# Concrete Admixtures in Construction

> Concrete admixtures change the setting time, workability and water resistance of a mix. See a Delhi pour example and how SuperWise tracks them as materials.

Canonical: https://superwise.site/glossary/admixtures/
Last updated: 2026-11-01

Chemical or mineral ingredients added to concrete or mortar to change its setting time, workability or water resistance.

## What is Admixtures (Construction Chemicals)?

Admixtures, also called construction chemicals, are chemical or mineral ingredients added to concrete immediately before or during mixing. In India's hot climate, site teams use them to retard the setting time, improve workability or add [waterproofing](https://superwise.site/glossary/waterproofing/).

## Practical example

During a summer pour in Delhi the temperature is 42°C. To stop the concrete setting too fast and cracking before it can be vibrated, the [site engineer](https://superwise.site/glossary/site-engineer/) asks the batching plant to add a retarder admixture to the [transit mixer](https://superwise.site/glossary/transit-mixer/).

## In SuperWise

In SuperWise an admixture is a material in the resource master, with a category, a minimum stock level and an optional quality checklist at delivery. Each delivery is a [material delivery challan](https://superwise.site/glossary/material-delivery-challan/) with photos and a [QC](https://superwise.site/glossary/quality-assurance-quality-control/) status, and a consumption entry can name the challan the stock came from, so a batch can be traced.

[Material management](https://superwise.site/features/material-management/)

## Related terms

- [Waterproofing](https://superwise.site/glossary/waterproofing/)
- [Transit Mixer (TM)](https://superwise.site/glossary/transit-mixer/)
- [Site Engineer](https://superwise.site/glossary/site-engineer/)
- [Material Delivery Challan (MDC / GRN)](https://superwise.site/glossary/material-delivery-challan/)

## Related
- [Waterproofing](https://superwise.site/glossary/waterproofing/)
- [Transit Mixer (TM)](https://superwise.site/glossary/transit-mixer/)
- [Site Engineer](https://superwise.site/glossary/site-engineer/)
- [Material Delivery Challan (MDC / GRN)](https://superwise.site/glossary/material-delivery-challan/)
- [Material management](https://superwise.site/features/material-management/)