MC-Bauchemie MC-TechniFlow FK35
MC-Bauchemie’s PCE-technology retarding superplasticizer, engineered for real slump retention in ready-mix, precast and self-compacting concrete.
What is it?
A liquid polycarboxylate ether (PCE) based retarding superplasticizer that combines strong water reduction with sustained slump retention.
Where is it used?
Ready-mix and batching-plant concrete, precast units, composite-cement mixes and low-grade self-compacting concrete across Delhi NCR and Pan-India projects.
Why use it?
Holds workability through transit and hot-weather pours far longer than conventional plasticizers, without the heavy, unpredictable retardation older long-slump-life admixtures carried, while still giving good early strength.
How is it applied?
Dosed at 0.3-2.0% by weight of cementitious material, added during mixing — most effective when introduced after the mixing water — either at the batching plant or via controlled dosing on site.
About MC-Bauchemie MC-TechniFlow FK35
MC-TechniFlow FK35 is MC-Bauchemie’s India-market retarding superplasticizer, built on the company’s latest polycarboxylate ether (PCE) chemistry rather than the sulphonated-naphthalene (SNF) or lignosulfonate technology still common in many local admixture ranges. Comb-shaped PCE polymers disperse cement particles by steric hindrance instead of relying purely on electrostatic repulsion, which is what lets FK35 pull water content down sharply while keeping the mix flowing well past the point where older-generation plasticizers start seizing up. MC positions it specifically for ready-mix and batching-plant work, precast production, composite-cement concrete and low-grade self-compacting mixes — the segments where Indian RMC suppliers most often lose a pour to slump loss on a hot afternoon or a long haul from plant to site.
What sets FK35 apart from a plain water-reducer is the deliberate retarding/slump-retention balance MC has tuned into it: enough retardation to hold workability through transit and placement, but calibrated so it doesn’t turn into the multi-hour setting delays that plagued earlier long-life plasticizers, and it still delivers good early strength once the concrete does set. At Space Arc we supply and apply FK35 the way MC’s own application notes recommend — dosed between 0.3% and 2% by weight of cementitious material, added after the mixing water for full effect, and never taken straight off a data sheet without a trial batch first, because every cement source, aggregate grading and site temperature across Delhi NCR shifts the working dosage a little.
The technical insight
FK35’s PCE backbone carries long grafted side chains that keep cement particles apart through steric hindrance even as the electrostatic charge on the polymer’s anchor groups weakens over time in the mix — this is the mechanism behind the flatter “consistency vs time” curve MC shows on its own data sheet against a standard PCE. It’s also why FK35 carries the “retarding” tag: the same chemistry that resists slump loss also nudges initial set slightly later, which is a deliberate trade-off rather than a side effect.
Where it is used
- Ready-mix concrete (RMC) supplied to sites with long haul or pour times
- Precast concrete units where early strength drives demoulding and turnaround
- Low-grade self-compacting concrete (SCC) mixes
- Composite and blended-cement concrete (PPC/PSC and similar composite cements)
- High-workability pumped concrete for congested reinforcement zones
- Batching-plant production runs needing consistent output across shifts
- Hot-weather concreting where standard PCE admixtures lose slump quickly
- Concrete where a high-quality, low-blemish surface finish is required
Key advantages
- Genuine slump retention without the heavy multi-hour retardation typical of older long-life plasticizers
- Good early strength development despite the slight, controlled retarding action
- Maximum chloride content under 0.1% by weight, so it’s safe for reinforced and prestressed work
- Documented compatibility with air-entraining agents and MC’s own Centripor SK foaming agent
- Wide 0.3-2% dosage band gives mix designers cost and performance flexibility across grades
- Free of corrosion-promoting components per the manufacturer’s data sheet
- Stated stabilisation at high temperatures — directly relevant to Indian summer batching and long haul times
- Relatively fast mixing time to reach full plasticizing effect, which helps batching-plant cycle times
Limitations & considerations
- Being a retarding admixture, overdosing — especially in hot weather — can extend setting times or cause bleeding/segregation, so dosage must be trial-tested per mix, not read off the sheet
- The manufacturer’s India TDS we reviewed doesn’t print an explicit IS 9103 or ASTM C494 declaration, so specifiers needing that paperwork should request current certificates from MC-Bauchemie directly
- Liquid product with a 12-month shelf life that needs frost-, heat- and sun-protected storage and active stock rotation
- Performance is mix-specific — cement source, SCM content and aggregate grading all shift the working dosage, so preliminary trial mixes are non-negotiable
- It only affects fresh-concrete rheology, setting behaviour and early strength — it is not a waterproofing, corrosion-inhibiting or structural-repair product
- Sold only in 250 kg barrels and 30 kg cans, which isn’t the most economical format for very small, one-off pours
Selection & best practice
Treat the 0.3-2% dosage band as a starting point, not a fixed spec: run trial mixes with your actual cement, fly ash or slag content and site temperature before locking a batching-plant recipe, and re-check whenever the cement source changes. Add FK35 after the mixing water rather than pre-blending it with aggregates, and keep mixing time long enough for the plasticizing effect to develop fully if you’re dosing into a transit-mixer drum on site rather than at the plant. Store drums and cans in unopened packaging, away from direct sun, rain and frost, and rotate stock inside the 12-month shelf life. If you’re combining it with an air-entraining agent or a foaming agent such as Centripor SK, trial the combination on your own mix rather than assuming compatibility carries straight over from the data sheet.
