So, What is Concrete Cutting?
Concrete cutting is the controlled removal or modification of concrete using diamond-tipped tools that grind through the material rather than break it. The main techniques are floor sawing (also called slab sawing), wall sawing, wire sawing, and diamond drilling. Each uses industrial diamonds bonded to a blade, wire or core barrel, and each is matched to a specific type of cut, ranging from full-depth slab isolation to precision holes for services. All concrete cutting is done wet, with continuous water feed cooling the diamonds and suppressing dust at source. The result is a clean, accurate, vertical edge suitable for immediate reinstatement, service installation or joint sealing, without the collateral damage caused by breakers or percussion tools.
At Shepherd and Sons, we deliver concrete cutting across UK airfields, highways, ports and infrastructure projects, with more than 40 years of specialist experience. We’re based at Westerhill Farm in Kent, and we hold SafeContractor and CHAS accreditation alongside our Extruded Sealant Association membership for the related joint sealing work. This article covers what concrete cutting is, the main techniques, when to use each one, what the process involves, and how to specify it properly.
The main concrete cutting techniques
Concrete cutting isn’t a single technique. It’s a family of specialist methods, each matched to different geometries, access constraints and follow-on scopes. A competent contractor will offer the right one for the job rather than forcing every project through the same method.
Floor sawing (slab sawing). Walk-behind diesel, petrol or electric saws with circular diamond blades. Used for horizontal cuts through slabs, pavements and floors. Depth typically ranges from 150mm up to around 500mm on standard equipment, with specialist saws going deeper. The standard technique for joint formation, slab removal, service trenching and isolation cuts before demolition.
Wall sawing. Track-mounted circular blade running on a rail fixed to the wall. Used for vertical, horizontal or angled cuts in walls, columns, retaining structures and heavy sections. Depth typically up to 600mm to 730mm depending on saw and blade diameter.
Wire sawing. Continuous diamond-impregnated wire fed through pulleys around the section being cut. The wire is drawn back and forth by a hydraulic drive, gradually cutting through the concrete. Used where the cut depth or geometry exceeds circular blade capacity, including foundations over 600mm thick, heavily reinforced sections, bridge piers and awkward geometries.
Diamond drilling (core drilling). Hollow diamond-tipped barrels rotating against the concrete to cut circular holes. Diameter ranges from 10mm to over 1000mm. Depth is effectively unlimited because barrels can be extended. Used for service penetrations, structural fixings, M&E installations, and specialist stitch drilling around live services.
Stitch drilling. A series of overlapping cores drilled side by side to form a cut line where mechanical breaking isn’t permitted. The narrow webs between cores are broken out and the section removed by vacuum lifting plant. This is the specialist method for cutting around live high-pressure aviation fuel mains, live electrical cables, and post-tensioning tendons.
Concrete cutting versus concrete breaking
The two are fundamentally different techniques, even though the end goal (removing or modifying concrete) can look similar.
Concrete cutting uses diamond abrasion to grind through the material. The cut is smooth, straight, vertical and accurate to within millimetres. Vibration is low. There’s no shock transmitted through the surrounding structure. The removed section has a clean edge that’s immediately ready for the next scope.
Concrete breaking uses hydraulic or pneumatic impact tools (breakers, jackhammers, hydraulic bursters) to fracture the concrete. It’s faster and cheaper on high-volume demolition where edge quality doesn’t matter. But it produces jagged, irregular edges, and it transmits significant vibration and shock through the surrounding concrete, which can damage adjacent slabs, services or structures.
In our experience, diamond cutting works better than mechanical breaking on airfield apron slab replacement because the cut leaves a clean vertical edge that bonds properly to new concrete, where breaker work produces an irregular jagged edge that becomes the failure point within 18 to 24 months. On a Heathrow-type apron repair where the replacement slab has to deliver a 30-year service life, that edge condition is the difference between a permanent repair and a recurring problem.
For contexts where the concrete is being fully demolished and no edge is being retained, breaking is often the practical choice. Where any edge is being kept, or any adjacent structure needs to be protected, cutting is the right method.
When concrete cutting is the right method
Five categories of work drive specification towards concrete cutting.
Slab removal for reinstatement. Where a damaged, deteriorated or contaminated section of concrete needs to be replaced. Cutting around the perimeter allows the section to be lifted out cleanly, leaving sound concrete on all sides with a vertical edge ready for new concrete to bond to. This is where full depth concrete cutting is specified — the cut passes through the entire slab thickness rather than scoring the surface.
Joint formation and reformation. Cutting new expansion or contraction joints in fresh concrete, or widening existing joints for reformation and resealing. The joint slot geometry directly determines whether the joint sealing will perform, which is why the cutting and sealing specifications need to be planned together.
Openings and penetrations. Diamond drilling for service holes, wall sawing for door and window openings, floor sawing for stairwells and lift shafts. The clean edge condition means the opening is immediately ready for framing, sleeving or service installation.
Isolation cuts before demolition. Where part of a slab is to be demolished, cutting around the demolition zone prevents damage propagating into the retained concrete.
