text: Calcium silicate hydrates (or C-S-H) are the main products of the hydration of Portland cement and are primarily responsible for the strength of cement-based materials. They are the main binding phase ("the glue") in most concrete. Only well defined and rare natural crystalline minerals can be abbreviated as CSH while extremely variable and poorly ordered phases without well defined stoichiometry, as it is commonly observed in hardened cement paste (HCP), are denoted C-S-H.