Field term for young concrete past initial set but far from design strength, roughly its first day or two. Green concrete can be sawcut cleanly, water-blasted at a joint to expose aggregate (green cutting) or stripped with care, but its edges chip and its surface scars under equipment. In sustainability talk the same phrase means a low-carbon mix, which has nothing to do with age.
Keep the scissor lift off it, that slab's still green and the tires will leave a rut at every joint.
Also heard as
- green
- young concrete
Related terms
Early-entry saw
A lightweight saw that cuts control joints within hours of finishing, before shrinkage cracks can start.
Curing
Keeping fresh concrete moist and warm enough, for long enough, that the cement keeps hydrating.
Initial set
The point at which fresh concrete stops being workable and begins to stiffen into a solid.
Maturity method
Estimating in-place concrete strength from its temperature history, recorded by sensors cast into the pour.