Sensitive work around live services. Stitch drilling around aviation fuel mains, high-voltage cables, post-tensioning tendons and other embedded services that would be damaged by continuous sawing or breaking.
What determines cut depth and method
The choice of technique depends on the specific cut requirements. Slab thickness, access, reinforcement density and cut width all influence the answer.
Slab thickness alone doesn’t fully determine which method to use. A 300mm cut through a lightly reinforced industrial floor is a straightforward floor sawing job. A 300mm cut through heavily reinforced airfield concrete with embedded fuel mains is a stitch drilling or specialist wire sawing job. The cutting specification has to match the reinforcement, the services and the access, not just the depth.
For technical background on the depth ranges achievable with each method and how blade diameter relates to cut depth, how deep can you cut concrete? covers the practical limits.
What proper concrete cutting involves
Concrete cutting looks straightforward from a distance. Set the blade, push the saw, walk away. The execution detail is what determines whether the cut delivers a job that works or one that has to be redone.
Site survey and services check. Before any cut is made, the substrate is surveyed for embedded services. Live cables, fuel mains, post-tensioning tendons, water and gas pipes, and reinforcement layout all influence cut placement and method. On airside work, this means liaising with the operator’s services drawings and confirming live fuel main locations physically before cutting.
Method statement and RAMS. Cutting near live services, occupied buildings or operational pavements requires a documented method statement covering the cutting method, water and slurry management, section removal, edge protection and reinstatement interface.
Setting out. Cut lines are surveyed and marked precisely. On airfield and highway work, tolerance is measured in millimetres because the cut has to align with existing slab geometry or service drawings.
Water and slurry management. Cuts are made wet, with continuous water feed cooling the blade and suppressing dust. Slurry is collected and removed before it dries. On highway and airside work, slurry containment matters because runoff into drainage or grass margins creates environmental compliance issues.
Controlled cutting. The operator advances the saw at a rate matched to the concrete strength and reinforcement. Pushing too fast glazes the diamonds and slows the cut. Cutting too slowly wears them prematurely. Practised operators read the cut feel and adjust the feed rate accordingly.
Section removal. Cut sections are lifted by excavator, telehandler or vacuum lifting plant. On live airside and structurally sensitive sites, vacuum lifting is the standard method to avoid drop damage to surrounding slab.
Edge condition for follow-on work. Where the cut feeds into joint sealing, concrete reinstatement or services installation, the edge has to meet the next-phase specification. The ESA Code of Practice specifies that joint slot faces should be within 10° of vertical for proper sealant performance, which is a cutting specification, not a sealing one.
We’ve found that contractors who treat the cut as the end of their scope, rather than the start of the next scope, leave edge conditions that don’t match what comes next. Cutting and joint sealing work together, and the two should be planned together.
Standards and compliance
Concrete cutting in the UK is governed by:
- HSE guidance for diamond drilling and sawing operations
- The Drilling & Sawing Association (DSA) Code of Practice
- SHW Series 700 for highway pavement work
- CAA / ICAO / DIO standards for airfield applications
- BS 6187 (code of practice for demolition) where cutting precedes demolition
- CDM 2015 Regulations for construction projects
- The ESA Code of Practice for Joint Sealing (Issue 3.0, November 2025) where cutting interfaces with joint sealing
Operator competence is governed by NVQ Level 2 in cutting and drilling, with operatives holding CSCS cards and supervisors holding SSSTS. For airside work, additional airside familiarisation and CAA-aligned method training is needed.
Sectors where concrete cutting is specified
Aviation clients specify the most demanding concrete cutting work, including apron and runway slab replacement, taxiway joint reformation, AGL pavement work, and stitch drilling around live fuel mains. The combination of CAA-compliant airside work and complex embedded services makes aviation cutting some of the most technical work in the sector.
Highway authorities and Tier 1 contractors specify cutting on concrete carriageway joint reformation, slab replacement, drainage trenching, bridge deck work and gantry foundations. Chapter 8 traffic management compliance and SHW Series 700 conformity are standard requirements.
Port operators specify cutting on hard standing slab replacement, fuel handling area reinstatement, quayside service installation and dockside structural work.
Public sector clients including councils, schools, hospitals and government facilities specify cutting for depot floors, vehicle workshops, service yards and infrastructure projects.
We’ve delivered concrete cutting on more than 300 UK projects in the past six years across these four sectors, with the largest volume in aviation and highway work.
Specifying concrete cutting properly
A meaningful concrete cutting specification will identify the slab thickness and reinforcement type, the cut linear metres and geometry, the required depth and width, the access constraints (internal versus external, live versus closed site), the services survey requirement, the section removal method, the slurry management requirement, and the interface with any following work (joint sealing, concrete reinstatement, services installation).
If you’re specifying or commissioning concrete cutting work, particularly where cutting interfaces with joint sealing, live operational pavement or embedded services, get in touch. We’ll assess the substrate, the services, the access constraints and the follow-on works, and quote the full scope properly under the relevant standards. You can see recent project work on our LinkedIn and Instagram.
