The Omega Group (Operations) Limited is a UKAS accredited testing laboratory No. 7644.
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New to Omega

Welcome. Here’s how to get the best from us.

A few minutes now saves phone calls later. This page covers the handful of things that make the difference between a cube that tests true and one that leaves everyone guessing, what to expect when our technician arrives, and who to ask when you are not sure.

Sending us cubesBooking a site visit
1 · MADE 2 · CURED 20 °C WATER 3 · REPORTED
  • Same dayPDF test report emailed on test day
  • 9am–5pmOffice and Goods In, Monday to Friday
  • 60 minTypical quote reply in office hours
  • No. 7644UKAS accredited testing laboratory
Start here

Which one are you?

Everything is on this one page. Pick where to start, or read straight down.

Your first week

From first call to first result

Four steps, most of them ours. You can go from a question to a technician on site, or cubes in our tanks, inside a working week.

  1. 1

    Ask for a quote

    Tell us the job. No account needed to ask, and the quote stays valid for 30 days.

    Usually within 60 minutes
  2. 2

    Open your trade account

    Your quote email carries a link to a short form. Pay As You Go or credit, your choice.

    2 to 5 minutes
  3. 3

    Book your first job

    Cubes to collect, a technician to send, or both. Tell us dates as early as you can.

    Same day in most cases
  4. 4

    Get your first report

    A PDF test report by email on the day of each test, to you and anyone you have named.

    Same day
Sending us cubes

Four things that decide whether a cube tells the truth

We test what arrives. The strength on the report is only as honest as the cube that was made, protected, moved and labelled on your site. This is the short version of what every good cube-maker knows. The long version is a day with our trainer.

  1. 1

    Make it well

    Do this
    • Clean mould, lightly oiled, bolts tight. A worn or dirty mould gives a bad cube before any concrete goes in.
    • Fill in layers and compact each one fully, then strike off level. Air left in the cube is strength taken off the result.
    • Mark every cube with its own ID while the concrete is still fresh, and write the same ID on the paperwork.
  2. 2

    Protect it for the first day

    Do this
    • Cover the filled mould and leave it still. No knocks, no vibration, no stacking.
    • Keep it out of wind, sun and frost, somewhere around 20 degrees. A site cabin beats a skip lid.
    • Demould once the concrete is firm, usually the next day, and keep the cube wet from then on.
  3. 3

    Get it to us fast

    Do this
    • Book the collection when you cast, not when you remember. We run daily and weekly collections across the UK and call-offs when you need them.
    • Keep cubes wet and cool while they wait for the van. Padded crates and temperature-controlled curing take over from there.
    • Delivering yourself? Goods In is open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, at Baird Close, Daventry.
  4. 4

    Fill in the cube data form

    Do this
    • One form per set: mix reference, date and time cast, pour location, cube IDs, the ages to test at.
    • Tell us who should receive the report. Your engineer or consultant can get a copy at the same time as you.
    • Keep a copy. If a question comes up later, the form is where the answer lives.
Booking a site visit

What to expect when our technician arrives

One person, one van, calibrated kit and a plan. Here is how a visit runs, what we need from you, and the extras worth adding while we are there.

  1. 1

    You book

    Date, site, pour time, mix and what you want tested. The earlier we know, the more we can hold the slot.

  2. 2

    We confirm

    Who is coming, when, and what they will carry. Any add-ons go on the van at this point.

  3. 3

    On the day

    A CSCS-carded technician in full PPE, with calibrated kit. They sample from the pour, test, make the cubes and cure them on site.

  4. 4

    Afterwards

    Cubes travel to our laboratory in padded crates. Reports are emailed on the day of each test.

Have ready

  • Access

    Sign-in details, a parking spot near the pour and any induction you need us to complete first.

  • The pour

    Where it is, when the first load lands and how many loads are due.

  • The mix

    The delivery ticket or mix design, so the report carries the right reference.

Our technician will
  • Sample fresh concrete to the British Standard
  • Slump test and concrete temperature
  • Make cubes, label them and set initial curing
  • Record everything for the report
Our technician won’t
  • Pour, place or finish your concrete
  • Accept or reject a load for you
  • Leave without telling you what was found
Added extras

Worth asking for while we are on site

Tell us at booking and the kit comes on the van. Added on the day, we will do what the van allows.

  • Air content

    Pressure method on fresh concrete. Ask for it on air-entrained mixes or anywhere freeze-thaw matters.

  • Flow and T500

    For self-compacting and high-flow concrete, where a slump cone tells you little.

  • Fresh density

    Confirms yield and compaction of the mix as delivered.

  • Early-age and spare cubes

    3 and 7 day cubes for striking decisions, and a spare for the 28 day pair in case one disappoints.

  • Cores and Schmidt

    For hardened concrete already in place: cut cores and rebound hammer surveys.

After the test

What happens next, and what to do if something looks wrong

  • Your report lands the same day

    A PDF by email the day the cube is tested. Measurements, density, strength and whether it met the target.

    What is on a report

  • A result looks low?

    Do not panic and do not crush the spare yet. Call us first. Low cubes are held for 30 days from the test date, so there is time to think.

    Talk to our team

  • Spotted a mistake?

    A wrong pour reference or a mis-typed ID is fixed and the report reissued. Tell us through the corrections page.

    Request a correction

  • Not happy with something?

    Complaints and appeals follow a written route with a named person and a timescale.

    Complaints and appeals