Glossary
Concrete Glossary
Control joint, rebar, slump, screed, spalling, curing and more: the words concrete crews use, explained in plain English. Search or scroll.
- Aggregate
- The sand, gravel or crushed stone mixed into concrete. In exposed aggregate, it is the finished surface.
- Air entrainment
- Tiny air bubbles added to the mix that help concrete handle freeze and thaw.
- Base
- The compacted layer of gravel under a slab that supports it and helps water drain.
- Bleed water
- Water that rises to the surface of fresh concrete. Finishing waits until it is gone.
- Broom finish
- A light texture made by dragging a broom across fresh concrete for traction.
- Cement
- The powder that binds the mix. Cement and water form the paste that hardens.
- Chair
- A small support that holds rebar or mesh at the right height in a slab.
- Control joint
- A planned groove cut in a slab so cracks form along it instead of at random.
- Cubic yard
- The unit concrete is sold by: a cube three feet on each side, or twenty-seven cubic feet.
- Curing
- Keeping concrete damp and protected while it gains strength after the pour.
- Expansion joint
- A gap, often filled with a flexible strip, that lets slabs move against a wall or each other.
- Float
- A flat tool used to smooth and level the surface after screeding.
- Form
- The temporary boards or panels that hold concrete in shape until it hardens.
- Frost depth
- How deep the ground freezes where you live. Footings go below it.
- Heave
- Upward movement of a slab, often from frozen or swelling soil.
- Integral color
- Pigment mixed through the whole batch so the color goes all the way through.
- Overlay
- A thin new layer bonded over an old slab to renew its surface.
- Pitch
- The slope of a slab, usually to carry water away.
- Rebar
- Steel reinforcing bars set inside concrete to hold cracks tight and add strength.
- Release agent
- A powder or liquid that keeps a stamp mat from sticking to fresh concrete.
- Saw cut
- A joint cut with a concrete saw soon after the surface can take it.
- Scaling
- Flaking of the surface, often from freeze and thaw or de-icing salt.
- Screed
- To level fresh concrete by pulling a straight board across the forms.
- Sealer
- A coating or penetrating liquid that protects concrete from water and stains.
- Slab on grade
- A concrete slab that rests directly on prepared ground.
- Slump
- A measure of how stiff or fluid fresh concrete is.
- Spalling
- Pieces of the surface breaking away, exposing rough concrete underneath.
- Stain
- A reactive or water-based color applied to the surface of concrete.
- Stamped concrete
- Concrete pressed with mats while it is fresh to look like stone, brick or wood.
- Subgrade
- The natural soil under the base, prepared before the base goes in.
- Trowel
- A flat steel tool used to smooth and harden the surface during finishing.
- Water-cement ratio
- The amount of water compared with cement. Less water generally means stronger concrete.
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