Grades of cement indicate the strength of cement. When you build a structure, you need to be aware of the types of cement grades because it decides the strength of your structure.
It is a quite challenging task for people to select the best grade of cement from the types of cement available in the market. Let this post help you out to understand the different grades of OPC ( Ordinary portland cement).
Highlights of this post
Let’s see the different grades of OPC cement available in the market:
According to the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS), Ordinary Portland Cement is classified into 3 different grades:
- OPC 33 Grade Cement
- OPC 43 Grade Cement
- OPC 53 Grade Cement
The strength of cement is usually measured as compressive strength.
These grades are differentiated by their compressive strengths and expressed in Mega Pascal’s (MPa), which are N / mm2.
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OPC 33 Grade Cement And Its Compressive Strenght:
This 33 grade ordinary Portland cement (OPC) indicates its high workability as compared to other grades of cement.
This 33 grade OPC was used in plaster and masonry mortar works commonly means it is used for general construction under normal environmental conditions.
33-grade cement means this ordinary Portland cement has 33 Mpa compressive strength after 28 days.
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Compressive strength of 33-grade cement:
| 3 Days | Not less than 16 N/mm2 |
| 7 Days | Not less than 22 N/mm2 |
| 28 days | Not less than 33 N/mm2 |
Availability of higher grades of cement and low compressive strength has impacted the use and demand of OPC 33 grade.
You can use IS Code – IS 269: 1989 for more information about Ordinary Portland Cement, 33 Grade.
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OPC 43 Grade Cement With Its Compressive Strength:
Nowadays, this grade of cement is the most popular cement used in the country. This 43 grade of cement is generally used in reinforced-concrete construction where the grade of concrete is up to M30 used.
This OPC 43 grade is also used in Ready mix concrete (R.M.C) which is also known as pre-mixed concrete.
This 43 grade of OPC is also used in precast concrete for construction purposes such as blocks, tiles, asbestos products like sheets and pipes. Also for non-structural works such as plastering, flooring, etc.
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Compressive strength of 43-grade cement:
| 3 Days | Not less than 23 N/mm2 |
| 7 Days | Not less than 33 N/mm2 |
| 28 Days | Not less than 43 N/mm2 |
Grade 43 cement has low chloride content and has a good ability to resist sulfate attack. The working capacity of this 43-grade cement is good. By using this 43 grade of cement, we obtain a good and smooth surface of the structure.
You can use IS Code – IS 8112: 1989 for more information of Ordinary Portland Cement 43 Grade.
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53 Grade Ordinary Portland Cement:
In the year of 1987, 53 grade OPC cement was introduced within the country by BIS and their commercial production started in 1991.
It is the improved technology adopted by modern cement plants in the country. OPC 53 Grade cement is required to evolve the BIS specification IS: 12269-1987 with a designed compressive strength for 28 days is a minimum of 53 MPa or 53 N/MM2.
Due to its optimum particle size distribution and superior crystallized structure, 53 Grade OPC provides high strength and durability to the structures.
It is a high strength cement grade that provides numerous advantages wherever concrete required special high strength application, like within the construction of concrete roads, skyscrapers, flyovers, bridges, chimneys, runways, and other heavy load-bearing structures.
As compared to any other grade of cement, 53 Grade cement attains early high strength therefore, the amount of cement is required in a smaller volume.
But due to the faster hydration process, the cement releases more heat of hydration initially, and therefore, the chances of developing the miner cracks in concrete is much greater.
Thus, during the initial setting time of concrete, higher heat of hydration can lead to damage arising out of miner cracks in the concrete structure, which may not be visible on the surface.
Where such application is warranted for making the high strength concrete, where good supervision and quality assurance measures are in place, and where the suitable precautions are taken to relieve the higher heat of hydration through a proper curing process this 53 Grade cement should be used.
In this 53 grade of cement, low chloride content was present and it has a good ability to resist sulfate.
Compressive strength of 53 grade cement:
| 3 Days | Not less than 27 N/mm2 |
| 7 Days | Not less than 37 N/mm2 |
| 28 Days | Not less than 53 N/mm2 |
You can use IS Code – IS 12269 for more information of Ordinary Portland Cement 53 Grade.
The compressive strength of all 33, 43 and 53 grade of OPC cement measures by the cubes which are tested in the laboratory at 27 ° C after 3 days, 7, and 28 days.
Comparison between OPC 43 Grade Cement & OPC 53 (grades of cement
| OPC 43 Grade Cement | OPC 53 Grade Cement |
|---|---|
| OPC 43 grade cement is a cheaper as compared to OPC 53 grade cement. | OPC 53 grade cement is more costly as compared to OPC 43 grade cement. |
| It has fine grinding of clinkers but comparatively less than OPC 53. | It has the grinding of clinkers to the maximum extent and this cement grade is finer than grade 43. |
| OPC 43 grade cement is generally used for non-structural works like plastering flooring etc. | OPC 53 grade cement is used in the projects which require higher strength like concrete bridges, runways RCC works etc. |
