Cement is the most used material in any type of construction. It is the binder that holds your build together. There are so many ways to check the quality of cement. But most of these methods include tests performed in a lab. As to check the quality you need to check its properties by using apparatus.
It is not easy to check all the properties of the cement on site of construction but some tests can provide a rough idea of what the quality of bought cement is.
Date of packing (MFG Date)
Strength of cement reduces as time goes on. Following are the percentage of strength for given time.
| Age of Cement | Percentage of Cement Strength reduction |
| 3 months | 20%-30% |
| 6 months | 30%-40% |
| 12 months | 40%-50% |
Color of Cement:
Color of the cement with good quality is grey with greenish shade. The color should be uniform otherwise it will be mixed. Not pure cement
Lumps in Cement:
Check for lumps in the cement if there are lumps that means cement is damped and in that condition the quality of cement is bad.
Rubbing Test:
Take a pinch of cement rub within the fingers if the touch feels soft and smooth the quality is fine, if any roughness is felt it indicates cement is mixed with sand.
Float Test of Cement:
Take a handful of cement and throw it in water, a good quality of Cement should sink and should not float on water.
Strength Test:
Make A block of cement 25 mm x 25 mm and 200 mm long. Immerse the block in water for 7 days. Place the immersed block on supports 15000 mm apart and then load with a weight of 340 N. the block which is made of good cement should not show any sign of failure.