Concrete is the most widely used material for construction purposes because of its unique benefits, unlike most other construction materials. Let’s have a look at the major advantages of building constructions with concrete below

1. It is affordable

Concrete is cheap because it’s composed of cement, water and stones which can be bought at very low prices from local markets. As compared to construction materials such as steel and polymers, concrete is the cheapest, widely available building material. One can also check prices offered by different companies and choose what suits the budget.

2. It can be moulded into any shape

When the concrete is in its liquid state, it can be poured into your desired frameworks easily. It then solidifies in the frameworks inserted and the desired durable structure can be used for complicated construction purposes.

3. Hardens at room temperature

Concrete does not need high temperature to harden and strengthen. The cement, a cool bonded inorganic material, is an ingredient in concrete which helps it harden at its best at room temperature.

Concrete can be used in every temperature and weather conditions and can also be used with other mixtures when required.

4. Excellent water resistance

The chemicals like sulphates, chlorides and carbon dioxide in water can corrode concrete but can do little damage to concrete as compared to what they do to wood or steel.

It is excellent in water resistance and thus is the best material to use for underwater or submerged constructing applications and building of pipelines, canals, etc.

There are certain disadvantages of using concrete as a construction material. They are as under

1. It has low-tensile strength

The tensile strength of concrete is 1/10th of its compression strength, which is very low. Several materials such as fibres and polymers are added to the concrete to increase the tensile strength.

2. It is far less tough than steel

Concrete has less ability to consume impact energy as a building material, which is how the toughness of a substance is considered. When compared to steel, it has been reported that concrete has only 2% toughness of that of steel.