Materials · 1824

Portland cement

A fired limestone-clay powder, the binder of modern concrete.

Joseph Aspdin patented Portland cement in 1824, and hotter-fired versions followed in the 1840s. It is now made at over 4 billion tons a year and is about 8 percent of global CO2 emissions.

See it in the living tree Wikipedia

Arcs above join it to what it stood on, arcs below to what it led to. The bar places this stretch on the tree's whole timeline.

What it built on 1

Hydraulic lime 1756

What it led to 1

Reinforced concrete 1867

Related measurements

The dashed line marks when it first worked.

Share of people living in cities Latest: 57.5 % (2025) Source: Our World in Data

CO2 emissions Latest: 39B t (2025) Source: Our World in Data