The amount of concrete used each year is astounding - about 2,000 million tonnes. If we had the technology and the demand, this quantity could provide a pathway 1 metre wide and 10 cm thick to the moon and back, not once but 10 times. The industry behind the material provides jobs for many Europeans. Concrete has found its way into so many different applications because it's properties can be varied simply by changing its recipe. These properties have to be measured if the industry wants to continually improve the quality and test the performance of its wide range of products.
Concrete tests are a crucial part of both product development and quality control.
Numerous laboratories from across Europe and around the world test concrete. Scientists in these organisations measure both properties important in the finished product, such as strength, and those affecting freshly mixed concrete. Examples of these properties include the ability to place fresh concrete in position and to ensure that it is properly compacted. Such properties and many others are so important to materials' and therefore to customer satisfaction. As a result, they appear in specifications and are often a condition of supply from a readymix company to a contractor.