Buildcrete Datasheet - Lafarge in South Africa

Versatile
General Purpose Cement
Data Sheet
Sustainability with all round performance
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BUILDCRETE
Designed for customers’
convenience
User-friendly Buildcrete maintains Lafarge Cement’s tradition of
technical excellence and product innovation:
• Superior workability for easy-to-handle, productive concrete
and mortar work
• Strength that meets the needs of domestic and most
contract site projects
• Quality and reliability of the renowned Buildcrete brand
• Early strength gain to complete jobs quicker
• The ‘Greenest’ formulation in our unique environmentallyfriendly
range of products
Concern for the environment
Lafarge has for many years been one of the leaders in the building
materials industry for actively pursuing sustainable development
policies. The Group’s responsible environmental practices have reduced
its global carbon dioxide (a ‘greenhouse’ gas) emissions by 18% since
1990. Contributing to this achievement, Lafarge Cement is the only
South African cement manufacturer to have a complete range of ‘green’
products.
• Lichtenburg Cement Works produces Buildcrete CEM IV/B-V
32,5R, a Pozzolanic cement, formulated from Portland clinker
and quality siliceous fly ash, together with a strength enhancer
• Richards Bay plant produces Buildcrete as a CEM IV/A-V
32,5R Portland-fly ash cement. The formulation is based on
quality siliceous fly ash interground with Portland cement
clinker together with a strength-enhancing additive.
Recommended mix designs
A standard builder’s wheelbarrow that holds 65 litres of material
is generally used to measure out the correct volumes of cement,
stone and sand required to make a batch of concrete. Buildcrete
is supplied in 50kg bags for use in a wide range of smaller jobs,
as indicated in the mix proportions tables below. 2 x 50kg bags
(often still referred to as ‘pockets’) are equivalent in volume to one
wheelbarrow load.
Note: If you want to make a smaller batch of concrete, remember
to use the same size container (for example a bucket) to measure
all the ingredients. (Using a shovel to measure materials is not
recommended because you cannot judge the quantities accurately.)
Recommended mix proportions by volume using
Buildcrete 32,5R
Our ‘green’ cements
Lafarge Cement’s products have innovative environmentallyfriendly
formulations that:
• use less non-renewable materials
• create less greenhouse gas in their manufacture
- Buildcrete reduces CO2 emissions by 40% compared to
traditional ordinary Portland cement
• reduce landfill sites
Green Building Council
Low Strength
Home Concrete
Foundations, Domestic
Floors – unreinforced
Medium Strength
Driveways, light industrial
floors - unreinforced
High Strength
Structural Applications
Reinforced concrete
suspended slabs, heavy duty
industrial floors
Watertight concrete reservoirs,
ponds
Mortar for Bricklaying and
Plastering
Brick and Block making
(10-15 MPa)
Cement Sand Stone
1 3,5 3,5
(20-25 MPa) 1 2,5 2,5
(25-30 MPa)
1 2 2
(30 MPa) 1 1,5 1,5
(5,0 MPa) 1 6 -
1 8 -
Lafarge Cement is a member of the Green Building Council of South
Africa (GBCSA). It is a commitment to assist the Council in leading the
transformation of the South African property industry to ensure that
all buildings are designed, built and operated in an environmentally
sustainable way. The aim is to allow all people in our country to work
and live in healthy, efficient and productive environments.
Composition
Buildcrete 32,5R is classified as a general purpose cement with early
strength gain characteristics. It is produced at the Lafarge Lichtenburg
Cement Works in North West Province and the Lafarge Richards Bay
Grinding Plant in KwaZulu-Natal.
The products conform to the SANS 50197 (EN 197) specifications in
accordance with SANS 50196 (EN 196) test requirements. While the
products from both factories have similar essential characteristics, the
formulations take advantage of the available raw materials:
Benefits of our innovative
formulation
The innovative extended formulations for Buildcrete have created
an environmentally-friendly, all-round performance, quality cement
with:
• superior workability
• higher long-term strength in concrete
• good early strength gain
Freshly mixed concrete made with Buildcrete has the benefits of:
• Better workability for much easier handling, placing and
finishing
• The ‘R’ early strength gain that saves time and money by:
- improving the output of masonry unit manufacture through
earlier removal of the moulds and handling of concrete
products such as bricks and blocks sooner
- earlier stripping of formwork and props means hiring less
shuttering and getting on with the job faster
• More cohesive mixes that keep coarse aggregates uniformly
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BUILDCRETE
mixed, resulting in an even strength throughout the pour and
better finishes
• Improved water retention and less bleeding for reduced cracking
and better surface finish
• Better productivity in winter: the ‘R’ feature helps to compensate
for the slowing in strength gain in cold weather and maintain
productivity
For concrete in the hardened state, Buildcrete contributes:
• Better finishes for floor slabs and off-shutter work with minimal
surface cracks and imperfections
• Denser concrete with good impermeability, which reduces
leakage from water features and ponds
Strength rating
Standard strength:
Buildcrete complies with the requirement in the SANS specifications
for a minimum compressive strength ≥ 32,5MPa (EN prism test using
a water/cement ratio of 0,5) within 28 days of casting.
