10 Precautions while buying cement and handling cement

Cement is one of the most important ingredients in building construction from a structural integrity point of view. It is recommended that you take the following precautions when buying cement and consequent handling time.

1.       Date of Manufacturing: Check the cement bag for date of manufacturing. Cement loses quality with age and old and dated cement is strictly not recommended

2.       Random Check: Do a random check of at least 1% of the bags being bought for the weight. For example out of 100 bags, ensure you check at least 1 bag to see  that the weight of the bag is as described

3.       Avoid water contact: Ensure that the cement bags have not come in contact with water – any water contact should be avoided. Reject cement bags which seem to have dampness and probably cement lumps have been formed

4.       Make sure that the cement bags are new, has the grade of cement inscribed and the manufacturer name clearly written on it

5.       Age of cement bag should not be older than 4-5 weeks – Preferably much lesser than that.

6.       Reputed Brands: Ensure that you buy cement from reputed brands like Ultratech cement, ACC cement, Ambuja cement etc. Cement price of various cement brands changes frequently and hence ensure that you check with a few dealers or check for price of cement online before confirming a deal.

7.       Check stitching: Check if the stitching of the cement bag has been tampered with – any tampered bags should be immediately rejected.

8.       Don’t use hooks: Check if any tear is present in the cement bag due to handling by hooks etc. Handling by hooks causes tears which result in loss of cement and allows ingress of moisture

9.       Stacking: Stacking of Cement should be done in an area which is devoid of moisture. Ideally cement should be stacked on wooden pallets. If wooden pallets are not available, ensure that dry stone or brick is used as a foundation and place the cement bags on top of them. Ensure that stacking of cement bags is not done too high (not more than 15 bags in height).

10.   Monsoon protection of cement: Ensure that you provide an additional layer of protection in the monsoon in the form of plastic or polythene tarpaulin. Keep the cement bags tightly packed together to prevent moisture ingress.

Bonus Tip: Cement is mostly handled by project contractors. Any wastage of cement due to improper handling should be on account of the contractor once handover of cement is done to the contractor. Random check of contractor storage yard or godown should be done to ensure cement quality is intact.

Did we miss any points? We will appreciate any comments that you may have!