Concrete is subjected to sudden impact loads in water-controlled structures like dams, tunnels; airport terminal asphalts; structures used for military and industrial purposes. When subjected to extreme load conditions and aggressive environments, plain concrete which is already brittle in nature fails suddenly. Fibre-reinforced concrete is a rapidly developing construction technique which can be used for almost all structural systems. Fibres enhance the ductility of concrete structure by improving their mechanical properties. This paper presents a review on the behaviour of fibre-reinforced concrete under normal as well as impact loads and also identifies the materials that can be used for blending cement in concrete as cost-effective means of construction is one of the challenging aspects in these industries. © 2021, The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.