STP ShaliCure PA M 10
White-pigmented, paraffin-based membrane curing compound to ASTM C309 Type 2, Class A — spray-applied moisture retention for pavements, slabs and precast concrete across India.
What is it?
A white-pigmented, paraffin-based liquid from STP Limited that is sprayed onto freshly finished concrete, where it dries into a moisture-retaining membrane conforming to ASTM C309, Type 2, Class A.
Where is it used?
Pavements, large slabs, bridge decks, precast elements and vertical members — anywhere water curing is slow, costly or physically impossible. Also seals and dust-proofs old concrete.
Why use it?
Caps moisture loss below 0.55 kg/m² over 72 hours (ASTM C156), reflects solar heat off the fresh slab, and takes curing water, hessian and a week of labour off the critical path.
How is it applied?
One uniform coat by hand or airless spray, or short-nap roller, at 4.9–8.6 m²/L depending on surface texture — applied the moment the bleed-water sheen leaves the surface. Touch-dry within 4 hours.
About STP ShaliCure PA M 10
ShaliCure PA M 10 is STP Limited’s paraffin-based, membrane-forming curing compound — a white-pigmented, non-flammable wax emulsion that is sprayed or rolled onto freshly finished concrete to lock in mixing water while the cement hydrates. The film it forms holds moisture loss below 0.55 kg/m² over 72 hours when tested to ASTM C156, and the product conforms to ASTM C309, Type 2, Class A — the classification written into most pavement and flatwork specifications for white-pigmented compounds used on sun-exposed concrete. Because it is water-based, it avoids the storage licences and hot-work restrictions that solvent-borne compounds drag onto a congested site.
The practical case for a curing compound is logistics. Ponding, hessian and sprinkler curing all demand water, labour and supervision for a week or more — resources that rarely survive contact with a fast-moving slab cycle or a remote highway alignment. A single sprayed coat of ShaliCure PA M 10 does the same duty chemically, and the same drum doubles as a dust-proofing sealer for aged concrete surfaces. Space Arc Engineering supplies it in 20 kg and 200 kg drums from Delhi NCR with pan-India dispatch, alongside applicator support for pavement, precast and structural concreting programmes.
The technical insight
Cement needs water to hydrate, and half the battle on an Indian site is keeping that water in the slab through the first few days. In hot, windy weather, evaporation from a fresh surface can outrun the bleed rate within an hour of finishing — the skin dries, hydration stalls, and the result is a weak, dusty surface laced with plastic shrinkage cracks. ShaliCure PA M 10 interrupts this mechanism physically. As the emulsion’s carrier water flashes off, its paraffin particles coalesce into a continuous wax film that plugs the surface capillaries and throttles vapour loss to below 0.55 kg/m² over 72 hours. The white pigment does a second job: it reflects solar radiation, so the slab runs cooler and the vapour-pressure gradient driving evaporation drops further. That is exactly what the ASTM C309 “Type 2” designation denotes — a white-pigmented compound intended for concrete cured under direct sun.
