Granite Fines as a Partial Replacement for Sand in Sandcrete Block Production

Sandcrete block, being one of the most important building materials, has become very expensive nowadays and it’s on high demand in Nigeria. In order to reduce its cost and probably increase the compressive strength, this research was conducted to assess the suitability of granite fines as partial replacement for sand in sandcrete block production. The mix proportion (1:6) was used for batching in volume. Curing was done by wetting the blocks daily. Compressive strength test was carried out on the sandcrete block for each percentage of replacement on 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. The percentage of granite fines replacement used in this research are 0%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 20%, 25% and 100%. Result of the experiment showed that the inclusion of granite fines in the sand cement enhanced the compressive strength of sandcrete block. Sandcrete blocks made with 1:6 mix proportion using 15% granite fines replacement gave optimum compressive strength of 4.11 N/mm 2 . This can be used in a structural design where higher compressive strength is required.