Concrete containing recycled tire rubber has now been used in a real-world installation: researchers placed two rubberized-concrete slabs beside two conventional slabs at a university laboratory entrance. The reported performance is encouraging, particularly for impact resistance and toughness, but this small demonstration does not establish that every rubberized mix is suitable for every structural use.
What the real-world trial involved
Researchers from the University of South Australia and RMIT University poured two crumb-rubber concrete slabs at the University of South Australia campus in 2018, alongside two conventional concrete comparison slabs. The slabs formed entrances to a civil engineering laboratory with substantial foot traffic and were monitored over time, according to New Atlas’s 30 March 2022 report.
“Concrete made with old tires” does not mean whole tires were mixed into a pour. In this case, tires were processed into rubber particles, which replaced part of the sand in the concrete by volume. The report describes reinforced crumb-rubber concrete with up to 20% sand replacement by volume.
What the report says the slabs demonstrated
New Atlas reports that the rubberized slabs held up well during the monitoring period. It attributes improved impact resistance, toughness, ductility, damping, thermal and acoustic insulation, and lower weight to the rubberized mixes. Contractors reportedly said the material could be pumped, screeded and power-trowel finished comparably to conventional concrete, with less physical effort.
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These are reported findings and contractor feedback about the project, not proof that rubberized concrete is superior in every performance measure. The underlying primary paper was not directly available in the reporting cited here, so the project details and findings should be understood as New Atlas’s account rather than as independently verified measurements of long-term service life.
Why mix design and intended use matter
Separate transportation studies show that performance depends on what kind of rubber is used, what aggregate it replaces, how much is used, and what the concrete is meant to do. Their results are useful context, but they are not direct replications of the university entrance slabs.
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| Study and application | Rubber substitution tested | Reported result |
|---|---|---|
| Colorado Department of Transportation, 2013: concrete pavement mixtures | Tire chips replacing coarse aggregate at multiple volume fractions | The two 10% replacement mixes performed best among those tested. Their compressive strength was below the control but above the report’s cited CDOT specification of 4,200 psi. The report also noted moderate chloride-ion penetration resistance, high freeze-thaw durability and greater deformation under loading. |
| Georgia Department of Transportation, 2017: concrete for barriers and other applications | 3/4-inch tire chips as coarse aggregate and 30-mesh crumb rubber as fine aggregate | Strength reduction was less severe with fine-aggregate crumb rubber than with coarse tire chips. The report describes adequate strengths at fine-aggregate replacement levels up to 40% by volume in its tested mixes; satisfactory strength for untreated tire chips was achieved at 10% coarse-aggregate replacement. Impact resistance increased in mixes containing rubber up to 20%, while some other mechanical measures declined relative to the control. |
| Singaravel et al., Scientific Reports, 2024: high-performance concrete | 0.6 mm tire-rubber particles replacing fine aggregate at 5%, 10% and 15% | For the tested mixes, strength compromise was comparatively limited up to 10%, while the 15% mix showed a more substantial strength decline. Rubber improved ductility and damping. |
A separate 2023 study examined waste-rubber particles in cement-stabilized aggregate for pavement base layers and reported a field test-road demonstration. Cement-stabilized aggregate is a pavement-base material, not the same product or application as conventional structural concrete; the study is evidence of a related use being assessed, not confirmation of slab performance. See the paper in Construction and Building Materials.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How to judge a rubberized-concrete proposal
For a construction project, a replacement percentage alone is not enough to compare mixes. Ask for the mix design and evidence tied to the intended application and governing requirements.
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- Rubber type and size: Is it crumb rubber or larger tire chips, and what particle size is specified?
- What it replaces: Does rubber replace fine aggregate such as sand, coarse aggregate, or another component?
- How the percentage is calculated: Is replacement measured by volume or mass? Figures from studies should not be compared without this detail.
- Strength and service requirements: Do results for the proposed mix meet the applicable specification and the project’s structural, exposure and durability demands?
- Placement evidence: Is there relevant evidence for pumping, finishing and construction on a project comparable to yours?
The field installation supports the idea that crumb-rubber concrete can be placed in a practical setting and merits consideration. It does not, by itself, demonstrate broad suitability for residential structural construction or establish lifecycle emissions savings. No project-specific lifecycle-emissions figure or measured carbon reduction for the featured slabs is reported in the cited account.
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