Difference Between OPC and PPC Cement – In the following table is the comparison between OPC vs PPC :

OPC is made by preparing and then grinding a mixture of limestone and additional raw materials including argillaceous, calcareous, and gypsum.	Pozzolanic components are added to OPC to create PPC. OPC clinker, gypsum, and pozzolanic elements (15–35 %), such as calcined clay, volcanic ash, fly ash, or silica fumes, make up the primary constituents.
Compared to PPC, initial strength is higher.	Over a lengthier time frame, PPC has more strength than OPC.
It is less suited for bulk casting because the hydration reaction produces more heat than PPC does.	It produces less heat than OPC because its hydration process is slow.
less resilient in harsh weather.	less costly than OPC.
More costly than PPC.	Cheaper than OPC.
Emits CO2 when it is being manufactured.	It contains both industrial and organic waste, making it environmentally favourable.
It is suitable for quick construction but unsuitable for bulk concreting due to the heat-related difficulties outlined above.	For all kinds of construction activities, it is appropriate. For instance, mass concrete pouring for bridges, RCC casting of structures, and even plastering and other non-structural activities.
Inferior to PPC. It takes 30 minutes to set initially, and 280 minutes to set completely. The quicker setting time facilitates quicker building.	PPC requires more time to set than OPC. It takes 30 minutes to set initially, and 600 minutes to set completely. Better finishing is made possible by the slower setting time.
OPC has 225 sq.m/kg of finiteness. It is less finely ground than PPC. As a result, it is less durable due to its increased permeability.	OPC has a 300 sq.m/kg finiteness. It has a finer texture than OPC. As a result, it is more durable due to its decreased permeability.
OPC cement is available in grades 33, 43, and 53.	No specified grade of PPC cement is available.
Lower than PPC.	Superior to OPC.
It is less resistant to alkalis, sulphates, chlorides, and other substances.	It is more resistant to alkalis, sulphates, chlorides, and other substances.

Also read –

What is the main difference between OPC and PPC cement?

Difference Between OPC and PPC Cement Sheikh Anwarul Mahdi PPC cement full form is Portland Pozzolana Cement, OPC cement full form is Ordinary Portland Cement, Both PPC and OPC cement is used in construction. PPC cement is a variant of OPC cement. These two types of cement differ from each other in terms of component, strength, heat generation, the percentage of several components, durability, grades, cost, eco-friendly nature, application, setting time, curing period, etc.

	Sources	OPC Cement	PPC Cement
1	Definition/ Components	A mixture of limestone and other raw materials like argillaceous, calcareous, and gypsum is prepared and then grinded to prepare OPC (Ordinary Portland Cement).	PPC (Portland Pozzolana Cement) is prepared by adding Pozzolanic materials to OPC. So, the main components are OPC, gypsum, and pozzolanic materials (15~35%) which include calcined clay, volcanic ash, fly ash, or silica fumes.
2	Strength	Initial strength is higher than PPC.	PPC concrete has higher strength than OPC concrete over a longer period of time.
3	Heat of hydration	Generates more heat than PPC in hydration reaction which makes it less suitable for mass casting.	It has a slow hydration process and thus generates less heat than OPC.
4	Durability	OPC concrete is less durable in aggressive weather.	PPC concrete is more durable in aggressive weather.
5	Cost	Costlier than PPC.	Cheaper than OPC.
6	Environmental Impact	Emits CO 2 during the manufacturing process.	It constitutes industrial and natural waste which makes it eco-friendly.
7	Application/	It is suitable where fast construction is required but not suitable for mass concreting due to heat issues as mentioned above.	It is suitable for all types of construction work. For example RCC casting of buildings, mass concreting for bridges, and even plastering and other non-structural works.
8	Setting Time	Lower than PPC. Its initial setting time is 30 minutes and the final setting time is 280 minutes. Its faster setting time helps faster construction.	The setting time of PPC portland is higher than OPC. Its initial setting time is 30 minutes and the final setting time is 600 minutes. Its slower setting time helps to get better finishing.
9		OPC has finiteness of 225 sq.m/kg. It has lower fineness than PPC. So, it has higher permeability resulting in lower durability.	OPC has finiteness of 300 sq.m/kg. It has higher fineness than OPC. So, it has lower permeability resulting in higher durability.
10	Grades available	33 Grade, 43 Grade, and 53 Grade OPC cement are available.	No specified grade of PPC cement is available.
11		Lower than PPC.	Higher than OPC.
12	Resistance against chemical attack	It has lower resistance against alkalis, sulfates, chlorides, etc.	It has higher resistance against alkalis, sulfates, chlorides, etc.

