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Glossary: Materials and mix

Fines

Definition

Fines are the smallest particles in a load of aggregate or base stone, the sand sized and silt sized material that fills the gaps between the larger pieces. The word covers two different things depending on which pile you are standing next to.

Fines in a concrete mix

Concrete aggregate is graded from coarse stone down through sand, and the fine end of that spread is what gives the batch its paste and its workability along with the cement. A mix that is short on fines is harsh, hard to finish, and hard to move. A load carrying a full spread of sizes, coarse down through fine with nothing missing in the middle, travels and finishes better than one with a gap in that gradation.

In this context, fines are a wanted part of the recipe, sized and proportioned on purpose by the plant against the mix design.

Fines in base stone are a different story

Under a slab, crusher run and similar base stone need some fine material too, because the dust and small particles are what let the stone lock tight when it is compacted. Too little, and the base stays loose and shifts. Too much, especially clay and silt washed in from the ground underneath rather than in the stone itself, and the base holds water instead of draining it, which is the opposite of what a base is for.

That second kind of fines is a soil condition more than a material spec, and it is exactly what a crew is checking for when it looks at what an excavation turns up before the base goes down.

Why the difference matters on your job

The fines in your concrete order are the plant's problem, chosen against the strength and slump you specified. The fines under your slab are a site condition, and it is the reason a crew looks at what the excavation turns up rather than assuming every lot compacts the same.

Around here that usually means red clay, which holds water and does not drain the way a clean crushed base does. Where that shows up, it gets handled before the concrete goes in, not discovered after.

That is also why a base gets proof rolled or otherwise checked before stone goes down at all. A subgrade that looks firm and packs soft under a load is telling you something about its fines that a look from the surface will not.

Good questions

Are fines the same thing as sand?

Mostly, in a concrete mix. Sand is the fine aggregate fraction the plant proportions into the batch. Fines can also mean the dust and silt content of a base stone like crusher run, which is a different pile with a different job.

Do fines in base stone cause problems?

A moderate amount helps crusher run lock tight when it is compacted. Too much, especially clay and silt carried up from the soil below it, holds water and softens the base instead of letting it drain.

Can you tell from the surface whether a lot has bad fines under it?

Not reliably. Red clay can look firm and dry on top and turn soft the moment weight sits on it. That is why we look at what the excavation actually turns up rather than judge a lot from a walk across it.

Not sure what your base stone is doing under the slab?

Describe what the excavation turned up and we will tell you whether it needs to be reworked before we pour.

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