A few days back, one of our customers asked about RMC (Ready Mix Concrete) vs. Manual/Site mix concrete for RCC molding.
He asked for my input or what we opted for in our building. I quickly replied to his email about what we opted for and why. I thought many of you might have same questions in your head.
And today I’m in the mood to talk about this topic.
Here is the exact question:
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Hi Arun,
Just stumbled upon your blog and read a couple of articles and then glanced over the whole 7 pages of your blog site. Like what you are doing here.
We are in the middle of the construction of a G + 1 house near Sarjapura Road and opted for Labour Contractor.
Currently, the house is in the foundation stage, and we had an option of choosing RMC vs. Site Mix concrete for the plinth and columns. I weighed the pros and cons but finally went for Site Mix as the following cons stopped me from deciding otherwise.
1. Rain-site mix is done in batches, and RMC comes as a full load. If heavy rain and we have to stop construction – then RMC will go to waste
2. Getting hold of reliable RMC suppliers in a short time
3. Cost around 10-15% extra
Wanted to know your thoughts on this. What did you go with for your house? What would you recommend to your readers/subscribers? Do you think this topic warrants a blog post?
Thanks and Regards
Sxxxxxxxxa
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Before continuing to read this article, remember I’m not a civil engineer. I’m a consumer who built 2 houses in Bangalore, and I’m sharing what I learned from my experience.
In our case, we opted for the Site Mixing/Manual Mixing option for both buildings.
We did come across the RMC option before we started molding work. After researching and discussing with other users, we finally chose the Site Mixing option.
Below Are a Few Reasons Why We Went with the Manual Mixing Option.
1) For Quality Control:
The first thing that comes to our mind in choosing a site mixing option is because of the material quality being used for our RCC.
All the material used for our molding is within our control, right in front of our eyes, and not some company.
You can see, touch and feel the quality material before you start your molding work.
But in the case of RMC, we are not sure what they TELL and what they USE.
There is no way to verify the quality of RMC.
Even if you notice a Lower quality mix at your site during molding time, you cannot send them back telling complaints at that time. You just have to use what you got.
This reason is sufficient for us to never go with the RMC option. But if in case you want more reasons, continue reading.
2) RMC Pricing:
Based on what I understand from my research, RMC (Ready Mix Concrete) is costlier than the site mixing option by up to 20%.
But one user who used both RMC and Site mixing said the RMC price difference, in reality, could come close to 35%.
3) More Popular by Usage:
There is a chance other users will also construct houses near your house/site.
Notice what they use for their RCC.
Do they use RMC or a Site mixing option?
In my case, 90% of the RCC near my house use the Site Mixing option.
Only 10% of them use RMC.
At least, that’s what I notice in my area.
There could be a reason why most of them use the Site mixing option instead of RMC isn’t?
Looks nearby your site and decide for yourself.
4) No need to Hurry:
When it comes to RMC, there is a time limit. You need to use the mixture within that time, or else the concrete will get hard. If something goes wrong, there is no PAUSE to it.
In case of Site mixing, you can ask them to wait some time and continue again.
In RMC, you will be counting time.
5) No Dramas on Site:
When building your house, I always advise house owners to be very careful and beware of cheating on how it happens.
Here is one guy caught cheating by the RMC supply company. (it’s a big project, but still, lessons need to learn)
This is my opinion.
Here is what other users said about RMC Vs. Site Mixing.
Here is a snippet of the discussion on Quora by Ganesh Narayanan.
I used RMC from a reputed firm for one roof and a manual mix for the other,.. both of exactly the same dimensions…I find manual mix better from a cost and quality perspective.
Few Drawbacks of the Site Mixing Option:
1) You need to manage too many laborers on molding day
2) You need to arrange a lot of stuff during molding day, like – water, tarpal, cement, food, power, and more.
3) Not a good option if you are doing a bigger project
4) It’s a time-consuming process
This is just my opinion.
Some experts advise RMC as well. You make your own decision based on your own preference and circumstance.
If you need to share something, feel free to share them in the comment section below.
Meanwhile, I recommend you go through my Cement Pricing Secrets to buy cement at a better price.
When I used to buy cement, I discovered this somewhat unknown method. I shared everything I know in the below guide.