Pervious Concrete

Pervious concrete is a no-fines concrete mix which is intened for use as an open-graded drainage material. The elimination of fine aggregate creates a fairly large void structure  between the coarse aggregate particles, resulting in a concrete mix that is permeable to water. A typical pervious concrete mix will have an air void content of 15 to 35 percent. Compressive strength designs for pervious  concrete can range anywhere from 500 to 3000 psi.

Pervious concrete can be used for light-duty pavement in situations where is is desirable to have stormwater percolate through the pavement into the permeable base. Drainage rate will vary with aggregate size and density of the mix, but will commonly fall into the range of 3 to 5 gallons per minute, per square foot. It is particularly useful in areas where state or local regulations require that stormwater be retained on site to recharge the groundwater system.