Concrete slab

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A Concrete slab is a common architectural element of modern buildings. Horizontal slabs of steel reinforced concrete, typically between 10 and 50 centimetres thick, are most often used to construct floors and ceilings, but thinner slabs are also used for exterior paving.

In many domestic and industrial buildings a thick concrete slab, supported on foundations or directly on the sub soil, is used to construct the ground floor of a building. In high rises buildings and skyscrapers, thinner, pre-cast concrete slabs are slung between the steel frames to form the floors and ceilings on each level.

[edit] Thermal performance

Concrete slabs typically have a high thermal mass. In older buildings, concrete slabs cast directly on the ground can drain heat from a room. In modern construction techniques, concrete slabs are usually cast on top of thicker layers of insulation, for example expanded polystyrene, and may contain underfloor heating. Even so their thermal mass can lead to a delay warming the room when the heating is switched on.