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Never really used much concrete before, but I bought a couple bags last week from Home Depot and I'm pretty sure they must have gotten at some point and partially cured, but just looking for some confirmation. The first bag I opened up, the corners were rock hard, and then I just opened a second bag and it's much the same. I can chip away at it with a chisel, but it's hardly like in videos online where they just cut the bag open and dump it in a wheelbarrow. Anyways, took a quick video of the second bag and posted it on YouTube and then at the end grabbed one of the corners from the first bag just to show what that looked that, probably easiest just to look at that be like yep, that's bad concrete.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwlsN2SFJE0&feature=youtu.be

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    return them ... they got wet at some time
    – jsotola
    Commented Apr 14, 2020 at 0:07
  • Sometimes they just pack themselves really well. Is there clumps? I can chip away at it with a chisel is way beyond clumps....
    – Mazura
    Commented Aug 5, 2023 at 17:28
  • A key issue is that concrete + water is not simply "wet concrete -> mushes together -> dries to a hard clump". There are actual chemical reactions taking place. So when it gets wet and dries, even if you ground it up again it would not be the same as fresh raw dry concrete powder.
    – manassehkatz-Moving 2 Codidact
    Commented Aug 6, 2023 at 2:02

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I would be bringing them back to HD and get a couple new bags. That concrete should not be that hard and I have never seen a bag that bad. When picking out new bags, drop them gently on the corners to see if the corners collapse, meaning that the concrete inside is soft. Be careful not to break open the bag. HD is really great about returns.

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They got wet, they are no good, return them.

Good concrete mix is like fine flour, very loose and very dusty and a bag of good concrete should move around in your hands and have no hard parts. There is no compacting or settling or other reason for it to be hard other than it's no good to use anymore

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