Portland cement is a basic cement mixture and a fundamental ingredient for many common cement applications. Because Portland cement is very common, it is also often called “Ordinary Portland Cement” or simply “OPC.” Since the early 20th century, Portland cement has been used internationally for a wide variety of applications including concrete projects, mortar pastes, stucco decorations, and grout fillings.
“Cement” and “concrete” often have synonymous meaning in casual conversations, strictly defined, however, they mean very different things. Concrete contains cement, but cement does not contain concrete. Cement is the binding agent used to create concretes, mortars, and grouts. Alternatively, rocks, gravels, sands, and water are combined with cement to create the hard, stony masses known as concrete. Portland cement concrete is concrete made with Portland cement as the binding agent.
Modern Portland cement does not mean cement that comes from Portland. Although the original Portland cement was made using stones extracted from Britain’s Portland Isle, the modern use of the term Portland cement is much more general. Today, Portland cement is a term for a standard, generic binding cement.
Think of Portland cement simply as ordinary cement you see used in driveways, commercial buildings, and homes every day.
