About Materials Review

Guides and calculators for the materials in a slab, from the base up.

Materials Review covers three connected subjects: concrete, the steel and composite bars that reinforce it, and the polymers that coat, seal, and insulate it. We take what engineers and materials scientists already know, check it against the standards, and write it up so a homeowner, a student, or a new hand on a crew can use it.

What we publish

Guides open with the short answer and then explain the reason behind it. Calculators handle the arithmetic that comes before a pour: how much concrete and how much steel. Each guide links the sources behind its figures. Our editorial policy covers how we research, date, and correct them.

Who it is for

People who want to know why a rule exists: why concrete keeps gaining strength for weeks after it looks dry, why a #4 bar is half an inch across, or why closed cell and open cell foam end up in different parts of a house. Knowing the reason makes a bad quote or a bad plan easier to spot.

What we are not

We are not an engineering firm, a testing lab, or a code authority, and nothing here replaces a licensed engineer who can see your job. Materials Review is an independent publication and is not affiliated with Pittsburg State University or its former Kansas Polymer Research Center.

Get in touch

Questions and corrections go through our contact page.