5000psi High-Strengh Concrete vs. 4000psi High-Strength Concrete

Construction Materials Needed to Build a BrickWood
1

Will 4000psi concrete suffice for the hearth slab?

Sakrete has 4000psi concrete which they advertise as high-strength.

Our local masonry supply store does not carry 5000psi concrete.

2

4000psi is more than enough!

You are Good-To-Go!

3

Thanks. It turns out that our local HD (one of two big box stores in our area) carries Sakrete 5000 psi. It didn’t show up during my internet search of their site but they had it in-stock at the store.

9

I’m about to go out and start hauling concrete bags home in the Ridgeline. I’m beginning to think for simplicity’s sake that the Sakrete high-strength (4,000PSI) all around would make life easier. (Lowe’s carries that, and HD has the QuiKrete equivalent.) They don’t seem to carry “standard” concrete.

Any reason I can’t use this for both the slab and the hearth slabs?

10

When it comes to compression strength, the High-Strength concrete can’t be beat - when compared to regular 2K - 4K PSI concrete. Both types of concrete will last well into year 2525 (I think there’s a song there somewhere…).

The higher PSI concrete is about $1 - $2 more per bag than standard concrete - that’s all you probably need to worry about… so if the extra $2 a bag won’t break the bank - go for it!

11

Well, there’s my mountain of 4,000PSI. Including an extra bag that the loader at the store miscounted and threw in—can you see it? :joy:

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(I had a choice of 60 or 80 pound bags. Since I’m doing almost all of this work myself, I chose 60 pound bags versus one less trip to the store.)

I also now have elaborate spreadsheets that break out in pounds how much concrete is needed, how that translates to packages of 60 or 80 pounds, and how much each packaging version would cost based on the unit price. It turns out that

  • Home Depot and Lowes were within a few cents of each other
  • There is virtually no difference in price for the smaller bag

My spreadsheet also includes the cargo-bed capacity of my truck (a beloved 2010 Honda Ridgeline), and how many of each kind of bag I could carry in one load. This last detail was perhaps just a touch obsessive.

12

You are building a Monument! The 60lbs bags are MUCH easier on the back and shoulders!

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