Difference Between OPC and PPC Cement

Is PPC a 43 grade cement?

Stay updated on cement standards Jagvir Goyal Cement and steel being the two most important materials that govern the strength of a structure, remain under constant gaze of Bureau of Indian Standards. BIS keeps reviewing the specifications and parameters regarding these from time to time and revises the codal instructions for their properties and usage.

• Draft instructions are circulated among all prominent engineers for their opinion before adopting the changes and revising the codes.
• Recently, cement codes have undergone significant changes and it is important for a house builder to be in know of these.
• Types of cement: There are 13 types of cement for which BIS has issued specifications and IS code numbers.

Many of these cements are use specific. These include Rapid hardening cement, Portland slag cement, low heat Portland cement, Ordinary Portland Cement, Portland Pozzolana cement, High Alumina Cement, White Portland Cement and many others. Of these, only three types of cement are used by a house builder for his house.

• These are Ordinary Portland Cement, Portland Pozzolana Cement and White Portland cement.
• IS Codes: The Ordinary Portland Cement when used by the house builders should conform to IS 269.
• The Portland Pozzolana Cement carries IS 1489 Part I mark.
• The White Portland Cement carries IS 8042 mark.
• Ordinary Portland Cement is commonly known as OPC and Portland Pozzolana cement is commonly known as PPC.

White Portland Cement is commonly known as White cement. While the OPC and PPC are supplied in 50 kg bags, white cement is used only for some specific purposes in the house and thus its consumption in a house is very small. It is therefore purchased in 1 kg packs.

1. Grades: Earlier there used to be three grades of OPC.
2. Now, as per latest revision of IS Code, there are five grades of OPC.
3. These are 33 grade, 43 grade, 53 grade, 43 S grade and 53 S grade.
4. There are no grades in PPC or in any other type of cement.43 S grade and 53 S grade of cement are used in Railway Engineering for manufacture of sleepers.

Here, S stands for Sleepers. OPC 33 grade, 43 grade and 53 grade cements are used for General purpose engineering such as building construction. The43 grade OPC is stronger than 33 grade cement and 53 grade cement is still stronger than 43 grade cement.

• Naturally, the tendency of the house builder is to opt for 53 grade cement to have a stronger structure.
• Codes for cement grades: Earlier, there used to be three IS codes for different grades of OPC.
• For OPC 33 grade, the IS code was IS 269 and cement bags were marked with IS 269 mark.
• For 43 grade OPC, the IS code was IS 8112.

The cement bags carrying IS 8112 mark were presumed to be having 43 grade cement. For 53 grade cement, IS code used to be IS 12269. All cement bags having 53 grade cement carried IS 12269 mark. In 2015, IS code for OPC has been revised and all grades of cement have been included in one IS code only.

1. Now, all cement bags containing OPC are supposed to carry IS 269 mark only irrespective of grade of cement contained in it.
2. Further, each bag will further mention whether it carries 33 grade cement or 43 grade cement or 53 grade cement.
3. So don’t look for IS 8112 mark or IS 12269 mark any more while buying cement.

Rather, look for IS 269 mark only and further, the grade of cement as mentioned on the bag. Why the grades: In all grades of Ordinary Portland Cement, same raw material is used. The difference between different grades of cement is due to the difference in proportion of raw materials in cement.

