The existence of the Amsterdamsche Ballast Maatschappij can be attributed to the North Sea Canal (Noordzeekanaal), whose original operations began in 1877.

In the first decade of the 20th century, the company began to grow under the direction of Charles de Vilder, a paver and roadworker based in Amsterdam.

Nedam became more widely known through the construction of the Hague Convention Bureau (Congresgebouw), the former Bijenkorf department store in Rotterdam, and the Nederlandse Handels Maatschappij (Netherlands Trading Company) headquarters in Amsterdam, known as the Bazel building.

Works of distinction in the Netherlands include the development and construction of the Maarssenbroek district in the province of Utrecht (from the 1970s), the Oosterschelde dam (1986, the largest section of the Delta Works), the design of the modern Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and the construction of the Amsterdam Stopera (City Hall and Opera House) (1986).

The Ballast Nedam Group grew as a result of the acquisition of Van Grootel's Bouwmaatschappij (Housing Company) in 1974.

[1] In September 2015 Renaissance Infrastructure B.V. has made a recommended public offer on all Ballast Nedam shares.