The Concrete Centre
The Concrete Centre, a division of the Mineral Products Association Ltd, provides material, design, and construction guidance for concrete and masonry to UK architects, structural engineers, building physicists, and construction professionals via publications, design software, and CPD events.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2003
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Concrete Centre does
The Concrete Centre, legally 'MPA The Concrete Centre', operates as a division of the Mineral Products Association Ltd (MPA), the UK trade body for the aggregates, asphalt, cement, concrete, dimension stone, lime, mortar, and industrial sand industries. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in London, the centre provides material, design, and construction guidance to help professionals maximise concrete's structural, aesthetic, and sustainability potential across building sectors including residential, commercial, education, healthcare, industrial, retail, and infrastructure.
Its product portfolio is organised around three pillars: (1) technical publications including Concrete Quarterly and Concrete Futures magazines plus specialist guides on thermal mass, whole-life carbon, low-carbon concrete, and material efficiency; (2) design tools and software including RC Spreadsheets V4D (Eurocode 2 reinforced concrete design), Cost and Carbon: Concept V5, TCC-BS 8500, CALcrete, the Passive Design Assistant, and the Dynamic Thermal Properties calculator; and (3) events and training including CPD seminars, webinars, Concrete Futures Lectures, Sustainability Series, and annual student design and structural concrete competitions. The centre is staffed by qualified architects, structural engineers, building physicists, and sustainability experts.
The business model blends freemium distribution (free publications, software, webinars to registered users), one-time perpetual-license sales for publications and software tools (subject to 20% UK VAT on digital publications per HMRC classification), and pay-as-you-go delegate fees for CPD events and training. Reach is concentrated in the United Kingdom, with chargeable events often limited to UK delegates, though digital content is available globally. The organisation's primary customers are architects, structural engineers, building physicists, and construction professionals; revenue concentration risk is low given the long-tail distribution model and trade association funding backing.
The Concrete Centre firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Concrete Centre
- Legal name
- MPA The Concrete Centre
- Website
- https://concretecentre.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2003
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Concrete Centre, a division of the Mineral Products Association Ltd, provides material, design, and construction guidance for concrete and masonry to UK architects, structural engineers, building physicists, and construction professionals via publications, design software, and CPD events.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Concrete Centre industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Construction Industry Guidance and Technical Publications
- NAICS
- Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services (5413), Management, Scientific, and Technical Consulting Services (5416)
- SIC
- Services-Engineering Services (8711)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting (BPAHAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Architecture, Construction & Building Codes Reference (Design, BIM, Safety Codes) (EDAGAGAH)
Keywords
Where The Concrete Centre is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
The Concrete Centre business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others
Revenue model
- Publications Sales: Sale of technical publications including books and e-books. Publications are sold with VAT applicable as HMRC considers digital publications incidental to services. Hard copy orders include both e-book and physical book. Software products including RC Spreadsheets are sold as instant downloads with no refunds available.
- Events and Training: Chargeable events including seminars, workshops, and training courses. Free events also offered such as Concrete Futures lectures. Cancellation policy: failure to attend or cancellations within 14 days of event date liable for full fee; cancellations more than 14 days before subject to £35 + VAT admin charge per delegate.
- Digital Content and Resources: Free publications, software tools, webinars, and online resources provided to registered users. The organization regularly contacts registered users with email newsletters, event invitations and updates on new guidance.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | One time/ perpetual license | Free publications and resources |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | E-book only orders |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Book with hard copy delivery |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Software products (e.g. RC Spreadsheets) |
| Other | Pay-as-you-go | Chargeable events |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels9 records
The Concrete Centre product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Concrete Centre provides material, design and construction guidance for concrete and masonry, delivering technical publications (Concrete Quarterly and Concrete Futures magazines plus specialist guides), proprietary design tools and software (RC Spreadsheets, Cost and Carbon, TCC-BS 8500, CALcrete, Passive Design Assistant, Dynamic Thermal Properties), CPD seminars and webinars, and student competitions. It is staffed by qualified architects, engineers, building physicists and sustainability experts serving UK construction professionals.
Product overview
The Concrete Centre provides a comprehensive portfolio of guidance, tools, and educational resources for concrete and masonry construction. The offering consists of three main pillars: (1) Technical publications including Concrete Quarterly and Concrete Futures magazines plus specialist guides on thermal mass, whole-life carbon, and low carbon concrete; (2) Design tools and software including Cost and Carbon: Concept V5, TCC-BS 8500 software tool, RC Spreadsheets V4D, Dynamic Thermal Properties tool, Passive Design Assistant, and CALcrete for structural and thermal design calculations; (3) Events and training including CPD seminars, webinars, and annual student competitions. The centre serves architects, engineers, and construction professionals with material, design and construction guidance to maximize concrete's structural, aesthetic and sustainability potential.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Concrete Quarterly: Topical magazine sharing design guidance and inspirational projects for the concrete industry
- Concrete Futures
- CQ Focus
Products and services
- Concrete Quarterly Magazine Quarterly magazine publishing topical design guidance and inspirational projects, covering architectural vision, innovation, structural solutions and best practice in concrete construction for all members of the project team.
- Concrete Futures Magazine Magazine featuring articles on concrete in marine environments, Future Homes Standard, low carbon initiatives and circular economy topics.
