Supplementary Cementitious Materials - SCMs

Cementitious materials are various building materials (with or without aggregate) that provide plasticity, cohesive, and adhesive properties when it is mixed with water; properties that are necessary for its placement and formation into a rigid mass. In other words, cementitious materials are one of the key ingredients in a concrete mixture. Cementitious materials beyond clinker which is the main constituent of cement are called Supplementary Cementitious Materials.

Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCM’s) are added to concrete mixtures for various reasons including improving durability, decreasing permeability, aiding in pumpability and finishability, mitigating alkali reactivity and improving the overall hardened properties of concrete through hydraulic or pozzolanic activity or both. SCM’s are added to concrete in addition to or as a partial replacement of Portland cement or blended cements and are usually considered as a part of the total cementing system. The use of these materials in concrete has also grown considerably over the past 30 years in that they are typically by-products of industrial processes and their use can contribute to environmental and energy conservation practices.

THE MOST COMMON SCMs USED IN THE READY-MIXED CONCRETE MARKET INCLUDE: