Concrete vs. Ballast — What's the Difference?
By Tayyaba Rehman & Maham Liaqat — Updated on April 23, 2024
Concrete is a versatile building material made from cement, sand, aggregates, and water, used for construction, whereas ballast is coarse stone used primarily for stability and drainage in railway tracks.
Difference Between Concrete and Ballast
Table of Contents
ADVERTISEMENT
Key Differences
Concrete is a composite material known for its durability and strength, used extensively in construction projects such as buildings, bridges, and roads. On the other hand, ballast consists of large, coarse aggregates, often granite, used mainly to maintain stability and facilitate drainage under railway tracks.
Concrete achieves its strength from the chemical reaction between cement and water, known as hydration, which forms a hard matrix that binds the aggregates together. Whereas, ballast functions by distributing the load from the tracks and allowing for proper drainage, thus preventing track instability and waterlogging.
Concrete can be formulated with various performance specifications and additives to enhance certain properties like setting time, durability, or water resistance. Conversely, the quality of ballast is primarily judged by its angularity, hardness, and size, which are crucial for it to remain interlocked and effective under tracks.
The use of concrete is versatile, extending beyond structural applications to decorative and architectural uses due to its ability to be molded into various shapes and finishes. Ballast, however, is typically limited to infrastructure uses, particularly in railway systems, where its primary role is functional rather than aesthetic.
In environmental terms, producing concrete is energy-intensive and contributes significantly to CO2 emissions, but it offers long-term durability that can lead to reduced maintenance and replacement. Ballast, while also resource-intensive to quarry and transport, often requires periodic cleaning or replacement to maintain its effectiveness but is less energy-intensive per unit.
ADVERTISEMENT
Comparison Chart
Composition
Cement, water, sand, aggregates
Coarse stones, usually granite
Primary Use
Building construction
Stability and drainage for railway tracks
Durability
Highly durable, with variations
Durable but requires periodic maintenance
Environmental Impact
High CO2 emissions from production
Lower emissions, resource-intensive quarrying
Functionality
Structural support, aesthetic designs
Load distribution, drainage
Compare with Definitions
Concrete
Building material made from cement and aggregates.
Concrete is poured into molds to form the foundation of a building.
Ballast
Coarse stones used under railway tracks.
Ballast is essential for maintaining the alignment and stability of tracks.
Concrete
Requires curing.
Concrete must cure for several weeks to achieve full strength.
Ballast
Requires regular maintenance.
Ballast cleaning is necessary to restore its drainage capability.
Concrete
Known for its robustness and versatility.
Concrete structures can withstand harsh weather conditions.
Ballast
Critical for train safety.
Properly maintained ballast contributes to the safe operation of trains.
Concrete
Commonly used in civil engineering.
Engineers prefer concrete for constructing bridges due to its strength.
Ballast
Helps with proper drainage.
Ballast prevents waterlogging by facilitating quick drainage around tracks.
Concrete
Can be enhanced with additives.
Air-entraining agents are added to concrete to improve its freeze-thaw resistance.
Ballast
Typically made from hard, crushed stone.
Granite is a preferred material for ballast due to its durability.
Concrete
Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. In the past, lime based cement binders, such as lime putty, were often used but sometimes with other hydraulic cements, such as a calcium aluminate cement or with Portland cement to form Portland cement concrete (named for its visual resemblance to Portland stone).
Ballast
Ballast is material that is used to provide stability to a vehicle or structure. Ballast, other than cargo, may be placed in a vehicle, often a ship or the gondola of a balloon or airship, to provide stability.
Concrete
Existing in a material or physical form; not abstract
Concrete objects like stones
Ballast
Heavy material that is carried to improve stability or maintain proper trim, as on a ship, or to limit buoyancy, as on a balloon.
Concrete
A building material made from a mixture of broken stone or gravel, sand, cement, and water, which can be spread or poured into moulds and forms a mass resembling stone on hardening
Slabs of concrete
Concrete blocks
Ballast
Coarse gravel or crushed rock laid to form a bed for roads or railroads.
Concrete
Cover (an area) with concrete
The precious English countryside may soon be concreted over
Ballast
The gravel ingredient of concrete.
Concrete
Form (something) into a mass; solidify
The juices of the plants are concreted upon the surface
Ballast
Something that gives stability, especially in character.
