Making Ready-Mix

Concrete Production Process

View an interactive animation of the ready-mix concrete production process to learn how ready-mix concrete is made by CEMEX.

Cement type available in the UAE: Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) and Ground Granulated Blast Slag (GGBS)

Raw material used to produce concrete

• Water
• Additives
• Cement
• Aggregates
• Air

Aggregates

Aggregates, which make up roughly 60% to 75% of ready-mix concrete’s volume, are obtained from quarries and aggregate banks.

Additives

Additives are solid or liquid chemical substances that can be added to ready-mix concrete before or during preparation. Most commonly used additives either improve a hardened concrete’s durability or reduce a concrete’s water content in an effort to shorten setting times.

Water

This is the mix vital fluid, which sets of a chemical reaction when it comes into contact with the cement.

Cement

No other material rival’s cement’s importance in the mix; it’s the ingredient that gives concrete its resistance. The most widely used cements in the UAE are Ordinary Portland Cement and Ground Granulated Blast Slag (GGBS).

Concrete mixing

During the mixing phase, the different components come together to produce a uniform mass of concrete. Mixing time is registered from the moment material and water are poured into the plant mixer, and it begins rotating. While transporting concrete to a site, the cement mixer never stops revolving at a speed of two to six rotations per minute.