7 ways to distinguish real cement from fake in the store and using mineral water

Many people want to save money by buying cheap building materials. Cement is one of the main building materials. Its quality affects how long the foundation will stand, how quickly the screed, garden path, etc. will become unusable.

The consequences of the wrong choice can be deplorable: the formation of cracks, subsidence of the foundation, destruction of the finish.

Now there are more than half of fakes on the market. Even in large stores you can find poor quality goods.

Manufacturers buy cement, and then pack it in bags, adding cement chips, slag, ash, mineral powders, fine sand. The most popular is dolomite dust or old cement. They can sell the dust of electrostatic precipitators of cement plants.

How to distinguish quality cement from fake?

1. According to GOST 30515-97 clause 5.4 Marking, the manufacturer and his trademark must be indicated on the bag. The bag must contain the symbol of the cement, grade, weight, conformity mark, GOST. Lack of a certificate is a bad sign. A fake bag of cement will list the manufacturer of the bags or packer, not the manufacturer.

Pay attention to information on supplements. The DO designation says that there are no additives in the cement. If, for example, D30 is indicated, then there are 30% additives in the cement.

2. Low price should also alert. But this is not the main difference factor. You shouldn't react to promotions and discounts. Read the packaging before buying anyway.

3. Touch bag of cement in the corners. If the corners are hard, then the cement in the bags was kept at high humidity or it is stored for a long time. Such material is not workable. Also, the bag should not be wet.

4. Can weigh selectively 2-3 bags from a batch. If the deviation is 2 kg. and above, then this is most likely manual packaging. The weight of a bag of cement (eg 50 kg.) Should be +/- 1 kg.

5. Some manufacturers indicate cement М500, and packed instead of M400 or 300. This cannot be found in a store. You can only buy a bag and make a trial batch. Moreover, the cement must be dry. If there are lumps, there is no problem as long as they crumble into powder in the hand. When, when pressing on a lump, you have to apply force, while it breaks up into solid particles, then we can say that the cement is spoiled.

6. You can check the cement like this. Dissolve cement in mineral water (for example, Essentuki). IN gloves make a tortilla. If it hardens in 10-15 minutes and heats up, then this is high-quality cement. The counterfeit does not set quickly (or does not harden at all) and does not heat up.

7. there is appliances, which can determine the activity of the cement, its brand. These are contraciometers or, in other words, contractometers. But such devices are expensive for a single use.

Do not throw away the hardened cement (use cases).