MC-Bauchemie Ortolan H
MC-Bauchemie’s water-based release agent concentrate for clean, spot-free demoulding of steel, plywood and timber shuttering.
What is it?
A concentrated, water-based emulsion mould release agent (formerly sold in India as Nafuplan K), diluted 1:6 to 1:10 with water before application to formwork.
Where is it used?
RCC column, beam and slab shuttering, precast yards running steel or plastic moulds, and plywood or timber centering wherever a clean, unstained concrete face matters.
Why use it?
Cut with water rather than solvent, it skips the oily film and fumes of conventional mould oils while still releasing cleanly and leaving the surface ready for plaster or paint.
How is it applied?
Stirred into a light-yellow emulsion at the specified ratio, brushed, sprayed or wiped on as a thin even coat, then left to absorb 20-30 minutes before the pour.
About MC-Bauchemie Ortolan H
Any RCC contractor who has stripped a column shutter to find the face pockmarked or stuck to the ply knows a release agent isn’t an afterthought item. Ortolan H is MC-Bauchemie’s water-based answer for jobs where a full-bodied mineral oil isn’t ideal – a concentrated emulsion, previously sold in India as Nafuplan K, diluted on site rather than used neat. That matters in practice: no solvent smell in a closed pour, no oil bloom on an exposed column, and a drum that stretches a long way once cut with water at 1:6 to 1:10.
It suits contractors running repetitive shuttering cycles – precast yards, high-rises reusing steel formwork dozens of times, and sites specifying a fair-face finish that can’t afford oil spotting. Space Arc stocks it alongside MC-Bauchemie’s oil-based Ortolan Classic and bio-based Ortolan Bio 100, so a site can pick the chemistry that suits its formwork rather than defaulting to whatever the last supplier had on the truck.
The technical insight
Ortolan H dries into an ultra-thin release film rather than a thick oil layer, letting hardened concrete let go cleanly with little residue to telegraph through as blotches. The dilution ratio is a functional limit, not just a cost lever: over-dilute on absorbent plywood and the film is too thin to release properly, which is why plywood is capped at 1:6 while non-absorbent steel and plastic can go to 1:10. The concentrate has a density of 0.85 ± 0.02 g/cm3, and coverage runs 15-25 m2 per litre of diluted emulsion depending on formwork porosity. The 20-30 minute absorption window matters too – rush it and release turns patchy; expose coated formwork to rain in that window and it needs recoating.
Where it is used
- Column, beam and slab shuttering on RCC-framed buildings
- Precast yards producing paver blocks, kerbs and culvert sections
- Plywood and film-faced shuttering for fair-face concrete
- Timber centering on residential and low-rise structures
- Steel forms for box culverts and tunnel-lining segments
- Multi-cycle aluminium and steel formwork on high-rise projects
- Enclosed sites where solvent odour from oil-based agents is unwanted
Key advantages
- Water-dilutable, so no solvent smell or special ventilation for enclosed pours
- Dilution up to 1:10 stretches a 200-litre drum, lowering cost per m2
- Thin, even film leaves faces smooth and free of oil spotting
- Doesn’t interfere with plaster, mortar or paint bond afterwards
- One product works across steel, plastic, plywood and timber
- Protects formwork between pours, extending shutter reuse life
- 12-month shelf life from manufacture eases site stocking
Limitations & considerations
- Needs a 20-30 minute absorption window, tight on fast pour schedules
- Coated formwork must stay dry before the pour; a shower means recoating
- Plywood dilution can’t exceed 1:6, so it stretches less than on steel
- It’s a release agent, not an admixture – no role in strength or setting time
- No IS, ASTM or EN standard is cited on the manufacturer’s data sheet
- Sold only in 200-litre drums, awkward for small touch-up jobs
Selection & best practice
Pour the concentrate slowly into measured water while stirring, not the reverse, until uniform – 1:6 to 1:10 for steel and plastic, never past 1:6 for plywood. Clean old concrete splashes off the formwork first, and apply a thin, even film; a heavier “for safety” coat causes the blotching this product is meant to prevent. Allow the full 20-30 minutes to absorb before placing concrete, keep coated formwork out of rain and sun in that window, and re-stir any emulsion that’s stood before use.
Specifications
| Type | Highly concentrated, water-based mould release agent (emulsion) |
| Formerly marketed as | Nafuplan K |
| Form / Appearance | Liquid emulsion, light yellow |
| Density (concentrate) | 0.85 ± 0.02 g/cm3 |
| Dilution ratio | 1:6 to 1:10 with water (plywood: not exceeding 1:6) |
| Coverage | 15-25 m2/litre of diluted emulsion, surface-dependent |
| Absorption time before concreting | approx. 20-30 minutes |
| Shelf life | 12 months from manufacture, unopened |
| Pack size | 200-litre drums |
Industry use cases
Residential high-rise, Delhi NCR
Reusing steel column forms across 25+ floors, diluted Ortolan H gave consistent release without the oil bloom a full-oil product had left earlier.
Precast yard, Gurugram periphery
A paver-block manufacturer switched to Ortolan H to cut mineral-oil fumes in an enclosed casting shed.
Architectural fair-face concrete
A facade contractor used it on film-faced plywood at 1:6 specifically to avoid the spotting a heavier release oil leaves on exposed finishes.
Highway infrastructure
A box-culvert contractor valued the 1:10 stretch across large steel shutter panels.
Frequently asked questions
Is Ortolan H the same as shuttering oil?
What dilution ratio should I use on site?
How much area does one drum cover?
Will it affect later plastering or painting?
Can it be used on plastic and aluminium formwork too?
How long does it keep in storage?
How we position MC-Bauchemie Ortolan H
Within MC-Bauchemie’s range, Ortolan H is the water-based option alongside oil-based Ortolan Classic and eco-positioned Ortolan Bio 100 – Space Arc helps pick between them by formwork material and finish requirement rather than treating “release agent” as one interchangeable line. In the wider market, Fosroc’s Reebol covers similar ground with an oil-based chemistry rather than a water-dilutable emulsion – a specifier already running Fosroc’s Concrete Society Category 5 paperwork through precast QA, or needing the longer open time an oil film gives on absorbent timber through monsoon conditions, might reasonably choose Reebol instead.
Fosroc Reebol — Specifiers already running Fosroc’s Concrete Society Category 5 release-agent paperwork through precast QA, or needing the longer open time an oil-based film gives on very absorbent timber through monsoon conditions, might reasonably choose Reebol over Ortolan H’s faster-drying water-based emulsion.
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