High Early Concrete Uses and Safety
High early strength concrete is designed to cure quickly, making it ideal for applications where fast setting is required. High early concrete uses include pavement repairs, heavy equipment foundations, and new construction of high-load columns. Best Concrete Mix Corp. has experienced staff on hand to answer your questions about this type of concrete, and our Flushing, New York, production facilities produce high early concrete as well as a variety of mixes and strengths on site.
Understanding High Early Concrete
High early concrete is made with high early strength cement using a low water-to-cement ratio. This type of concrete cures rapidly to reach structural quality, about 2,500 psi, within 24 to 72 hours. After curing for about two to three hours, this concrete can support its own weight, and after about six hours, it can handle people walking across the surface. Support for light vehicles develops at about 24 hours after application. Regular and high performance concrete may take seven days or more to reach a similar strength.
Winter weather conditions can slow concrete drying time and draw out your overall construction schedule, but quick-drying high early concrete sets fast enough to keep you on track. The smooth surface also reduces the need for grinding to save you even more time.
The unique properties that make high early concrete cure so quickly also make it more prone to shrinkage and cracking, so make sure it’s the best type for your job before switching from a more standard concrete mix. You should identify your concrete needs before beginning any project.
Common High Early Concrete Uses
If your project needs to be completed quickly or weather conditions slow down the curing process of regular concrete, high early strength concrete might be the right fit for your project. This kind of concrete high-performance when you need to open or reopen a specific road or structure quickly. The fast curing process helps reduce downtime after a repair and gives you more flexibility when planning construction schedules.
If you’re working on a project with multiple parts, you can use this type of concrete to pour small sections and then remove the framework for use in another part of your construction site as soon as the curing process is underway.
Some common high early concrete uses include:
- Pouring new pavement for vehicle use or airports
- Rapid repair of existing pavements, including repairing cracks or holes
- Foundations and footings designed to hold heavy equipment
- Beams and columns in new construction
- Bridge decks
- Precast operations performed on-site
The Safe Use of High Early Concrete
Because high early concrete has a possibility of cracking or shrinking after application, usage should be limited to experienced construction professionals. You should know the specific time limits for adding weight to your concrete after application. Minimizing construction downtime or road closure time needs to be balanced with safety and practicality.
High early strength concrete cures best at above approximately 50 degrees F, so extreme cold may cause it to set more slowly. The setting time stays lower than the time required to cure most traditional concrete options. Understanding the limits and benefits of high early concrete can help you decide whether it’s the best fit for your current or planned project.
Contact Us
Best Concrete Mix Corp. produces a wide range of concrete styles for construction sites in the Flushing, New York, area. To learn more about our various concrete options, including high early concrete, contact us at 718-539-5946.
