How to Make Concrete Ratio

Concrete is made of cement, sand and gravel mixed with water. The mix ratio for a basic concrete mix design is 1:2:4. What does that mean exactly? That means 1 part portland cement, 2 parts sand and 4 parts gravel. It doesn't matter whether you are measuring with a small scoop, a shovel, a bucket or a wheelbarrow, or if you are measuring by weight, as long as the ratio remains the same, you will have good, strong concrete.

For example - if you weigh out one pound of portland cement powder, you would mix that with two pounds of sand and four pounds of gravel to keep your the 1-2-4 ratio. The same if you use one cup of cement, you would add two cups of sand and four cups of gravel.

The ingredients in a basic concrete mix play an important role in the strength and quality of the finished concrete. For an easy DIY concrete mix, you want regular portland cement which can come with different names, depending on your geographical area, such as type GU (general use), type N (normal), type 1, or type 10.

You also want to use sand that is sterilized, sharp, and graded for masonry applications. This type of sand has sharp, jagged edges that form a stronger bond than something like Play Sand that is tumbled to lose the sharp, jagged edges that give sharp sand better bonding properties. The gravel in a concrete mix is generally of a construction grade, commonly a 1/2" or 3/4" clear gravel. Again, you want this clean and free of debris.

This basic concrete 1-2-4 mix ratio is useful for many different projects and applications. There is a host of different concrete mix designs but this simple one will result in strong, reliable concrete that you are able to make and apply yourself and should last for decades to come.

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