A foundation pour is booked at a site more than roughly an hour's drive from Milton Keynes. The specification asks for slump results and a set of cubes, which means fresh concrete testing on the day. Someone has to be there.
Hixtra's fresh concrete testing (slump, flow and cube making on site) is limited to roughly an hour's drive of Milton Keynes. Beyond that, your own team or the readymix supplier samples the concrete and makes the cubes, and the cubes then come to the laboratory. Hardened concrete testing and cube crushing are available across England and Wales.
Key takeaways
- Fresh concrete attendance for slump, flow and cube making is limited to roughly an hour's drive of Milton Keynes. Beyond it, sampling and cube making sit with your team or the readymix supplier.
- Sampling follows BS EN 12350-1 and slump is measured to BS EN 12350-2, while cube making and curing follow BS EN 12390-2.
- Keep each cube protected in its mould, then demould it, give it its own unique reference, keep it wet and send it to the laboratory.
- Hardened concrete testing, including cube crushing and core testing, is available for projects across England and Wales. Tell us at booking how the cubes will reach the laboratory.
In this guide
- Can Hixtra attend our pour to make the cubes?
- How to sample, make and send cubes when the pour is out of range
- When you don't need this test, and which test instead
- Frequently asked questions
- What to have ready before you book
Can Hixtra attend our pour to make the cubes?
Only within roughly an hour's drive of Milton Keynes. Further out, your team or the supplier makes the cubes. The laboratory work isn't affected.
We don't promise fresh concrete work beyond that range. Our laboratory and head office are in Milton Keynes, and teams travel from there for every visit. Our city pages give examples:
- Birmingham is outside the distance at which our technicians attend pours, so the cubes are made by your team or your supplier.
- Nottingham is outside the distance at which our technicians attend pours, so cubes are made by your team or your supplier.
If your pour falls inside the hour, see concrete cube testing in Milton Keynes. The site concrete testing guide covers the work done at the pour. Concrete cube testing covers the strength test on the cubes afterwards.
Who does what for concrete testing, by distance from Milton Keynes
| Task | Standard | Within roughly an hour's drive | Further away |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sampling fresh concrete | BS EN 12350-1 | Hixtra attends on site | Your team or the readymix supplier |
| Slump | BS EN 12350-2 | Hixtra attends | Your team or the supplier |
| Flow | BS EN 12350-5, or BS EN 12350-8 for slump flow | Hixtra attends | Your team or the supplier |
| Making and curing cubes at the pour | BS EN 12390-2 | Hixtra attends | Your team or the supplier |
| Marking cubes and keeping them wet | None cited | Hixtra attends, as part of cube making | Your team or the supplier, until delivery |
| Compressive strength (cube crushing) | BS EN 12390-3 | Hixtra laboratory | Hixtra laboratory, available across England and Wales |
| Cores from hardened concrete | BS EN 12504-1 | Available across England and Wales | Available across England and Wales |
How to sample, make and send cubes when the pour is out of range
Whoever is at the pour follows the same standards a laboratory attendant would. Then they look after the cubes. That care continues until the cubes reach the laboratory.
Sampling and slump
Sample to BS EN 12350-1. Then run the slump test to BS EN 12350-2. The fresh concrete slump testing page covers the method.
Making and handling cubes
Make and cure the cubes to BS EN 12390-2. Keep each one protected in its mould, then demould it, give it its own unique reference and keep it wet. A cube with no reference can't be tied back to a pour. The standard sets the detail, so work from the standard itself rather than from a summary.
At the laboratory, compressive strength is determined to BS EN 12390-3.
Getting the cubes to the laboratory
Cubes are cured and crushed at our laboratory in Milton Keynes wherever they are cast. Your own team or a courier delivers them there. Tell us at booking how they will travel.
When you don't need this test, and which test instead
The pour is inside roughly an hour's drive. Book attendance instead. You won't need to sample or make cubes yourselves, and that is the whole point of booking it.
The concrete is already in place. Cores are the route here, tested to BS EN 12504-1. They come from hardened concrete, so they can't give slump or flow readings from the pour. For hardened concrete work in general, see laboratory concrete testing.
You're not sure which test fits. Call head office on 01908 505833 and ask before you book.
Frequently asked questions
Can cubes be collected while you are on site for other work?
Yes. If you or your readymix supplier have made cubes on site, they can be delivered to the laboratory in Milton Keynes or collected while we are attending for other work; tell us when you book.
Who can take the samples and make the cubes if the pour is outside your fresh concrete range?
Your own team or the readymix supplier. Sample to BS EN 12350-1 and make and cure the cubes to BS EN 12390-2. Keep each cube protected and marked, and keep it wet until it reaches the laboratory.
Can you crush cubes that we made ourselves?
Yes. Cube crushing is available for projects across England and Wales. Cubes made elsewhere can come to the laboratory for compressive strength testing to BS EN 12390-3. Tell us at booking how they will reach us, so we can plan for their arrival.
Does the hour's limit apply to cores?
No. Hardened concrete is stable, so a core can travel to the Milton Keynes laboratory without the result being affected, and none of the radius that applies to fresh concrete work applies here. Coring is normally used when cube results are missing, disputed or unrepresentative.
What to have ready before you book
These details let us confirm what we can attend and what will come to the laboratory:
- Site postcode
- Specification
- Pour date and the number of cubes expected
- Who will sample and make the cubes
- How the cubes will reach the laboratory
- A project contact
- Any deadline
Send your site postcode so we can confirm travel, access and availability. You can call head office on 01908 505833 or tell us what you need.
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