mineral / Cementitious / Cast Concrete
Shotcrete/Sprayed Concrete, architectural finish (25mm, 40mm, 50mm over substrate)
Sprayed concrete for architectural surfaces, typically achieving 20-48 MPa compressive strength with controlled finishes.
Atlas code
MIN-CEM-CC-011
At-a-glance signals
Sprayed concrete for architectural surfaces, typically achieving 20-48 MPa compressive strength with controlled finishes.
Overview
Executive summary
Architectural shotcrete is sprayed concrete with a controlled surface finish for visually exposed applications. It uses similar mixes to structural shotcrete but focuses on surface texture and uniformity.
Best when…
- No formwork required - significant cost savings
- Excellent bond with substrate surfaces
- Suitable for vertical and overhead applications
- Rapid application in confined spaces
- High strength and durability (32-68 MPa)
- Adaptable to complex geometries
- Lower labour requirements than cast concrete
- Immediate structural capacity
- Non-combustible with high fire ratings
- Termite resistant
Top advantages
- 01 No formwork required - significant cost savings
- 02 Excellent bond with substrate surfaces
- 03 Suitable for vertical and overhead applications
- 04 Rapid application in confined spaces
- 05 High strength and durability (32-68 MPa)
Top limitations
- 01 Rebound material waste (15-30% dry-mix, 5-10% wet-mix)
- 02 Requires skilled certified operators (AQF Level 3)
- 03 Dust generation during application
- 04 Weather-dependent application
- 05 Limited to suitable aggregate sizes (10mm max)
Technical
Physical ·9
- Density
- 2500 kg/m3 Typical density for normal-weight concrete classes.
- Specific gravity
- 2.4
- Porosity
- 14.87 %
- Water absorption
- 6.75 %
- Hardness
- 7
- UV resistance
- Excellent // no degradation
- Chemical resistance
- Moderate // standard mix
- pH tolerance
- 4.5-12.5
- Surface roughness
- 3.5 µm
Mechanical ·7
- Tensile strength
- 2.2-4.1 MPa Tensile strength for normal-weight concrete classes.
- Compressive strength
- 20-48 MPa Typical shotcrete compressive strength range.
- Flexural strength
- 6 MPa
- Shear strength
- 1.2 MPa
- Poisson's ratio
- 0.18
- Impact resistance
- High // qualitative
- Creep resistance
- Moderate // long-term deformation
Sustainability & Health
Embodied carbon & energy ·7
- Embodied carbon
- 106.7 kgCO2e/m³ Cradle-to-gate for sprayed concrete. Value is per m³; per-kg ≈ 0.043 kgCO2e/kg (density 2500 kg/m³).
- Carbon footprint
- 120
- Embodied energy
- 523 MJ/kg
- Water footprint
- 165 L/kg
- Recycled content
- 15 %
- Renewable content
- 0 %
- Circular score
- 7.5
Compliance & Fire
Fire performance ·5
- Combustibility class
- Non-combustible // AS 1530.1
- Fire resistance level
- 120/120/120 // minutes @ 200mm
- Flame spread index
- 0
- Smoke dev. index
- 0
- Heat release rate
- 0
Cost & Lifecycle
Capex & lead time ·6
- Material cost (range)
- 110-340 // $/m²
- Material cost (per unit)
- 250
- Lead time
- 2-14 days // depending on mix
- Lifecycle cost
- 450
- Annual maintenance
- 5
- Market availability
- Readily available // all major cities
Service life & durability ·3
- Expected lifespan
- 50-100 years
- Maintenance interval
- Annual inspection
- Warranty period
- 2-10 years
Layer D
Where it's used
Slope stabilisation and rock face protection
Tunnel linings and underground mining support
Retaining walls and basement construction
Swimming pool construction (AS 2783)
Bridge abutments and infrastructure repair
Structural retrofitting and rehabilitation
Architectural features and complex geometries
Marine structures and seawalls
Fire protection overlays
Shotcrete sculpting and theming