Which is the Best Cement for House Construction: OPC or PPC?

Do you want to know which is the Best Cement for House Construction: is it OPC or is it PPC?

After reading this article, you will be able to decide which cement you should use while construction of your house.

In this article, I am going to elaborate on the two different types of Cement which are generally used in house construction namely OPC and PPC.

Different Grades of Cement used in Building Construction

• OPC is generally available in three grades namely 33, 43 and 53 grades.
• PPC is only available in 33 grade

What is Ordinary Portland Cement?

OPC is the most common type of cement which is used in house construction. It is made by chemical combination of calcium, silicon, aluminium, iron and other ingredients in controlled conditions.

33-grade cement is used for small-scale constructions where the strength of concrete is not taken into account i.e. small house construction.

43-grade cement is used for medium-scale construction where medium strength is required and concrete has to take loads of structure above it i.e. 3-floor house.

53-grade cement is used where a very high strength of concrete is required it is not used in house construction but can be used in special projects or mass constructions.

Advantages of OPC:-

i) Famous at all the regions in India for House Construction.

ii) It is available everywhere

iii) It attains early strength in less time

iv) It is available in different grades

v) Manufacturing Process is easy

Disadvantages of OPC:-

i) It cannot resist sulfate attack

ii) Its cost is higher

iii) It releases more heat

iv) It has less durability

v) Its workability is lower.

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What is Portland Pozzolana Cement?

Use of PPC is increasing nowadays in houses construction as it contains Pozzolana materials as its constituents which impart better properties to the cement.

Pozzolanic materials are the main constituents in the manufacturing of PPC. The percentage of pozzolanic material should lie between 10 to 30%.

It is ideal for use in the house construction due to fact that it gives better performance in the long term when compared to OPC.

Advantages of using PPC:-

i) It can resist sulfate attack up to some extent

ii) Its cost is lower

iii) It releases less heat

iv) It has better durability

v) It has better workability

Disadvantages of using PPC:-

i) Not famous in all the regions of India

ii) PPC is not available everywhere

iii) The manufacturing process is difficult

iv) It is available in one grade only

v) It attains early strength in more time.

Conclusion:

If one wants durability and workability, then I will advise the use of PPC. However, if you want to achieve early strength in less time so that you can remove the formwork as early as possible then I recommend you using OPC for house construction.

So, which Cement you are going to use for your House Construction?

Do let me know in the comment section below.