A PDF from the lab, three weeks later
Your gang made cubes on the base slab pour and on two sets of foundations. The lab collected them. Results for the early tests arrived by email to the office, and the later results a few weeks after. The PDFs list cube reference numbers the office does not recognise, because the references were written on the cubes by the ganger and not written down anywhere else.
The main contractor asks for the cube results for the base slab. Your office opens four PDFs and tries to work out which is which.
Why cube results drift
Cubes are made in the middle of a pour, by a gang that is busy with the concrete. The reference goes on the cube and perhaps in a notebook. The lab tests them on its schedule and emails a report to whoever it has on file. Results for one pour arrive at different times. Nothing ties the report back to the plot, slab or docket.
- Cube references are written on the cubes and not recorded.
- Lab reports arrive at different times by email.
- Results are not linked to the pour location or docket.
- Low results are noticed late, or by the main contractor first.
- Results are hard to produce when asked.
What lost cube results cost
A low result noticed late, when the concrete is buried or built on, turns a question into a much bigger problem. Time spent matching PDFs to pours whenever someone asks. A poor impression with the main contractor or engineer when you cannot produce results quickly. What a low result means and what to do about it is for the engineer; our part is making sure it is seen early and linked to the right pour.
The cube register we build
- When cubes are made, the ganger logs the set on a phone: references, pour location, plots or slab, mix, docket and time, with a photo of the labelled cubes.
- The lab's collection is recorded, and the expected test dates are set.
- Lab reports are read when they arrive, by email or the lab's portal, and each result is matched to its cube set by reference.
- Results are compared with the specified strength you enter for that pour, and anything below it is flagged to your contracts manager straight away.
- Missing results, where a test date has passed with no report, are chased with the lab.
- Each pour's record shows docket, cubes and results together.
- Results can be shared with the main contractor or engineer as a report per pour or per period.
| Pour | Cube set | Early result | Later result |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base slab, block A | Set 1 | Received | Received, above specified |
| Foundations, plots 12 to 15 | Set 2 | Received | Due next week |
| Foundations, plots 16 to 18 | Set 3 | Overdue, chasing lab | Not due |
We do not interpret results or advise on what to do if one is low. Your engineer decides that. We make sure the result is visible and traceable.
Results you can find in seconds
Every cube set is tied to its pour, docket and location from the moment it is made. Lab results land against the right set without anyone matching PDFs by hand. A low result is seen by you first, while there is time to involve the engineer. And when the main contractor asks for results, they get a clear report the same day.
Are your cube results managed like this?
- Cube references are only written on the cubes.
- Lab reports sit in an inbox as PDFs.
- Nobody links results to pours.
- Low results have been noticed late.
- Producing results for a pour takes a search.