• Variation in proportion of raw materials in cement alters its physical properties and produces stronger varieties of cement, classified as 43 grade and 53 grade cement.
• Types of PPC: There are two types of Portland Pozzolana cement or PPC.
• One type of cement contains fly ash as the pozzolana material.

The other type of PPC contains calcined clay as pozzolana material. PPC containing fly ash has been given IS 1489 (Part 1) mark. PPC containing calcined clay has been given IS 1489 (Part II) mark. Use of different types of pozzolana materials alters physical and chemical properties of cement.

In building work, fly ash based PPC is used. Thus, while choosing PPC for one’s house, one should look for IS 1489 (Part 1) mark on the cement bags. Strength values of OPC & PPC: As explained above, of the three grades of OPC, 53 grade is the strongest. Its strength is 530 kg per sq. cm. OPC 43 grade cement comes next.

It has a strength of 430 kg per sq cm. OPC 33 grade has 330 kg per sq cm of strength. PPC is considered to have strength equivalent to that of OPC 33 grade cement. Therefore, its strength is 330 kg per sq cm. These are the minimum strength requirements for each grade and type of cement to win ISI mark.

To be on safer side, the cement produced by cement manufacturers has much more strength than these minimum strength values. The buyer is therefore benefited on this account and gets better quality cement. Choice: From the above details, it becomes clear that some grades of Ordinary Portland Cement carry better strength than PPC.

Based on better strength, obvious choice of house builder shall, therefore, be 43 grade OPC or 53 grade OPC. Before finalising his choice, a house builder shall like to have a look at the difference in cost, presuming that 43 grade and 53 grade cement shall be much costlier than 33 grade cement or PPC.

• In actual, it is not so.
• There is not much difference in cost of different grades of cement.
• Thus a house builder shall like to easily finalise his choice as 43 grade cement or 53 grade cement.
• Actual scene: Though a house builder will like to choose 43 grade or 53 grade cement for his house but actual picture is that these grades of cement are simply no more available in the market.

Not only these, even 33 grade OPC is also not available in the market. Only PPC is available in the market and one is forced to choose it. Some dealers promise the house builders to provide OPC 43 grade or 53 grade cement to them by making a special request to the manufacturer to arrange cement of these grades for them but manufacturers agree to their request only if a large lot of OPC is demanded.

Availability of dry fly-ash from the thermal plants has attracted the cement manufacturers to produce more quantity of Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC) and minimize the production Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC) as the manufacturing cost of PPC proves much lesser than that of OPC to them. This occurs because a substantial component of OPC clinker gets replaced with fly ash in PPC.

The percentage rests somewhere between 15 to 35 per cent. Fly ash is freely available to the manufacturers from thermal plants. Though production cost is less, the market rate of both types of cement i.e. OPC and PPC is almost the same. Important ingredient Every house builder wants to choose the best type and brand of cement for construction of his house.

1. Now, people have become aware of the grades of cement also.
2. Many of the queries received are about the grade, type and brand of cement.
3. A house builder wants to decide the best brand and grade and type of cement, fix up his dealer for supply of its lots as and when asked by him and free himself for other jobs related to the construction of his house.

The decision, therefore, needs to be taken after thorough consideration. Freshness of cement : The cement lot chosen should be as fresh as possible. The cement bags carry the week and year of manufacture marked on them. A house builder should try to buy a freshly arrived lot with dealer.

Effort should be made to buy cement bags that are not more than two months old. Cement absorbs moisture from air and loses strength with time. In the latest IS code, Bureau of Indian standards has now made another provision that each bag of cement shall now carry the ‘Best before Date’ instruction. Earlier, no such instructions were given on cement bags.