Concrete
Of or relating to an actual, specific thing or instance; particular
Had the concrete evidence needed to convict.
Ballast
To stabilize or provide with ballast.
Concrete
Relating to nouns, such as flower or rain, that denote a material or tangible object or phenomenon.
Ballast
To fill (a railroad bed) with or as if with ballast.
Concrete
Existing in reality or in real experience; perceptible by the senses; real
Concrete objects such as trees.
Ballast
(nautical) Heavy material that is placed in the hold of a ship (or in the gondola of a balloon), to provide stability.
Concrete
Formed by the coalescence of separate particles or parts into one mass; solid.
Ballast
(figuratively) Anything that steadies emotion or the mind.
Concrete
Made of hard, strong, conglomerate construction material.
Ballast
Coarse gravel or similar material laid to form a bed for roads or railroads, or in making concrete; track ballast.
Concrete
A hard, strong construction material consisting of sand, conglomerate gravel, pebbles, broken stone, or slag in a mortar or cement matrix.
Ballast
(construction) A material, such as aggregate or precast concrete pavers, which employs its mass and the force of gravity to hold single-ply roof membranes in place.
Concrete
A mass formed by the coalescence of particles.
Ballast
Device used for stabilizing current in an electric circuit (e.g. in a tube lamp supply circuit)
Concrete
To build, treat, or cover with hard, strong conglomerate construction material.
Ballast
(figurative) That which gives, or helps to maintain, uprightness, steadiness, and security.
Concrete
To form into a mass by coalescence or cohesion of particles or parts.
Ballast
To stabilize or load a ship with ballast.
Concrete
To harden; solidify.
Ballast
To lay ballast on the bed of a railroad track.
Concrete
Real, actual, tangible.
Fuzzy videotapes and distorted sound recordings are not concrete evidence that Bigfoot exists.
Once arrested, I realized that handcuffs are concrete, even if my concept of what is legal wasn’t.
Ballast
To weigh down with a ballast.
Concrete
Being or applying to actual things, not abstract qualities or categories.
Ballast
Any heavy substance, as stone, iron, etc., put into the hold to sink a vessel in the water to such a depth as to prevent capsizing.
Concrete
Particular, specific, rather than general.
While everyone else offered thoughts and prayers, she made a concrete proposal to help.
Concrete ideas
Ballast
Any heavy matter put into the car of a balloon to give it steadiness.
Concrete
United by coalescence of separate particles, or liquid, into one mass or solid.
Ballast
Gravel, broken stone, etc., laid in the bed of a railroad to make it firm and solid.
Concrete
Made of concrete, a building material.
The office building had concrete flower boxes out front.
Ballast
The larger solids, as broken stone or gravel, used in making concrete.
Concrete
(obsolete) A solid mass formed by the coalescence of separate particles; a compound substance, a concretion.
Ballast
Fig.: That which gives, or helps to maintain, uprightness, steadiness, and security.
It [piety] is the right ballast of prosperity.
Concrete
Specifically, a building material created by mixing cement, water, and aggregate such as gravel and sand.
The road was made of concrete that had been poured in large slabs.
Ballast
To steady, as a vessel, by putting heavy substances in the hold.
Concrete
(logic) A term designating both a quality and the subject in which it exists; a concrete term.
Ballast
To fill in, as the bed of a railroad, with gravel, stone, etc., in order to make it firm and solid.
Concrete
Sugar boiled down from cane juice to a solid mass.
Ballast
To keep steady; to steady, morally.
'T is charity must ballast the heart.
Concrete
(US) A dessert of frozen custard with various toppings.
Ballast
Any heavy material used to stabilize a ship or airship
Concrete
(chemistry) An extract of herbal materials that has a semi-solid consistency, especially when such materials are partly aromatic.
Ballast
Coarse gravel laid to form a bed for streets and railroads
Concrete
To cover with or encase in concrete (building material).
I hate grass, so I concreted over my lawn.
Ballast
An attribute that tends to give stability in character and morals; something that steadies the mind or feelings
Concrete
To solidify: to change from being abstract to being concrete (actual, real).
Ballast
A resistor inserted into a circuit to compensate for changes (as those arising from temperature fluctuations)
Concrete
To unite or coalesce into a mass or a solid body.
