Shotcrete is a mortar or concrete conveyed through a hose and pneumatically projected at high velocity onto a surface or substrate. It is most commonly used to stabilise ground in underground spaces such as tunnels and mines, but is also widely used to create retaining walls, basement walls, swimming pools, and some above-ground structures such as buildings. In other countries it is also referred to as sprayed concrete, and in past years some forms of shotcrete have been referred to as Pneumatically Applied Mortar (PAM) or gunite.

The first step on the path to the development of modern shotcrete occurred in 1907, with the development of the air-operated dry-process shotcrete pump by Carl Ethan Akeley in the USA. This machine had the capability to place dry materials pneumatically with the addition of water at the nozzle. In Australia, shotcrete was first used for lining water tanks in 1914, and as slope stabilization and refractory linings in the 1930s though to the mid-1950s. Since then, shotcrete application has been extended and developed for numerous types of structures.

While shotcrete is widely used internationally, this website provides information about how shotcrete is produced and used in the Australian market. There are some differences in the way shotcrete is used in Australia compared to other countries, most notably the greater emphasis on wet-mix spraying compared to dry-mix. Users and potential users of shotcrete will find information about the ingredients, properties, and uses of this material in the pages accessible through the drop-down menu at the top of this page.