Cement is one of the essential components when it comes to the construction of any concrete structure. The quality of the cement used plays a vital role in determining how strong a structure will be and how long it will last. Now, for a layman, it is quite difficult to differentiate between a sub-par product and a quality product. We all dream of building our dream home at some point in our life, but that dream can get shattered if one ends up using the sub-standard product. In this blog, we will enlighten our readers with some simple tricks by which one will able to determine a bag of cement is good or bad.

1) Date of manufacturing: The date of the manufacture of the cement is arguably one of the best litmus tests one can use to determine the quality. As the cement age, the strength of the cement deteriorates and will try to explain how that happens in the latter part of this blog. A bag of cement of one-year losses its initial strength by 40% to 50%, which is quite an alarming number.

2) Lump Formation: This is another test one can use to determine the quality of cement. A cement which tends to form lumps is not the best raw material for your building. The lump formation indicates that the product has gone through some degree of hydration when brought in contact with the atmosphere.

3) Put your hand in a bag of cement: When you put your hand in a bag of cement, your hand should feel a cold sensation and not a warm one. The cold sensation will indicate the product has not gone through any form of hydration, while warm feeling will indicate hydration.

4) Consistency in Color: The color is one of the best visual tests, one can use to determine the quality of cement. The consistency in color will determine the uniformity in the strength of the product.

Rubbing test: Good quality cement when rubbed on the palm will give a smooth feeling instead of a coarse one.

5) Hydraulic cement: one can use this test to check the quality of the cement. The person needs to form a cake of cement and immerse in the water. A cake formed from good cement will not distort underwater.