Does old cement work?

[josohl]

My dad has some bags of cement in the basement that are at least 15 years old. They are still "powdery," no lumps. Will it work to cast with? It will be a foundation for a mailbox, so there are no extreme strength requirements, but it would be good if it sets...

 

[Immobil]

They are still "mjöliga", no clumps. Does it work to cast with?

It should work. Just give it a try.

 

[Lundabo]

What I've heard is that there should be a best-before date on bruk. The particles clump together. If that expertise is correct, it shouldn't work. But like everything else, test it. If it works, then it's excellent.

 

[styrman1]

they might work but if they don't? is it worth trying?
Cement is cheap.

 

[jessica]

It's just a matter of trying. If it doesn't work, you can just pull up the lump or the mold since it shouldn't stick... and then buy instead

 

[lastkaj]

It doesn't work. Cement is a perishable item.

 

[tiggre]

isn't it more that it "works" but the durability is clearly reduced...

the stuff doesn't burn as well if it's old if I remember correctly ? ?

 

[Karl Sundberg]

It doesn't work. Cement is perishable.

I have used 5-year-old cement, the concrete was quite soft after 4 days but after 20 days it had cured. In other words, it seems that old cement (without hard lumps) works but the curing time is considerably longer, however, I don't know if the durability is affected. Still, as a foundation for my water pump, it works excellently.

 

[Andersast]

How did it go? I also have some bags of cement that have been sitting for a while. Closer to 10 years. Now I need to fill in an old garage floor with a significant slope, so they might be useful for the base so that I don't have to buy as much self-leveling compound? Anything that can go wrong?

 

[Stefan N]

Throw them away.

 

[Karl Sundberg]

It should work. Just give it a try.

It works but it takes at least 3 times as long to burn, also you should keep it moist for a couple of weeks.

 

[Sebastian med huset]

How did it go? I also have some bags of cement that have been lying around for a while. Almost 10 years. Now I need to fill an old garage floor with a significant slope, so maybe they can be used as a base and I don't have to buy as much leveling compound? Anything that could go wrong?

You might want to test mix some concrete with the cement and see if it hardens. The risk is that the cement has reacted with moisture in the air and is therefore no longer active. I wouldn't risk mixing concrete with old cement when it's so easy to test if it works. The age itself probably isn't an issue.