- Cost and Carbon: Concept V5 Design tool enabling designers to develop safe, efficient and sustainable concrete designs with cost and carbon analysis capabilities.
- TCC-BS 8500 Software Tool Software tool for BS 8500 concrete specification compliance and guidance.
- RC Spreadsheets: V4D Spreadsheet-based design tools for reinforced concrete design calculations following Eurocode 2 standards.
- Dynamic Thermal Properties Tool Tool for calculating thermal properties of concrete constructions for energy performance analysis.
- Passive Design Assistant Design tool for passive heating and cooling strategies using concrete thermal mass.
Quantifiable outcome
- Whole-life carbon performance of concrete and CLT buildings found to be broadly similar, with concrete building having around 6% more (A1-C4, excluding B7 water) over 60-year lifespan
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use The Concrete Centre
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
The Concrete Centre technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
The Concrete Centre partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Mineral Products Association (MPA)coreThe Concrete Centre is part of the Mineral Products Association (MPA), the trade association for the aggregates, asphalt, cement, concrete, dimension stone, lime, mortar and industrial sand industries. The MPA represents an industry that delivers £22 billion worth of materials and services to the UK economy and is the largest supplier to the construction industry. The Concrete Centre operates as a division within this larger industry body, providing technical guidance under the MPA umbrella.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Concrete Centre competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- TRADA (Timber Research and Development Association): UK technical authority for timber, providing publications, design tools, CPD training, and Wood Information Sheets to construction professionals. Operates the same member-funded guidance model as The Concrete Centre and directly competes for share-of-specifier-mind on framing material choice.
- The Steel Construction Institute: Trade-association-affiliated UK technical guidance body for steel construction, offering publications, design software, CPD events, and advisory services to architects and engineers — structurally identical operating model to The Concrete Centre but serving the competing steel supply chain.
- The Brick Development Association: UK trade association promoting clay brick and masonry through publications, design guides, and CPD events — closest single-material peer to The Concrete Centre given the Centre's secondary coverage of masonry and Eurocode 6.
- British Precast (part of MPA): MPA sister division promoting precast concrete products through technical guidance, publications, and events. Operates the same umbrella brand architecture as The Concrete Centre and shares members/governance, making it an intra-portfolio peer.
Emerging players
- Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE): Professional body for structural engineers publishing technical guidance, codes, and running CPD training — overlaps with The Concrete Centre's engineering audience and produces complementary rather than identical technical content.
- Wood For Good: UK promotional body for timber in construction, producing case studies, CPD, and design guidance aimed at architects — directly competing for specifier share against concrete through whole-life carbon narratives.
Broad incumbents
- Mineral Products Association (MPA): Parent trade association representing aggregates, asphalt, cement, concrete, dimension stone, lime, mortar, and industrial sand industries. The Concrete Centre is a division within MPA, and MPA functions as both parent and broader-umbrella peer across multiple material sub-categories.
- American Concrete Institute (ACI): Largest international technical authority on concrete, publishing codes (ACI 318), conducting certification, and running conventions globally. Comparable mission (concrete guidance) but broader scope and US-centric; represents the international incumbent peer.
- Building Research Establishment (BRE): UK building science research and advisory organisation publishing guidance, standards (BREEAM), and testing services for construction professionals. Comparable function (authoritative technical guidance) across a wider brief including concrete, energy, and sustainability.
Others
- Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE): Professional body publishing building services and energy performance guidance, including thermal modelling and overheating resources that overlap with The Concrete Centre's thermal mass and Passive Design Assistant content on the building physics side.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights5 records
Customer concentration
The Concrete Centre social profiles
Digital presenceThe Concrete Centre financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Concrete Centre leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Concrete Centre funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Concrete Centre M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Concrete Centre
What does The Concrete Centre do?
The Concrete Centre provides material, design and construction guidance for concrete and masonry, delivering technical publications (Concrete Quarterly and Concrete Futures magazines plus specialist guides), proprietary design tools and software (RC Spreadsheets, Cost and Carbon, TCC-BS 8500, CALcrete, Passive Design Assistant, Dynamic Thermal Properties), CPD seminars and webinars, and student competitions. It is staffed by qualified architects, engineers, building physicists and sustainability experts serving UK construction professionals.
Is The Concrete Centre a public or private company?
The Concrete Centre is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was The Concrete Centre founded?
The Concrete Centre was founded in 2003. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Concrete Centre based?
The Concrete Centre is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does The Concrete Centre make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Publications Sales are the primary driver. The others are events and Training and digital Content and Resources.
Who are The Concrete Centre's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are TRADA (Timber Research and Development Association), The Steel Construction Institute, The Brick Development Association and British Precast (part of MPA). Emerging players are Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) and Wood For Good. Broad incumbents are Mineral Products Association (MPA), American Concrete Institute (ACI) and Building Research Establishment (BRE). Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE) is listed as an others.
Does The Concrete Centre have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Concrete Centre.
What industry is The Concrete Centre in?
The Concrete Centre's product category is Construction Industry Guidance and Technical Publications. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHAIAA, Civil & Structural Engineering Consulting, with a secondary code of EDAGAGAH, Architecture, Construction & Building Codes Reference (Design, BIM, Safety Codes). Its NAICS code is 5413 and its SIC code is 8711.