What PSI is High Early Concrete?

Concrete psi is the standard measurement used for the compressive strength of concrete mixtures. A higher number means the concrete is stronger and will last longer. However, it can also be more expensive.

Concrete has a low tensile strength, which causes it to crack when undergoing tensile stress. To overcome this, it is reinforced with materials that have high tensile strength, such as steel.

What Is the PSI of High Early Concrete?

High early strength concrete, also known as fast-track concrete, is a type of concrete that gains its specified strength at an earlier age compared to ordinary concrete. It can be developed by using certain concrete constituents, special admixtures, and concreting practices. This includes the use of type III Portland cement that reacts quicker, accelerating admixtures, ground granulated blast furnace slag, supplementary cementitious material, autoclave curing, and insulation of the concrete to retain heat of hydration.

The accelerated strength of high early concrete allows it to be used in cold weather conditions when other types of concrete would have to wait for the temperature to warm up. This can help to reduce construction costs and shorten the overall project schedule.

There are nine ways to increase the early strength of concrete but all but one of them is bad for durability. Increased cement fineness increases the early strength but it is a triple whammy: it leads to alkali-silica reaction (ASR), it degrades the morphology of the calcium silicate hydrate which decreases the strain capacity, and it makes the concrete more brittle which can cause cracking.