Difference Between Cements of Grade 43 and 53

Commonly we across three grades of cement eg. Grade 33, Grade 43, and Grade 33. Nowadays grade 33 is very rare.

What is the Grade of Cement?

Grade of cement is the value of crushing strength(in N/sq mm) of a cement mortar cube of size 70.71mm(surface area of 50sq cm) cured and tested at 28 days.

Grade of cement basically depends on the specific surface area. The more the specific surface area more is the strength and higher the grade.

Specific Surface Area:

It's the total surface area of 1g of cement (unit: sq cm/ gram)

Difference Between Grade 43 and 53:

• Though cement of all grades (eg. grade 33, grade 43, grade 53) are almost similar chemically, grade 53 has a much greater specific surface area than the other two.
• Grade 53 Cement has more shrinkage compared to the other two. But it has higher early strength. Therefore it's preferred in high strength concretes, prestressed concrete, etc.

Usage:

• Faster setting and high strength make grade 53 cement a commonly used binding material in RCC structures, Prestressed concrete structures, Grouting, instant plugging mortars, etc.
• Whereas grade 43 is commonly used for plastering work, pathways, etc. where initial setting time is not a criterion.

Price:

The exact price varies from Brand to Brand. But normally we can say that grade 53 is 3 to 4% costlier than grade 43 for obvious reasons.