Specifications
| Chemistry / Type | PCE (polycarboxylate ether) combination-based retarding superplasticizer |
| Form / Colour | Liquid, light brown |
| Density | Approx. 1.08 ± 0.02 kg/dm3 |
| Recommended Dosage | 0.3% to 2% by weight of cementitious compound |
| pH Value | 6.8 |
| Max. Chloride Content | < 0.1% by weight |
| Max. Alkali Content | < 1.0% by weight |
| Shelf Life | 12 months from date of manufacture, in unopened packaging |
| Pack Sizes | 250 kg barrels, 30 kg cans |
Industry use cases
Ready-mix concrete supply
An RMC plant serving a high-rise site in Delhi NCR with 45-60 minute haul times uses FK35 to keep pumpable slump through transit without excessive retardation delaying the pour schedule.
Precast production
A precast yard producing beams, pipes or blocks doses FK35 for the combination of workable fresh concrete and good early strength it needs to hit daily demoulding turnaround.
Mass / composite-cement concrete
A raft or mat foundation using PPC or another composite cement relies on FK35’s slump retention to avoid cold joints across a long, continuous pour.
Hot-weather concreting
Summer pours in Delhi NCR, where standard plasticizers can lose slump within minutes of leaving the plant, use FK35’s high-temperature stabilisation to hold workability to the point of placement.
Congested-reinforcement infrastructure work
Low-grade self-compacting concrete dosed with FK35 flows around dense rebar cages on metro, bridge or utility structures without segregation.
Frequently asked questions
How is MC-TechniFlow FK35 different from MC-TechniFlow 06, another retarding PCE superplasticizer MC sells in India?
What dosage should we start trial mixes at?
Is it safe to use in reinforced and prestressed concrete?
Will it delay our setting times too much?
How should we store it and what’s the shelf life?
Can we combine it with air-entraining agents or curing compounds?
How we position MC-Bauchemie MC-TechniFlow FK35
FK35 sits inside MC-Bauchemie’s broader TechniFlow superplasticizer family alongside sibling products such as MC-TechniFlow 06 — another PCE-based retarding superplasticizer sold through the same India range. The two get compared often by RMC buyers; the honest distinction is that FK35’s dosage band and slump-retention curve are what MC currently recommends specifically for batching-plant and RMC work, so confirm with your MC or Space Arc technical contact which one a given mix design actually calls for. The data sheet itself also cross-references MC’s Centripor SK foaming agent as a compatible partner and recommends the Emcoril curing compound range to protect the finished surface. Where a project’s admixture vendor list already runs on Fosroc, or a specifier needs IS 9103 / ASTM C494 Type G stated directly on the technical sheet, Fosroc’s Auramix 400 is the closest genuine PCE-based equivalent Space Arc also supplies.
Fosroc Auramix 400 — Specifiers already standardised on Fosroc’s admixture range, or who need IS 9103:1999 and ASTM C494 Type G compliance stated directly on the data sheet, often turn to Auramix 400 as the closest genuine PCE-based equivalent we also supply.
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