Now, a buyer can check the date of manufacture and ‘best before date’ instruction on the cement bags and buy the lot of cement accordingly. The terms of choice Keeping in view the latest revision in IS code by BIS and other details as explained in the article, one may go ahead to finalise his choice of cement as under:

Look for OPC 43 grade cement or 53 grade cement, if available. If available, look for IS 269 mark on the bags along with grade of cement clearly mentioned on it. If OPC 43 grade or 53 Grade cement is not available, go ahead for buying PPC cement. In that case, look for IS 1489 Part I mark on the bags. Check the condition of cement bags. These must not be torn anywhere. The bags can be in jute or HDPE/PP or jute synthetic or multi-wall paper bags. Check the weight of Cement bags. See that net quantity of cement is 50 kg per bag, excluding the weight of bag. Most importantly, check the freshness of cement. Check the date of manufacture and newly introduced feature — ‘Best before date’— on the bags.

The writer is Engineer-in-Chief, Civil Engineering Dept in a Punjab PSU : Stay updated on cement standards

Which is expensive PPC or OPC?

OPC and PPC cement Cost in India The cost of the products of PPC Cement varies between Rs 340 to Rs 370 for every bag from Jun 2021 to May 2022. The OPC cost is approximately 300 rupees for every bag and it is quite expensive in comparison to OPC. In PPC, the expensive clinker is used instead of pozzolanic material like fly ash. Finally, the price of PPC is less than that of OPC.

Why OPC is not used in plastering?

OPC is the most commonly used cement in construction. A higher grade like grade 53 is not recommended to be used for plastering as it is known to develop shrinkage cracks due to its high strength. OPC is also not used in masonry as mortar strength in the initial period is not that critical.

What is PPC cement used for?

Portland Pozzolana Cement (PPC) – PPC is special blended cement useful in general construction work and is especially suitable for applications in aggressive environmental conditions. It can be confidently employed in construction of hydraulic structures, marine works, mass concreting such as dams, dykes, retaining walls foundations and sewage pipes.

	Fly ash	Covered under IS:1489 (Part I)
	Calcined clay	Covered under IS:1489 (Part II)

PPC with fly ash as Pozzolana is more popular in the country owing to the easy availability of quality fly ash from modern coal-based thermal power plant. With the advent of fly ash based PPC, the availability and use of calcined clay based PPC has more or less been decimated.

PPC provides improved workability, has less segregation and bleeding, increased water-tightness and reduced tendency of lime to leach out. It produces less heat of hydration and offers greater resistance to the attack of aggressive water containing sulphates and chlorides. It improves the durability of structures and also the strength of concrete over a period of time by making it more corrosion resistant and impermeable.

It protects concrete against alkali-aggregate reaction. The minimum compressive strength of PPC after 28 days, as prescribed by BIS is 33 MPa or 330 kg / Cm 2, However, the ultimate, long-term strength of PPC is better compared to OPC 53. Since the pozzolanic material reacts with calcium hydroxide liberated by the hydrating Portland cement and forms cementatious compounds, PPC makes the concrete more impermeable and denser as compared to OPC and it is this property coupled with its cost effectiveness that has helped in its emerging more popular in the construction industry.

• PPC is manufactured either by inter-grinding Portland cement clinker, gypsum and fly ash obtained from thermal power plants or by intimately blending OPC and fly ash.
• The percentage of fly ash in PPC permitted by IS:1489 varies from 15% (in minimum) to 35% (maximum).
• The fly ash to be used for manufacturing of PPC should conform to IS:3812 (Part I) – 2003.

The colour of PPC containing fly ash as pozzolana will invariably be of slightly different colour than that of OPC, depending on the colour of the pozzolonic fly ash that is used in the manufacture. However, the colour of cement, whether it is PPC or be any other grade, has no relationship with the quality of cement.

1. The colour of the cement is gauged by its C4AF content and the pozzolonic material used.
2. The higher the C4AF the darker the cement will be.
3. Similarly, the lighter the colour of the pozzolonic material, the lighter the shade of the cement will be.
4. As such, there is no governing specification for the colour of cement.

One can not gauge the quality of cement by looking at its colour. The quality of cement can be assessed only by testing its physical and chemical properties.

Which sets faster OPC or PPC?

