What Is Volumetric Concrete?
Volumetric concrete is concrete mixed on-site rather than at a fixed plant. Instead of arriving pre-batched in a rotating drum, our trucks carry cement, sand, aggregate, and water in separate compartments and combine them fresh, at your location, calculated to the precise volume and mix design your job requires.
This is fundamentally different from traditional “ready mix,” which is batched at a plant to a fixed volume before it ever leaves the yard. With volumetric concrete, the mix is created on demand — meaning it can be adjusted, corrected, or scaled up or down right up until the moment it’s poured.
How Our Volumetric Trucks Work
- Raw materials loaded separately — cement, aggregate, and water are carried in individual compartments, not pre-mixed.
- On-site calculation — our driver assesses the job and calculates the exact volume required.
- Mixed on demand — materials are combined in the truck’s mixing drum only as concrete is discharged.
- Continuous adjustment — strength, additives, or consistency can be changed mid-pour if site conditions require it.
- Metered discharge — you’re charged for the volume actually poured, not a rounded-up estimate.
This process is why volumetric concrete is sometimes called “mix-on-site” or “mobile batching” concrete.
Volumetric Concrete vs Traditional Ready Mix — What's the Difference?
| Volumetric Concrete | Traditional Ready Mix | |
|---|---|---|
| Where it’s mixed | On-site, in the truck | At a plant, before delivery |
| Payment | For exact volume poured | For a fixed, pre-ordered volume |
| Mix flexibility | Adjustable on the day | Fixed once batched |
| Waste | Minimal — only what’s needed is mixed | Common — unused concrete is often wasted |
| Best for | Variable volumes, irregular sites, small-to-large jobs | Large, consistent-volume commercial pours |
| Site access | Can reach tighter or less accessible sites | Requires clear access for large drum trucks |
Both methods produce concrete to the same British Standards — the difference is in how, where, and how precisely it’s measured and mixed.
The Advantages of Volumetric Concrete
You Only Pay for What You Use Because the mix is metered as it’s poured, you’re billed for actual volume used — not an estimate rounded up to the nearest full load. On jobs with irregular dimensions (trenches, uneven ground, variable-depth pours), this alone can meaningfully reduce cost. On-the-Day Mix Adjustments Weather changes, site conditions shift, or a job turns out bigger or smaller than expected — volumetric mixing lets us respond in real time, adding retarder in hot weather, accelerator in cold conditions, or fibre reinforcement where extra crack resistance is needed.
No Waste Traditional ready mix often means over-ordering “to be safe,” leaving excess concrete that has to be disposed of. Volumetric mixing removes that guesswork.
Access to More Sites Our trucks are often better suited to farm tracks, tight residential streets, and sites with restricted access than large fixed-drum ready mix trucks.
No Inflated Minimum Orders Because we mix only what’s needed, small jobs aren’t penalised with disproportionate minimum-load charges.
Volumetric Mixes We Supply
- Standard concrete (C10–C40 grades) for driveways, foundations, and general building work
- Fibre-reinforced concrete for added crack resistance
- Screed mixes for domestic and commercial floors
- Coloured/decorative concrete for driveways and feature areas
- Agricultural-grade concrete for farm yards, tracks, and outbuildings
- Small load / barrow mix for repairs, fence posts, and garden projects
All mixes are produced to British Standard BS 8500 specifications, with delivery documentation provided for building control and warranty records.
Volumetric Concrete Delivery Across Nottinghamshire
We supply volumetric concrete across Nottingham city and the surrounding county, including West Bridgford, Beeston, Arnold, Hucknall, Carlton, Stapleford, Long Eaton, and Ilkeston — for domestic, commercial, and agricultural sites.
Who Benefits Most From Volumetric Concrete?
- Homeowners pouring driveways, patios, or extensions who don’t want to overpay for a rounded-up load
- Builders and groundworkers working on foundations or trench fill with irregular or variable dimensions
- Farmers needing concrete delivered to less accessible rural sites
- Contractors on small jobs — fence posts, repairs — who are often hit with inflated minimum charges elsewhere
- Commercial developers needing flexible mix adjustments across a multi-stage pour
How to Order Volumetric Concrete From Us
- Get in touch — call or use our online quote form with your job type, location, and rough estimate.
- We advise on mix design — grade, additives, and quantity based on your project.
- We schedule delivery — including same-day where availability allows.
- We mix and pour on-site — calculated and adjusted in real time.
- You’re invoiced for what’s used — accurate, fair, and fully documented.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is volumetric concrete the same quality as ready mix? Yes. Volumetric concrete is mixed to the same British Standard (BS 8500) specifications as traditional ready mix — the difference is in how and where it’s batched, not the quality of the finished material.
Is volumetric concrete more expensive than ready mix? Not usually. Because you only pay for the volume actually poured, volumetric concrete often works out cheaper than ordering a fixed, rounded-up ready mix load — particularly on irregular or small jobs.
Can the mix be changed once the truck arrives? Yes — this is one of the main advantages. Strength, additives (such as retarders or accelerators), and total quantity can all be adjusted on-site as the job requires.
What’s the smallest amount of volumetric concrete you can supply? There’s no inflated minimum order — we can supply small barrow-mix quantities as well as full commercial loads from the same truck.
Can volumetric trucks reach difficult or rural sites? Yes, our trucks are generally well suited to farm tracks, tighter residential streets, and sites that fixed-drum ready mix trucks may struggle to access.
How quickly can volumetric concrete be delivered in Nottingham? Same-day delivery is often possible when ordered before midday, subject to schedule availability. Next-day delivery can be guaranteed with advance booking.
Get Volumetric Concrete Delivered in Nottingham Today
Mixed fresh, measured fairly, and delivered by a team with over 30 years of experience across Nottinghamshire.
