How much cement and sand do you need per 1 cubic meter of mortar?

For builders, purchasing crushed stone( gravel), cement and sand is only the first step on the way to a decent performance of work. It is extremely important to turn the entire set of structural components into the optimal composition in terms of their physical and technical characteristics and properties. To do this, it is very important to know the proportional ratio of materials, namely, how many kg of cement in 1 ^m3 of mortar. This article will help you understand the nuances of cement consumption per 1 cubic meter of the mixture used for construction.

State standards vs practical experience

Of course, if you see cement powder for the first time, then you should not follow the principles of “by eye” or “the more, the better”. But, in any case, even if you do not have sufficient competence, you need to be able to ensure control over performers in order to get them to comply with consumption standards and at the same time get a high-quality result. The easiest way to do this is to know exactly how to mix cement mortar according to generally accepted regulatory and technical regulations.

Experience is an important component of the contractor’s qualification, but it is still better to use routine values, making cement consumption when mixing a mortar of the brand corresponding to the work performed. Study the table values of GOST and SNIP to accurately determine the proportional occurrence of structural elements in the batch composition based on the task for which the mortar is prepared: masonry, floor filling, plastering, foundation being created.

Important! In practice, the values may differ, since the figures used in compiling tables are usually obtained at “ideal” parameters (air temperature-23 degrees Celsius; sand – cleaned, medium-sized with a normal humidity level). Since it is almost impossible to reproduce similar batch parameters, a stock of building materials of 10-15% will be required.

When producing concrete of various technical grades, the proportion of M400 / 500 cement relative to the total volume of the composition and its other structural elements should be taken into account (see Table).

If you measure by weight categories, then the following powder mass will come to 1 m3 of concrete composition when it is made from cement (grade 500)::

It is worth noting that increasing the weight index of cement per cubic meter of the mixed composition does not lead to an increase in the final volume. Filling the sand pores and gaps that form the filled-in crushed stone, the powder, weighing 200 kilos or 400 kilos, occupies the same volume. Already in the dry batch, water is added-due to the average mass value of the added cement per 1 cubic meter of the mixed consistency.

Compositions of different consistency

Even a non-specialist understands that the quantitative inclusion of a binder powder per cube of concrete (of any other composition)-this is a value that depends on the strength of the structure being built. Under the foundation bases, the proportions are selected that correspond to the composition with the brand accessory M300, and for screeds – M150.

Attention! The tabular content makes it clear that the brand name affects the amount of cement that is used to mix the required consistency (the higher — the lower the consumption of powder).

Plaster for walls is prepared according to the principle: 1 part of the powder to 3 parts of the sand fraction. Despite the fact that the thickness is approximately 12 mm per 1 sq. m. m is weighed by 1.6 kg of M400 (or 1.4 kg of M500). In this case, the processing of a square of the area accounts for approximately 12 liters of the composition.

If the screed is poured, then the preparation of the composition is suitable as follows::

1. You need to calculate the volume required for filling: surface area * applied layer.
2. We take the tabular value of the mass of powder consumed per 1 cubic meter of solution (remember the importance of such conditions as the initial and final brand affiliation).
3. Multiply this figure by the previously obtained volume.

Thus, we calculated the mass of the viscous substance required for mixing the construction compound under the screed. Additionally, you can find out what the calculation order will be from the position of a 50-or 25-kilogram bag. To do this, having received the mass, we divide it by the mass content of the selected container with building materials.

If the brickwork is being prepared, then when building a house, you should use the following calculations::

• the M100 composition needs approximately 75 liters per” square ” of masonry in 1 brick layer;
• the application of the 1st part of the viscous substance M400 requires filling 4 sand parts;
• if the M500 is used, 40 liters of sand fraction and 7 liters of water are needed for 10 liters of powder.

Below is a summary table showing the main values (volume indicators and technical parameters for building materials used in masonry).

Using all the above information, you can make any conventional compound for performing general construction procedures. You can prepare the composition according to volume or mass parameters, getting the optimal consistency with the minimum possible consumption of a viscous substance per 1 ^m3 .