What was in this mix?  Type I/II cement is making a comeback. At least that is what the market is asking for. Contractors want it. Ready-mix producers want it. Owners want concrete to act like concrete again. After years of frustration with…

Imagine building this without concrete. | Getty Images "Those who talk should do and only those who do should talk."  - Nassim Nicholas Taleb Data center owners have a concrete problem. Most of them just do not see it yet. Concrete is no…

“The real price of every thing, what every thing really costs to the man who wants to acquire it, is the toil and trouble of acquiring it.” – Adam Smith If you’re in the construction industry, you’re buying cement. Maybe you buy it directly. …

“Let all men know how empty and worthless is the power of kings, for there is none worthy of the name, but He whom heaven, earth, and sea obey by eternal laws.” – King Canute Back in August we published a post called: “100 Cokes or 1 Mile:…

CO₂ capture. Because photosynthesis apparently doesn’t matter. (Adobe) I got another message this week. Same theme as a few others.  “Anti-PLC.” “Only talking about it because it draws an audience.”  Maybe it draws an audience because almost nobody…

Follow the Line. Follow the Money. If you’ve been following the Type IL situation the last few years, you’ve heard every excuse under the sun about why Portland limestone cement suddenly became the “future” of American concrete. We’ve been told it’…

A rare glimpse of the Creative Minds of Cement in their natural habitat - a castle. (OpenAI) It was a crisp autumn morning in late 2021 when the tolling of bells echoed through the vaulted halls of Castle Valkenhorst, perched high on a European …

Back in 2011, the cement industry told us portland-limestone cement (PLC) was no risk. The updated State of the Art Report 2024 walks that back. Now it admits PLC can have higher carbonation, chloride ingress, and admixture sensitivity—but don’t wor…