(3rd Biennial Engineering Conference, Federal University of Technology, Minna, May, 2013, 2013) Abdullahi, A.; Abubakar, Mahmud; Afolayan, A.
The rising costs of building construction in developing countries have been a source of concern to
government and private developers. This study investigated the use of sawdust as partial replacement
for fine aggregates in concrete production. Sawdust was used to replace fine aggregates from 0% to
50% in steps of 10%. Concrete cubes measuring 150 x 150 x 150mm were cast and their
compressive strengths evaluated at 7, 14, 21 and 28 days. Increase in percentage of sawdust in
concrete cubes led to a corresponding reduction in compressive strength values. From the results, the
optimum sawdust content was obtained at 10% and its corresponding compressive strength at 28
days is 7.41 N/mm2 which falls within the characteristic strength of plain concrete (7 – 10 N/mm2). This
concrete cannot be used for structural applications.