Where it is used
- Rigid pavements, highway PQC slabs and runway concrete where water curing is impractical
- Large slabs-on-grade, raft foundations and mass pours with big exposed surface areas
- Bridge decks, flyover spans and elevated pours where ponding bunds are unsafe
- Precast yards — girders, box culverts, wall and boundary panels cured in the open
- Columns, piers and other vertical members that cannot hold curing water
- Interior and exterior structural concrete on fast-cycle building projects
- Sealing and dust-proofing of old, weathered concrete surfaces
Key advantages
- Verified moisture retention — under 0.55 kg/m² loss in 72 hours to ASTM C156
- White Type 2 film reflects sunlight, keeping fresh slabs cooler through peak summer pours
- Removes ponding, hessian and curing-water logistics — and the labour bill that goes with them
- Fast spray or roller application; touch-dry in a maximum of 4 hours
- Non-flammable, water-based emulsion with no solvent storage or hot-work restrictions
- Resists yellowing and remains compatible with many paints and resilient floor finishes
- One product cures fresh concrete and seals old concrete against dusting
Limitations & considerations
- Must not be used where toppings, screeds, epoxy or polyurethane coatings, or bonded adhesives will follow — the wax film destroys adhesion and is difficult to remove
- Not for application below 4°C ambient; the material itself must be warmed to at least 10°C before use
- Cannot be sprayed over bleed water or free-standing water — application timing is critical
- The whitish film stays visible for a period, which may not suit fair-faced architectural concrete
- Coverage swings widely with surface texture (4.9–8.6 m²/L), so estimate against the actual finish
- Six-month shelf life and mandatory drum pre-mixing demand disciplined stock rotation
Selection & best practice
Timing decides everything with a wax curing membrane. Apply ShaliCure PA M 10 as soon as finishing is complete and the bleed-water sheen has just left the surface — early enough to stop evaporation, but never over free water. Prepare the drum properly: keep it inverted for at least two hours, roll it to and fro about ten times, then stir for two minutes with an electric stirrer so the paraffin phase is fully dispersed. Lay down one uniform coat by hand or airless spray at 4.9–7.4 m²/L on textured concrete or 7.4–8.6 m²/L on smooth finishes; if rolling, use a short-nap, solvent-resistant sleeve. Allow 4–6 hours of drying before opening the surface to traffic. On old concrete, remove oil, grease and wax with strong detergents rather than acids, let the surface dry fully, and give porous or badly worn patches a second pass for a uniform seal. Clean tools with water before the film hardens.
Specifications
| Form / appearance | White liquid (paraffin pigmented emulsion) |
| Standard compliance | ASTM C309, Type 2, Class A |
| Theoretical coverage — textured concrete | 4.9–7.4 m²/L |
| Theoretical coverage — smooth concrete | 7.4–8.6 m²/L |
| Drying time | Max. 4 hours (surface dependent) |
| Moisture loss (ASTM C156) | <0.55 kg/m² in 72 hours |
| Specific gravity | 1.07 ± 0.2 |
| Packing | 20 kg and 200 kg drums |
| Shelf life | 6 months in original unopened, sealed condition |
Industry use cases
Highways & rigid pavements
Slipform and fixed-form PQC runs where kilometre-scale slabs make water curing unmanageable — a spray pass behind the texturing crew closes out each stretch the same day.
Precast & infrastructure yards
Girders, box culverts and wall panels stripped early and cured in the open; the membrane keeps hydration going between casting cycles and reduces surface crazing.
High-rise & real estate
Raft foundations and podium slabs poured through north-Indian summers, where site water and labour are better spent on the next pour than on a week of ponding.
Bridges & metro viaducts
Elevated deck pours where ponding bunds are unsafe or impossible; spray application from the screed rail completes curing in a single visit.
Industrial estates & refurbishment
Dusting warehouse and yard slabs sealed with the same product as a surface treatment — provided no bonded coating or topping is planned afterwards.
Frequently asked questions
When exactly should ShaliCure PA M 10 be sprayed?
Can we lay tiles, epoxy flooring or a screed over concrete cured with this compound?
How much material should I budget for a road slab?
Does membrane curing genuinely replace water curing?
How does PA M 10 differ from ShaliCure PA M 5 and PA M 20?
What pack sizes are available and how should drums be stored?
How we position STP ShaliCure PA M 10
Space Arc supplies the wider STP curing family alongside this grade: ShaliCure PA M 5 and PA M 20 cover lighter and pigmented paraffin membranes, while ShaliCure Acrylate WB 10 and the ShaliCure SS range suit slabs that will later be painted or need a transparent, non-waxy finish. Projects standardised on Fosroc documentation can specify Concure WB, the directly comparable white wax-emulsion cure, with Concure P and Concure 90 extending the resin-based options — all available through us with the same technical support. For hot-weather concreting, pairing the curing compound with a retarding Fosroc Conplast admixture helps manage slump life and bleed timing so the spray window lands predictably.
Fosroc Concure WB — Specifiers already standardised on Fosroc test records and approvals often choose Concure WB, a comparable white wax-emulsion curing compound to ASTM C309, to keep the whole concreting package within one brand family.
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