Colored Concrete

Colored Concrete

Colored concrete is produced by adding pigmented metal oxides (mainly iron oxide). The pigments are in the form of powder, low dust fine granulates or liquid.

The dosage is normally 0.5–5% of the cement weight. Higher dosages do not deepen the colour but may adversely affect the concrete quality.

Typical colors are

·     Iron oxide yellow

·     Iron oxide red/brown

·     Chromium oxide green

·     White (titanium dioxide; general brightener)

·     Black (iron oxide black; note: carbon black may adversely affect the creation of air voids)

The coloring can be heightened

·     By using light colored aggregate

·     By using white cement

The color of a “colored” concrete can only be reliably assessed in the dry hardened state and depends on the following factors:

·     Type, quantity and fineness of the colorant

·     Cement type

·     Aggregates

·     Concrete mix composition