Ballast
An electrical device for starting and regulating fluorescent and discharge lamps
Concrete
United in growth; hence, formed by coalition of separate particles into one mass; united in a solid form.
The first concrete state, or consistent surface, of the chaos must be of the same figure as the last liquid state.
Ballast
Make steady with a ballast
Concrete
Standing for an object as it exists in nature, invested with all its qualities, as distinguished from standing for an attribute of an object; - opposed to abstract.
Concrete is opposed to abstract. The names of individuals are concrete, those of classes abstract.
Concrete terms, while they express the quality, do also express, or imply, or refer to, some subject to which it belongs.
Concrete
A compound or mass formed by concretion, spontaneous union, or coalescence of separate particles of matter in one body.
To divide all concretes, minerals and others, into the same number of distinct substances.
Concrete
A mixture of gravel, pebbles, or broken stone with cement or with tar, etc., used for sidewalks, roadways, foundations, etc., and esp. for submarine structures.
Concrete
A term designating both a quality and the subject in which it exists; a concrete term.
The concretes "father" and "son" have, or might have, the abstracts "paternity" and "filiety".
Concrete
Sugar boiled down from cane juice to a solid mass.
Concrete
To unite or coalesce, as separate particles, into a mass or solid body.
Concrete
To form into a mass, as by the cohesion or coalescence of separate particles.
There are in our inferior world divers bodies that are concreted out of others.
Concrete
To cover with, or form of, concrete, as a pavement.
Concrete
A strong hard building material composed of sand and gravel and cement and water
Concrete
Cover with cement;
Concrete the walls
Concrete
Form into a solid mass; coalesce
Concrete
Capable of being perceived by the senses; not abstract or imaginary;
Concrete objects such as trees
Concrete
Formed by the coalescence of particles
Common Curiosities
What are the primary uses of concrete and ballast?
Concrete is used for a wide range of construction projects, including buildings and roads, while ballast is used mainly for railway track stability and drainage.
What is concrete?
Concrete is a composite building material composed of cement, aggregates, sand, and water.
Can ballast be made from materials other than stone?
While stone is most common, some types of ballast can also be made from other hard materials like slag or recycled concrete.
Why is concrete preferred for structural applications?
Its strength, durability, and ability to be molded into various forms make concrete ideal for structural uses.
How does concrete differ from ballast in terms of composition?
Concrete is a mixture of cement, water, sand, and aggregates, whereas ballast is typically just coarse stone.
How does the angularity of ballast affect its performance?
The angularity helps the ballast pieces interlock, providing better stability and load distribution.
How are concrete and ballast important in construction?
Concrete provides structural support and durability to construction projects, whereas ballast ensures the stability and effective drainage of railway tracks.
How does the cost of concrete compare to ballast?
Concrete tends to be more expensive due to its composition and the processes involved in its production.
What is ballast?
Ballast refers to the coarse stones used primarily under railway tracks for stability and drainage.
What role does drainage play in the effectiveness of ballast?
Effective drainage ensures that railway tracks remain stable and free from waterlogging, which is crucial for safety.
What advancements have been made in concrete technology?
Innovations include high-strength concrete, self-healing concrete, and eco-friendly alternatives like green concrete.
What environmental impacts do concrete and ballast have?
Concrete production has significant CO2 emissions, whereas ballast quarrying is resource-intensive but generally involves lower emissions.
How often does ballast need maintenance?
Ballast needs regular maintenance to remove contaminants that hinder its drainage effectiveness.
What are the safety considerations for using concrete and ballast?
Proper handling and installation are required to ensure safety, especially due to the heavy weight and potential for silica dust with concrete.
Can concrete be recycled?
Yes, concrete can be broken down and reused as an aggregate in new concrete or as a base material for roads.
Share Your Discovery
Previous Comparison
Verandah vs. Veranda
Next Comparison
Costly vs. ExpensiveAuthor Spotlight
Written by
Tayyaba RehmanTayyaba Rehman is a distinguished writer, currently serving as a primary contributor to askdifference.com. As a researcher in semantics and etymology, Tayyaba's passion for the complexity of languages and their distinctions has found a perfect home on the platform. Tayyaba delves into the intricacies of language, distinguishing between commonly confused words and phrases, thereby providing clarity for readers worldwide.
Co-written by
Maham Liaqat
