The Concrete Centre

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.

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

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

• Concrete design guidance
• Structural engineering resources
• Construction technical publications
• Concrete design software
• CPD training concrete

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core 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

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Mineral Products Association (MPA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe 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

Direct 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

• Xx.com/concretecentre
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCsxLX-r9smb8NnrXtcD1bGA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-concrete-centre
• Instagraminstagram.com/theconcretecentre

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Concrete Centre