A site concrete test lab needs: cast iron cube moulds (IS:516), slump cone set, weighing balance (20 kg), sieve set for aggregate grading, compression testing machine, and a curing tank. Multi Trade Combines on AT Road, Guwahati stocks ISI-marked civil lab equipment — cube moulds, slump cones, compaction factor apparatus and related items — for project quality labs across Northeast India.
| Equipment | Standard / IS code | Use |
|---|---|
| Cube moulds (cast iron, 150mm) | IS:10086; 3-gang preferred | Making test specimens for 7-day and 28-day compression test |
| Slump cone set | IS:1199 | Workability (slump) test of fresh concrete at batching |
| Tamping rod | 16mm dia, bullet end, 600mm | Compaction of cube mould and slump cone layers |
| Weighing balance (20 kg) | Accuracy ±1 g | Weighing batching ingredients for mix design trials |
| Measuring cylinder (1 litre) | Graduated glass or stainless | Volume measurement of water in mix |
| Sieve set (aggregate) | IS:383 sieve sizes: 40, 20, 10, 4.75 mm | Sieve analysis of coarse aggregate |
| Sieve set (sand) | IS:383: 4.75, 2.36, 1.18, 600µ, 300µ, 150µ | Sieve analysis of fine aggregate (sand) |
| Curing tank | Water-filled, thermostatically controlled preferred | Curing cubes at 27±2°C for 7 and 28 days |
| Compression testing machine (CTM) | 200T or 2,000 kN | 28-day cube compression test (may be outsourced for small sites) |
| Compaction factor apparatus | IS:1199 | Alternative workability test for low-slump mixes |
For a typical residential or small commercial project in Assam (G+2 to G+5 building), the minimum on-site concrete testing kit is:
For the civil lab equipment catalogue, see our site. Cube moulds, slump cones and tamping rods are stocked in Guwahati for same-day dispatch.
Quality control on construction projects in NE India is increasingly scrutinised — by structural consultants, government project managers (PWD, CPWD, NHAI) and bank-financed project funders. Using ISI-marked lab equipment (rather than unbranded or fabricated items) is not just good practice — it is specified in many project quality plans.
IS:516-1959 (and its 2018 update) specifies the method for making and testing concrete compression test specimens (cubes) in India. Cube moulds must be cast iron or steel, 150 mm × 150 mm × 150 mm for standard mixes. The mould must be ISI marked (IS:10086 for moulds). Cubes are tested at 7 days and 28 days. For standard M20 concrete, the minimum 28-day cube strength is 20 N/mm². The test procedure specifies tamping layers, mould release agent, curing temperature and age at test.
For large projects (road works, multi-storey buildings, bridges), a site-mounted Compression Testing Machine (CTM) rated at 200T or 2,000 kN is standard equipment — it allows 7-day cubes to be tested on-site without transport delays. For smaller projects or remote sites where a CTM is not justified, cubes are cured at site and transported to a third-party NABL-accredited concrete testing lab in Guwahati. We supply the cube moulds, curing facilities and site testing equipment even when CTM testing is outsourced.
A slump test (IS:1199) measures the workability of fresh concrete before pouring — it tells you if the mix is too wet (high slump) or too dry (low slump) for the intended use. Equipment needed: a standard slump cone (300 mm height, 200 mm base diameter, 100 mm top diameter — all to IS:1199), a tamping rod (16 mm dia, 600 mm long, bullet-nosed end), and a base plate. The slump cone is filled in layers, each tamped 25 times, then the cone is lifted and slump is measured as the height the concrete drops. We stock ISI-marked slump cone sets at our Guwahati counter.