Experiments to reinforce concrete with glass fibre were first carried out in the late 1940s at the same time research to reinforce resins and plastics with the same material. These were unsuccessful due to the alkaline nature of the cement affecting each breaking down the fibres. The problem was solved in the mid 1960s with the development of alkaline resistant glass fibres containing high level of zirconium oxide. As with most modern composites the process of blending the fibres throughout the matrix provided substantially increased tensile, flexural with resultant savings in component weight.

GRC/GFRC was primarily used as a cladding material however its development coincided directly as a consequence the primary application of the material in the UK was civil engineering and rail applications. Throughout the rest of the world GRC became more widely used.

Glass Fiber Reinforced Concrete is used on many of the world’s largest and most prestigious construction and infrastructure projects.