Manufactured Sand

What is M – Sand?

          M Sand or manufactured sand, is the substitute in place of natural sand which is being used in the production of concrete, worldwide. The extraction of natural sand and gravel has become a heavily taxes activity due to the emerging scarcity and tendency to introduce environmental hazards. However, with its various advantageous characteristics such as compliance with local regulations and product consistency, M sand has emerged as a product of high demand.

Why it’s better?

          Upon closer observations, it is found that the shape of M sand, effect of micro – fines on concrete, characteristics such as modulus of elasticity, shrinkage and creep are of vital importance.

However, when compared to quarry dust, crusher operated M sand is processed commodity obtained under well controlled production of aggregates with fine particles size distribution, improved size and surface texture.

          On the other hand, quarry dust is the byproduct formed during the production of crusher aggregates and it is often angular, sub angular and flaky in shape, unstable in surface texture and likely to be quite improve.

               Moreover, concrete produced with M sand bares higher flexural strength, improved abrasion resistance, higher unit weight and low permeability due to the fine fitting of pores in between concrete with micro fines.

Comparison between M Sand, Natural Sand and Quarry Dust

Properties	M Sand	Natural sand	Quarry Dust
Colour	Grey	Tan	Grey
Particle shapes	Rounded, oval, octagonal, cubical	Rounded, oval, cubical	Flaky
Product	Manufactured as per BS, ASTM etc. standards	Naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rocks and minerals	Elongated (shapeless) 1)      Fractured dust of jaw crusher 2)      Waste product of stone crushing
Manufactured process	A controlled crushing process with international technology and imported machines	Extracted from naturally occurring sources such as rivers etc.	No controlled manufacturing process since it is the by-product of a stone crusher
Clay content	0 – 0.75%	1 – 10%	0.5 – 6.0%
Flowability	Good	Good	Poor
Shape index	16.06	23	26.7
Gradation	Complies with BS, ASTM etc. standards	Complies with BS, ASTM etc. standards	Does not comply with any standards
Strength	Recommended for use in construction industry due to high compressive and tensile strength. Manufactured to requirement	Recommended for use in concrete and masonry work worldwide	Not recommended for use in industry since it has poor quality
Environmental impact	None	High	None