FAQ:General:TypicalInitialMoistureContent

(12): Typical Initial Moisture Content

I want to find out how long it takes a wall with construction moisture to dry out. Which initial moisture content should I use?

That depends on a number of individual circumstances such as the amount of production moisture (e.g. in cellular concrete or lime silica bricks), the amount of mixing water (in concrete or mortar), the amount of rain hitting the wall while it was unrendered, the season when construction took place (warm/cold) etc., so no general answer is possible here. The table gives examples for typical initial moisture contents:

Material		Water content [kg/m³]
Fresh concrete:
	free water	175
Concrete, 28 days old (at 70% hydratation):
	bound water	85
	dried water	25 ... 45
	free water	65 ... 45
		(sum = 175)
Concrete, 3 to 6 months old (at 90% hydratation):
	bound water	105
	dried water	35 ... 50
	free water	35 ... 20
		(sum = 175)
DIN 4108 "thermal protection"
	practical moisture content of concrete	50
Cellular concrete		180 ... 220
Clay brick masonry		100 ... 150
Calcium silica brick masonry		100 ... 120