What Is Cellular Concrete?
Cellular concrete is a lightweight concrete made with cement, water and preformed foam. The foam substitutes for the stone aggregate used in conventional concrete, adding millions of stable air cells that reduce the material's density.
What results is a lightweight cellular concrete that is pumpable, self-leveling and self-compacting, making it well suited for a range of commercial and infrastructure applications.
When to Use Cellular Concrete on a Commercial Project
Cellular concrete is often considered when a project needs fill but conventional aggregate creates challenges with weight, compaction, access or placement. Because it’s lighter than traditional fill, cellular concrete puts less weight on the ground and nearby structures. It also flows into place without mechanical compaction.
Its pumpability also makes it practical in remote or confined areas, including abandoned pipelines, tanks, tunnels, mine voids and annular spaces conventional equipment can’t easily reach.
Our Cellular Concrete Solutions
For Embankments, Grade Changes & Structural Fill
Lightweight Fill & Dead Load Reduction
Low-density cellular concrete limits the weight added to soft or unstable ground, making it useful for embankments, grade raises and other large-volume fills. It can also be pumped across challenging sites, providing an efficient way to raise grades without bringing in and compacting large quantities of aggregate.
For Bridge Approaches, Abutments & Wingwalls
Bridge Approach & Abutment Fill
Settlement at bridge approaches can create uneven transitions between the roadway and bridge structure. Lightweight cellular concrete reduces the weight carried by the soils below while also easing pressure against abutments and wingwalls, which makes it useful for new bridge construction, approach reconstruction and rehabilitation projects.
For MSE Walls & Retaining Structures
MSE Wall & Retaining Wall Backfill
The weight of conventional backfill can add pressure on retaining walls and the soils supporting them. Cellular concrete is a lighter alternative that reduces those loads and flows into place without heavy compaction equipment operating directly behind the wall.
For Tunnels, Casings, Culverts & Hard-to-Reach Voids
Void Fill & Annular Space Grouting
Cellular concrete can be pumped into annular spaces, tunnels, casings, liners, culverts and irregularly shaped voids that are difficult to reach with conventional fill. Its flowable consistency helps it travel around obstructions and through confined spaces from a remote placement point. For voids under slabs and pavement, explore commercial Polylevel injection.
For Decommissioned Infrastructure & Subsurface Voids
Pipe, Tank & Mine Abandonment
Decommissioned pipelines, underground storage tanks, shafts and mine voids often have to be permanently filled before closure. Cellular concrete can be pumped into these enclosed spaces from the surface or another accessible point, which makes it practical for filling large underground volumes without hauling conventional fill into the void.
For Pipelines, Conduits & Underground Utilities
Trench Backfill & Pipe Bedding
Cellular concrete moves around pipes, conduits, crossings and other buried infrastructure to provide consistent trench backfill or pipe bedding. Because it does not need to be placed and compacted in layers, it can simplify backfilling in deep, narrow or congested trenches where working around utilities is difficult.
How The Foundation Specialists Places Cellular Concrete in Nashville
Cellular Concrete vs. Other Fill Materials
Compared with select fill or compacted aggregate, cellular concrete is lighter, pumpable and requires no mechanical compaction. Conventional CLSM, or flowable fill, brings similar placement advantages but at higher densities, and lightweight aggregate still requires hauling, placement and compaction.
EPS geofoam offers greater weight reduction but requires block-by-block installation and site access. Material, transportation, labor and placement requirements all factor into the overall cost of each option.
