If there’s one thing we’ve learned after years in the concrete business, it’s that construction deadlines wait for no one. Whether you’re a contractor racing against the weather, a project manager juggling multiple teams, or a homeowner desperate to get your extension finished before the in-laws visit, time is always of the essence.
At Express Concrete, we’re often asked exactly how much time ready mix concrete saves compared to mixing on-site. So, we thought we’d break it down for you – and trust me, the numbers are pretty eye-opening!
The Old-School Method: Mixing On-Site
Let’s picture the scene: You need concrete for a medium-sized commercial floor slab. If you’re mixing on-site, here’s what your day looks like:
- Materials delivery and storage – First, you’ve got to receive deliveries of cement, sand, and aggregates, then find somewhere to store them where they won’t get wet or contaminated. That’s about 2-3 hours gone already.
- Setting up equipment – Dragging out the mixer, checking it’s working, setting up water supplies… there’s another hour.
- The mixing process – A typical 0.1m³ concrete mixer takes about 5-10 minutes per batch. For a 20m³ slab, you’re looking at roughly 8-16 hours of continuous mixing. Blimey!
- Moving the concrete – Someone’s got to wheelbarrow that concrete from the mixer to where it’s needed. More time, more labour.
- Clean-up – Once you’re done, you’ve still got to clean the mixer and tools before the concrete sets like, well, concrete. That’s at least another hour.
All in all, you could easily spend two full days just on concrete preparation for a medium-sized pour. And that’s assuming nothing goes wrong!
The Express Way: Ready Mix Delivery
Now let’s look at the same job using ready mix concrete:
- Place your order – A quick phone call to our friendly team, and you’re sorted. We’ll help calculate exactly how much you need.
- Prepare the site – While we’re mixing your concrete in our plant, you can focus on preparing the area, setting up formwork, and getting your team ready.
- Delivery and pour – Our mixer truck arrives at the agreed time, and we start pouring immediately. That 20m³ slab? We can typically discharge it in about 45-60 minutes.
- Finishing – With all your concrete arriving in one go, your team can focus on levelling and finishing, rather than constantly switching between mixing and placing.
The entire process takes a matter of hours, not days. In fact, our customers report an average time saving of 70-80% compared to mixing on-site. That’s not just a bit quicker – it’s a complete game-changer!
The Ripple Effect: How Those Time Savings Multiply
The direct time saved on mixing is just the beginning. Here’s how ready mix concrete creates even more efficiency:
Labour Reallocation
Instead of having workers dedicated to mixing concrete, your entire team can focus on higher-skilled tasks like placing, compacting, and finishing. On a typical project, this can reduce labour hours by up to 30%.
One of our regular customers, a housing developer in Leeds, told us: “We used to have three blokes mixing concrete all day. Now they’re free to crack on with other jobs, and we’re completing foundations about 40% faster than before.”
Scheduling Precision
When you know exactly when your concrete will arrive and how long the pour will take, you can schedule the rest of your construction activities with much greater precision.
Reduced Weather Delays
In our lovely British climate, rain can throw a massive spanner in the works when you’re mixing concrete on-site. With ready mix, the concrete arrives ready to pour, rain or shine (though admittedly, pouring in heavy rain isn’t ideal for any method).
Faster Project Completion
All these time savings add up throughout the project. A commercial building that might have taken 12 months using traditional methods can often be completed in 10-11 months when using ready mix concrete for all suitable applications.
Real Numbers: A Case Study
Last year, we worked with a contractor building a new supermarket. They calculated the following time savings:
- Foundation pour: 3 days reduced to 1 day (66% time saving)
- Floor slab: 5 days reduced to 1.5 days (70% time saving)
- External hardstanding: 4 days reduced to 1 day (75% time saving)
Overall, they shaved nearly two weeks off their construction schedule just from the concrete-related time savings. And as they kept reminding us, every day the supermarket opened earlier represented thousands in additional revenue.
Beyond the Clock: Quality Time Savings
It’s not just about raw hours saved. Ready mix concrete offers quality-related time savings too:
Fewer Callbacks and Rework
Because ready mix concrete is produced under controlled conditions, you’re less likely to encounter quality issues that require expensive and time-consuming rework. Our quality control process means you get consistent strength and performance every time.
Extended Working Time When Needed
Need more time to work with the concrete before it sets? We can adjust the mix with retarders to give you that extra working time. Need it to set quickly? We can do that too. Try achieving that level of control when you’re mixing in a muddy field!
Reduced Testing Time
All our concrete is tested at our plant, so you don’t need to waste time conducting as many on-site tests. You still might want to do some testing for quality assurance, but you can be confident in the product from the get-go.
The Bottom Line: Time Is Money
Let’s be frank – in construction, time really is money. Every day a project runs over schedule typically costs between 0.5% and 1% of the total project value. On a £500,000 project, that’s £2,500-£5,000 per day!
By using ready mix concrete, our customers typically report overall project time savings of 5-10%. That might not sound massive, but on that same £500,000 project, it could represent a saving of £25,000-£50,000.
Not too shabby, eh?
Ready to Save Time on Your Next Project?
If you’re fed up with the faff of mixing concrete on-site and fancy clawing back some valuable time on your next project, give us a bell. Our team at Express Concrete can help you calculate exactly how much concrete you need, when you need it, and how much time you could save.
We deliver across the region, and our drivers are known for their punctuality (a rare thing in construction, we know!).
Remember, in construction, time doesn’t just mean money – it also means less stress, happier clients, and getting home at a decent hour. And honestly, who couldn’t do with a bit more of all three?
Contact us today, and let’s get cracking on making your next project quicker, easier, and more profitable!