Cement is the powder binder, concrete is cement plus sand and gravel, mortar is cement plus sand only, and grout is a fluid mix that fills gaps. Buy a bagged concrete mix for slabs, footings and posts, a mortar mix for laying block, brick and stone, and a grout for filling joints or setting anchors. Plain Portland cement alone is rarely the right bag for a homeowner project, because it needs sand and gravel added to become anything useful.
What is the difference between cement, concrete, mortar and grout?
All four start with Portland cement; what changes is what gets mixed in and what the product is for. The table sorts them at a glance.
| Product |
Made of |
Main job |
Bag to buy |
| Cement |
Binder powder |
Ingredient only |
Portland cement |
| Concrete |
Cement, sand, gravel |
Slabs, footings, posts |
Concrete mix |
| Mortar |
Cement, sand |
Bonding block, brick |
Type S or N mortar |
| Grout |
Cement, fine sand |
Filling gaps, anchoring |
Grout or anchoring cement |
Cement: the ingredient, not the project
Cement is the fine gray or white powder that hardens when mixed with water. It is sold on its own, such as the Portland cement Type I/II 47 lb. bag or the Lehigh white Portland cement for bright, clean finishes, but on its own it is weak and cracks as it dries. Use it when you are blending your own mixes or making stucco and plaster; for most jobs a pre-blended bag is easier and more consistent.
Concrete: cement plus sand and gravel
Concrete adds sand and gravel, which give it compressive strength. Pre-blended bags only need water. The 60 lb. PSI-4000 concrete mix and the 90 lb. PSI-4000 concrete mix are general-purpose mixes for pours 2 inches thick or more. For driveways and patios, the crack-resistant mix uses fibers to limit shrinkage cracking, and the fast-setting mix hardens in 20 to 40 minutes for setting posts. Our bagged concrete mix comparison goes deeper on each type.
Mortar: cement plus sand for bonding
Mortar has no gravel, so it spreads in thin joints between units. It is the glue for block, brick and stone, not a structural pour. The Type S pre-blended mortar (60 lb.) suits most LA masonry, including below-grade and retaining walls. See the mortar types guide for Type S, N and M. Tile is different: it uses thinset, mastic and grout, covered separately.
Grout: the fluid filler
Grout is mixed wetter so it flows into voids. For structural and machinery work, the non-shrink precision grout sets in about 30 minutes, and the anchoring cement expands as it cures to lock bolts, handrails and metal items into concrete.
Which bag should you buy for common LA projects?
Match the job to the bag, and you rarely need to think about raw cement at all.
| Project |
Best bag |
Why |
| Fence or mailbox post |
Fast-setting concrete |
Sets without mixing |
| Patio or walkway slab |
Crack-resistant concrete |
Fibers limit cracks |
| Footing or step |
PSI-4000 concrete |
General strength |
| Block or brick wall |
Type S mortar |
Strong bond |
| Railing or bolt setting |
Anchoring cement |
Expands, locks in |
| Base plate or column |
Non-shrink grout |
Fills voids fully |
Los Angeles notes
In warm, dry SoCal weather concrete loses water fast, so keep fresh slabs damp and shaded for the first few days; our guide to pouring concrete in the rainy season covers the opposite problem. To size an order, use the concrete bag count guide, and browse the full concrete mix collection and mortars and aggregates collection.
Cement, concrete, mortar and grout checklist
- Cement is only an ingredient; do not pour it alone
- Concrete mix for slabs, footings, steps and posts
- Mortar for laying block, brick and stone
- Grout or anchoring cement for gaps, bolts and base plates
- Pick crack-resistant mix for exposed slabs
- Add water slowly and mix to the bag directions
Conclusions
Cement is the binder, concrete is what you pour, mortar is what you lay units with, and grout is what fills the gaps. Choose the bag by the job rather than the name, and order sand, gravel or reinforcement together with it so the project is not stalled.
