At CMTL we provide comprehensive testing to assess the quality of both fresh and hardened concrete. We deliver concrete testing for every stage of your project in our UKAS and INAB accredited laboratories. From on-site slump testing as you pour your concrete mix, to testing hardened samples for indicative characteristics.
Concrete Strength Test
Concrete is the most widely used construction material in the world. Concrete strength tests are an integral part of assessing the quality and durability of concrete structures. These tests provide valuable information about the compressive strength of concrete, which is crucial for ensuring the structural integrity of buildings, bridges, and other infrastructure projects. In the UK, concrete strength tests follow specific standards and methods to ensure accurate and reliable results. All tests performed by CMTL are compliant with industry regulations and relevant UK standards.
Compressive Strength Test
A compressive strength test is one of the most widely used methods at CMTL to determine the strength of concrete. It measures the ability of concrete to resist axial compressive loads. The test involves casting concrete into moulds and subjecting them to compressive forces until failure occurs. The resulting maximum load is divided by the cross-sectional area of the specimen to calculate the compressive strength. CMTL is UKAS accredited to the standard method for conducting compressive strength tests outlined in BS EN 12390-3:2019 "Testing hardened concrete - Part 3: Compressive strength of test specimens."
Flexural Strength Test
A flexural strength test evaluates the bending or tensile strength of concrete. It measures the ability of concrete to resist bending or cracking under applied loads. The test involves casting beams of concrete and subjecting them to a bending force until failure occurs. The maximum applied force is used to calculate the flexural strength. At CMTL the flexural strength test is performed according to BS EN 12390-5:2019 "Testing hardened concrete - Part 5: Flexural strength of test specimens."
Tensile Strength Test
The tensile strength test determines the tensile strength of concrete indirectly by subjecting specimens to diametrical compressive forces. The test measures the tensile strength perpendicular to the direction of the applied load. It is particularly useful for assessing the behaviour of concrete in tension, which is essential in structures subjected to bending or direct tensile loads. CMTL offer tensile strength testing to BS EN 12390-6:2019 "Testing hardened concrete - Part 6: Tensile splitting strength of test specimens."
Benefits of Concrete Testing
- Early removal of formwork, saving time and money on projects
- Reduced road or track possession times for emergency repairs
- Highly accurate determination of strength in low and high temperature environments
- Optimisation of concrete mix design or for use with specialist applications
UKAS & INAB Accreditation
Our on-site pop-up laboratories are UKAS & INAB accredited and enable fast analysis for a more cost-effective, time saving testing solution.
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Concrete Tests
Below is a list of the concrete tests we can perform from our UKAS and INAB accredited labs. Please note, this list is not exhaustive, and we can arrange speciality testing to suit your requirements.
- Making cubic specimens for strength tests – including curing
- Making cylinder specimens – including curing
- Making beam / prism specimens – including curing
- Sampling fresh concrete on site – composite sampling - spot sample
- Sampling fresh concrete on site - Slump
- Sampling fresh concrete on site - Flow
- Sampling fresh concrete on site - Density
- Sampling fresh concrete on site – Air content – pressure gauge method
- Measuring the fibre content in fresh and hardened concrete
- Water absorption
- Depth of carbonation
- Compressive strength of cubes
- Compressive strength of cubes – including curing
- Compressive strength of cubes – shape and dimension
- Flexural strength of test specimens
- Flexural strength of test specimens - including curing
- Flexural strength of test specimens – shape and dimension
- Tensile splitting strength
- Density
- Cored specimens - sampling
- Cored specimens – examining and testing in compression
- Flexural tensile strength (Limit Of Proportionality (LOP), residual) of metallic fibre concrete
- Chloride ion determination in concrete and mortar
- Location of reinforcement