Definitions & History

What is cement?

Cement is a substance with binding property, which sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together.

Cement can also be described as a material with adhesive and cohesive properties which makes it capable of bonding mineral fragments into a compact whole (Neville) .

Interesting facts:

The word cement is derived from the Latin word “caementum” which means rough stone.

The Early Romans used a masonry (which resembled modern day concrete) made from crushed rock with burnt lime as binder. They used the term "opus caementitium" to describe this masonry.

The name concrete is derived from the Latin word “concretus; concretus is the past participle of the word concrescere meaning “to grow together”, “to harden”.

Cements used in construction are characterized as Hydraulic or Non-Hydraulic.