Difference Between OPC and PPC Cement – In the following table is the comparison between OPC vs PPC :

OPC is made by preparing and then grinding a mixture of limestone and additional raw materials including argillaceous, calcareous, and gypsum.	Pozzolanic components are added to OPC to create PPC. OPC clinker, gypsum, and pozzolanic elements (15–35 %), such as calcined clay, volcanic ash, fly ash, or silica fumes, make up the primary constituents.
Compared to PPC, initial strength is higher.	Over a lengthier time frame, PPC has more strength than OPC.
It is less suited for bulk casting because the hydration reaction produces more heat than PPC does.	It produces less heat than OPC because its hydration process is slow.
less resilient in harsh weather.	less costly than OPC.
More costly than PPC.	Cheaper than OPC.
Emits CO2 when it is being manufactured.	It contains both industrial and organic waste, making it environmentally favourable.
It is suitable for quick construction but unsuitable for bulk concreting due to the heat-related difficulties outlined above.	For all kinds of construction activities, it is appropriate. For instance, mass concrete pouring for bridges, RCC casting of structures, and even plastering and other non-structural activities.
Inferior to PPC. It takes 30 minutes to set initially, and 280 minutes to set completely. The quicker setting time facilitates quicker building.	PPC requires more time to set than OPC. It takes 30 minutes to set initially, and 600 minutes to set completely. Better finishing is made possible by the slower setting time.
OPC has 225 sq.m/kg of finiteness. It is less finely ground than PPC. As a result, it is less durable due to its increased permeability.	OPC has a 300 sq.m/kg finiteness. It has a finer texture than OPC. As a result, it is more durable due to its decreased permeability.
OPC cement is available in grades 33, 43, and 53.	No specified grade of PPC cement is available.
Lower than PPC.	Superior to OPC.
It is less resistant to alkalis, sulphates, chlorides, and other substances.	It is more resistant to alkalis, sulphates, chlorides, and other substances.

Also read –

Which brand is PPC cement?

When you go to buy cement for building your dream home, you face a lot of decisions. Brand, price, cement type, availability, packaging- the list goes on and on. To ensure you can make an informed decision, let’s quickly learn about PPC or Portland Pozzolona Cement.

What is PPC Cement? One of the popular varieties of cement available in the Indian market, PPC is a blended cement that contains fly ash apart from clinker and other materials. Fly ash is a by-product formed during the burning of coal at thermal power plants. The usage of fly ash in proper percentages in the cement composition makes PPC a greener alternative among its alternatives.

What are PPC Cement’s benefits?

PPC has a slightly longer setting time but requires a lower water to cement ratio PPC is suitable for extreme environmental conditions and has a high resistance against sulfate attacks- your building will withstand harsh conditions well PPC is more affordable than other varieties making it a cost-effective alternative PPC can be used for all construction purposes such as homes, buildings, bridges, roads, dams etc. PPC provides a smooth and crack-free surface after setting thus leading to better protection against corrosion

PPC is the go-to solution for all slab construction needs. With its advantages outweighing OPC, PPC is the answer to all challenges commonly faced during construction in India. Moreover, since it’s a greener alternative, PPC is the future of construction.

Many cement brands in India produce large volumes of PPC, fulfilling all kinds of construction requirements and catering to the extreme weather in different parts of India. With so many decisions to take, home construction can quickly become stressful. If you are confused about which PPC Cement to buy, you’ve come to the right place- Dalmia produces PPC in both the Dalmia Cement, and Dalmia DSP brands.

Need more information? Dalmia Cement offers Dalmia Build Advisor, through which a qualified technical services executive will help you make better construction decisions. Simply call 1800 2020 or click here for more information.

Which is expensive PPC or OPC?

OPC and PPC cement Cost in India The cost of the products of PPC Cement varies between Rs 340 to Rs 370 for every bag from Jun 2021 to May 2022. The OPC cost is approximately 300 rupees for every bag and it is quite expensive in comparison to OPC. In PPC, the expensive clinker is used instead of pozzolanic material like fly ash. Finally, the price of PPC is less than that of OPC.