Early strength – the importance of ‘R’:
The ‘R’ classification indicates that Buildcrete will achieve an
early strength at 2 days ≥ 10,0MPa in accordance with the SANS
specifications.
(An ‘N’ designation refers to a class with ordinary early strength
development.)
Reliable quality
The strength development and performance of Buildcrete is
continually monitored for compliance with Lafarge’s demanding inhouse
standards (referred to as “Usage Quality Testing”).
While the Lafarge name is a worldwide assurance of quality, the
Buildcrete bag also displays the following locally regulated quality
symbols:
• LOA number
The Letter of Authority (LOA) number shows that Lafarge is
authorised to sell Buildcrete in the South African market. It is
mandatory to display a LOA number on a bag of cement and on
the sale transaction documentation.
• SABS mark
Indicates that Buildcrete complies with the compulsory
standard in the SANS 50197-1 (EN 197) specifications.
Although displaying the SABS mark is no longer mandatory,
Lafarge Cement voluntarily displays it
• e-mark
Indicates that the packaging equipment and systems at our
Lichtenburg Cement Works have been audited and approved
by the NRCS and comply with the SANS 1841 standard. Our
customers are assured of receiving the quantity they have
paid for
Properties
Buildcrete complies with the chemical and physical requirements of
SANS 50197 (EN197) for a class 32,5R cement.
Physical properties
Property Buildcrete* EN Spec.
requirement
2 day Compressive strength 16,0 MPa ≥ 10,0 MPa
7 day Compressive strength 26,8 MPa -----
28 day Compressive strength 43,5 MPa ≥ 32,5 MPa
Initial set 210 minutes ≥ 75 minutes
Soundness 1,0 mm ≤ 10 mm
Chemical properties
Property Buildcrete* EN Spec.
requirement
SO 3
1,60% ≤ 3,5% m/m
Cl- 0,030% ≤ 0,10% m/m
Technical services
Buildcrete is fully supported by the unique technical and laboratory
resources of Quality Department Southern Africa (QDSA) at Industria,
Gauteng. QDSA operates one of the largest and most respected
SANAS (South African National Accreditation System) Accredited
Civil Engineering testing facilities in South Africa. Complying with
ISO/IEC 17025, the facility has a proud fourteen-year track record of
continuous accreditation.
Scope of QDSA’s Accreditation
The SANAS accreditation covers thirty-four test methods, including
all the SANS EN tests for Common and Masonry cements, other
relevant SANS, EN and DIN test methods for aggregates and
concrete, as well as an in-house method for Dense Medium
Separation. Within the framework of this accreditation, QDSA can
add another 200 tests to the above methods.
Changes in the regulation of cement in South Africa:
Cement now falls under the Compulsory Specification Act of
South Africa. It is regulated by an independent government
body called the NRCS, National Regulator for Compulsory
Specifications, which is part of the Department of Trade and
Industry. NRCS is a public entity responsible to the Minister
of Trade and Industries for administration of technical
regulations including Compulsory Specifications based on
Standards that protect human health and safety, and the
environment. The only major change is that it is no longer
mandatory to show the SABS mark on cement bags. Instead, a
Letter of Authority number (LOA number) must be displayed:
it is strictly illegal to sell cement without the LOA number
reflected on the delivery note and the bag.
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BUILDCRETE
Unequalled international resources:
One of Lafarge Cement’s strengths is having access to the
experience and technical resources of the international
Lafarge Group.
• Every year a budget of £170 million (over R2 billion) is
devoted to research and to the development of new solutions
• 1 300 scientists, engineers and technicians from all over
the world work on the optimisation of production processes
and the creation of tomorrow’s materials
• Lafarge also operates the world’s largest building materials
research laboratory
This research and development, together with the exchange of
information and benchmarking between the international Group’s
166 cement and clinker facilities, ensures the world-class quality
of Lafarge’s products.
Safety: Our No 1 priority
Lafarge is committed to achieving a sustained world-class safety
performance and to being a leader in the industry. Our target is Zero
Lost Time Injuries among our employees. This drive for a high standard
of safety and concern for the well-being of our personnel also extends to
all subcontractors and transporters associated with Lafarge. We actively
encourage them to participate in the Lafarge Cement safety programmes
and require all their personnel, who enter our sites, to comply with our
safety standards.
For your Safety
Take note of the health and safety warnings on the back of the Buildcrete
bag, which include:
• Cement dust on moist skin or in eyes can be a strong irritant.
Protect yourself by wearing suitable clothing, safety goggles, gloves
and boots, when handling cement
• To reduce the risk of back injury make sure that good handling
procedures are followed when lifting bags of cement
Safety Data sheets are available from:
• Your local building materials supplier
• Lafarge Cement Call Centre on (011) 257 3085
• Lafarge website: www.lafarge.co.za
Contact us
For further information on Buildcrete, please contact us on:
Toll-free: 0800 110 104 or Call Centre: 011 257 3085
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