jobs, internal floor slabs and blinding.
C16/20
This concrete is widely used for a multitude of lightweight and domestic applications.
Ideal for: Fence posts, paving for patios, greenhouses and kerbing.
C20/25 - ST4
Another popular concrete mix used throughout lightweight commercial and domestic projects. Its use and versatility is increased when combined with reinforcement.
Ideal for: Hot tub & shed bases, garden wall foundations, foundations & reinforced bases, infilling around manholes and kerbing.
C25/30 - ST5
This concrete mix is frequently used in external paving and floor slab construction.
Ideal for: Kennels, stables, reinforced hard standings, house foundations and workshop bases.
C28/35
This is possibly the most commonly used concrete mix that Beatson’s Concrete supply. C28/35 covers a wide range of domestic and commercial applications.
Ideal for: Reinforced house foundations, foundations for retaining walls, agricultural storage areas, driveways and garage floor slabs.
C32/40
C32/40 is a strong commercial grade concrete.
It can be used where high structural strength and support is required and when large heavy weights will be applied in small areas (e.g. farm traffic).
Ideal for: HGV parks, agricultural yards, septic tank foundations, structural beams and hydro dam applications.
C35/45 & C40/50
These concrete mixes are the strongest that Beatson’s Concrete supply.
It is typically used in specialised projects where high strength and support is key.
Ideal for: Wind turbine bases, heavy industrial applications and substations.
Pattern Imprint Concrete
Pattern imprinted, or stamped concrete, is a popular decorative technique for driveways, patios and paths.
Many different patterns for the finished slab are available, with the most popular being ashlar stone, cobbles and herringbone brick.
The process involves laying the special pattern imprint concrete mix, to form a concrete slab, applying a surface colour in powder form and then imprinting a pattern in the surface by means of special textured mats.
Once the concrete has gained sufficient strength, the surface is sealed.
This is not really a job suitable for the DIY enthusiast as it requires specialist tools. The pattern mats are relatively expensive and are intended for many re-uses. However, some suppliers/franchisees are willing to hire out their mats and supply colour hardeners etc. for one-off projects.
Ideal for: Driveways, patios and paths.
Fibres (6mm Polypropylene)
The primary role of these fibers are to modify the properties of the fresh concrete.
They help stabilise the movement of solid particles and blocking bleed water channels.
This reduces the bleed* rate, helping to reduce plastic settlement and also to reduce plastic shrinkage cracking- this can occur when the concrete surface is allowed to dry out rapidly.
*Bleeding is a form of segregation where some of the water in the concrete tends to rise to the surface of freshly placed material.
Air Entraining Admixture (AEA)
Air entraining admixtures cause small stable bubbles of air to form uniformly through a concrete mix. The bubbles are mostly below 1mm diameter with a high proportion below 0.3mm.
The benefits of entraining air in the concrete include increased resistance to freeze-thaw degredation, increased cohesion (resulting in less bleed and segregation) and improved compaction in low-work-ability mixes.
For every 1% of additional air entrained, concrete strength will fall by around 5%. At normal air entrainment levels, most other properties of the concrete including drying shrinkage and creep are not significantly affected.
The main reason for using entrained air is to improve freeze-thaw and scaling resistance, thereby prolonging service life- the improved cohesion and compaction can also enhance quality and durability.
Ideal for: Concrete that could be affected from freeze-thaw attack.
Water Reducing Admixture (WRA)
Water reducing admixtures or plasticising admixtured reduces the amount of water needed to achieve a given workability in plastic concrete without significantly affecting the air content or setting characteristics.
When water reducing admixtures are used to increase the workability or consistency of the concrete, they are usually termed ‘plasticising admixtures’.
When used to reduce the mix water content, plasticising/water reducing admixtures enhances the durability of the concrete by improving both the density and impermeability.
All concrete supplied by Beatson’s Concrete will have a WRA mixed through them, giving you a high quality and durable product every time.
Building Materials
If your require any other building materials to complete your project, our sister company Beatson’s Building Supplies will be able to help you.
Please click on the link above and you will be re-directed to their site where you can view and order all the building supplies you need.
