Sorts and difference of Wet-mix Dry Mortar & Dry-Mix Mortar

1.Sorts of ready-mixed mortar 

(1) Ready-mixed mortar is divided into two categories: wet-mixed mortar and dry-mixed mortar.

Wet-mixed mortar: wet-mixed masonry mortar ,wet-mixed plastering mortar, wet-mixed floor mortar, wet mixed waterproof mortar.

Dry-mixed mortar: ordinary dry-mix mortar: dry-mix masonry mortar, dry-mix plastering mortar, dry-mix floor mortar.

(2) Dry Mix Ordinary Waterproof Mortar

Special dry-mixed mortar: dry mix tile bonding mortar, dry-mix wear-resistant floor mortar, dry-mix interface treatment mortar, 

dry-mix special waterproof mortar, dry-mix self-leveling mortar, dry-mix grouting mortar, dry-mix external thermal insulation bonding mortar, 

dry-mix external thermal insulation plastering mortar, dry-mix polystyrene particle thermal insulation mortar, dry-mix inorganic aggregate 

thermal insulation mortar .

2.Advantage and disadvantage of wet-mixed mortar

(1)Advantage:

a. The wet-mixed mortar can be used directly after being transported to the construction site without processing, 

         but the mortar should be stored in an airtight container ;

b. The wet-mixed mortar is prepared in a professional production plant, which is conducive to the control and guarantee of the quality of the mortar ;

c. There is a large choice of raw material. Aggregates can be dry or wet, and do not need to be dried ,thus reducing costs; large amounts 

         of industrial waste such as fly ash can be mixed with steel slag and industrial tailings artificial sand produced from general industrial solid 

         waste can save resources and reduce the cost of mortar ; in addition, it also can increase the amount of bulk cement used .

d. The construction site has a good environment and less pollution.

(2)Disadvantage:

a. Because the wet-mixed mortar is mixed with water in a professional production plant, and the transport volume is large at one time, 

       it cannot be flexibly controlled according to the construction progress and usage ,and the wet-mixed mortar needs to be stored in a closed 

       container after being transported to the site. Set up ash pond ;

b. Due to the relatively long storage time of wet-mixed mortar on site, there are certain requirements for the workability, setting time and stability 

        of the work performance of the mortar;

c. The transportation time is restricted by the traffic conditions .

3.Advantage & Disadvantage of dry mix mortar

(1)Advantage of dry mix mortar

a.There are many varieties of mortar ;

b.Good quality and stable quality ;

c.Easily to use the dry mix mortar, and long storage time; Dry mix mortar is mixed with water(or supporting liquid) on site, 

 so it can be flexibly controlled according to the construction progress and the amount of use, and it is not limited by time and easily to use. 

 The dry mix mortar is more convenient to transport, less restricted by traffic conditions, and with long storage period .

d.Significant economic benefits:

Under the premise of ensuring the quality, the thickness of the mortar can be reduced and the material saved and reduce the loss of 

materials in transportation and use. According to statistics,

The loss of on-site mixed mortar is about 20% ,wet-mixed mortar is about 5%-10% ,and dry mix mortar is 3%-5% .

e.Ready-mixed mortar meets the requirements of my country’s comprehensive construction of an economical society; 

   the quality of dry-mixed mortar is better than on-site mixed mortar, which can significantly reduce engineering maintenance costs. 

    It is predicted that after 50 years of use, the total cost of a plastering project constructed with dry-mixed mortar is only 1/20 of that

   of traditional plastering mortar. The use of dry mix mortar can increase the work efficiency by 5-6 times. With the current labor price

   rising sharply, the superiority of using dry-mixed mortar to reduce staff and increase efficiency is particularly important.

f.The effect of enery saving and emission reduction is significant; dry mix mortar is not only improves labor productivity,

 but also helps improve labor protection, embodying people-oriented. According to the traditional on-site mixing mortar 

production method, manual operations are used from raw material preparation to production. Not only are labor intensive 

and low in efficiency, but also the labor and production conditions are harsh, a large amount of dust fills at working site, and

 harmful gasse seriously affect the physical and mental health of workers. After using wet-mixed mortar and bulk dry-mixed morar , 

almost the whole process from production to circulation is mechanized operation in a closed state, and there is basically no health hazard to workers.

(2) Disadvantage of dry mix mortar

a.The investment of dry mix mortar production line is relatively large , and input of bulk tanks and transportation vehicles

    is also relatives large (in domestic area , you could choose to install simple production line at abroad area ), so the price of 

   dry-mix mortar must be more expensive than on-site mixed mortar .

b.The selection of raw materials is subject to certain restrictions. Because dry mix mortar is made of dry raw materials. 

   There are higher requirements for the moisture content of materials, especially fine aggregates must be dries, which leads

   to an increase in production costs. In addition, the use of liquid components is also restricted. For example ,admixtures ,additives etc. 

   Powder must be used instead of liquid agents. Usually, the price of solid admixtures is more expensive than liquid admixtures, which increase costs of raw materials.

c.Dry mix mortar is made by adding water and mixing on site by construction unit, and the water consumption and mixing uniformity

    have a certain impact on the performance of mortar. The lack of professional and technical personnel in mortar construction enterprises

   is not conducive to the quality control of mortar.

d.During storage or pneumatic conveying of bulk dry-mixed mortar, it is easy to cause material separation, resulting in uneven mortar

  and affecting the quality of mortar.

e.The construction site shall be equipped with sufficient storage equipment and mixing system. More varieties of mortar, the more 

  storage equipment is required . If the storage tank is not properly sealed ,dust may be generated and cause the environmental pollution.

f.Those above disadvantage of plants mainly refer to the 40-60TPH even more output capacity,you should equip with auxiliary equipment.

  And now we also have designed the environmental protection device to avoid the pollution ,caused by production process.

4. The similarities and differences between wet-mix mortar and dry-mix mortar

(1) Similarities:

a.All are produced and supplied by professional manufactures. Professional and technical personnel carry out mortar mix production design,

   formulation development and mortar quality control, which fundamentally guarantee the quality of mortar.

(2) Different points:

a.Mortar state and storage time are different.

The wet mix mortar is a wet-mixed mixture made by mixing all the components including water. It can be used directly at the construction site, 

but it must be used before the mortar is set, and the maximum storage time is not more than 24hrs; dry mix mortar , it is the dry-mixed mixture

 of dry materials uniformly, and is supplied in bulk or in bags. The more needs to be used after adding water or supporting liquids at the construction

 site and mixing evenly.

b.Dry mix mortar has a longer storage period, usually 3~6 months.

c.Different producing equipment

At present, most wet mix mortar is produced by concrete mixing plants, while the dry mix mortar is produced by special mortar mixing equipment.

d. Different varieties

Because wet-mixed mortar is produced in the form of wet-mix, it is not suitable for the production of mortar with higher viscosity. 

Therefore, there are fewer varieties of mortar. Currently, only mortars such as masonry mortar ,plastering mortar , and ground leveling mortar 

are produced; while dry mix mortar produces dry materials, it is not limited by the production method, so there are many varieties of mortar ,

but the varieties of raw materials are much more than wet mix mortar, and it is more complicated.

e.The handled way of sand differently

The sand for wet-mix mortar doesn’t need to be dried, while the sand for dry mix mortar should be dried first.

f.Different transportation equipment

Wet mix mortar shall be transported by the mixer truck to ensure the mortar won’t be undergo delamination or segregation during

 transportation;  the bulk dry-mix mortar is transported by bulk tanker, and bagged dry mix mortar is transported by car.