MC-Bauchemie Centrament Stabi 300
A polysaccharide-based viscosity-modifying admixture that gives self-compacting and high-flow concrete the internal cohesion to spread freely without segregating, bleeding or settling.
What is it?
A liquid viscosity-modifying admixture (VMA) built on a modified polysaccharide polymer that thickens the paste phase of concrete so aggregate stays suspended during flow.
Where is it used?
Self-compacting concrete, architectural and exposed formwork, precast, deep foundations and pumped pours where mixes must flow far and stay stable.
Why use it?
It controls segregation and bleeding in highly fluid mixes, making SCC robust against small changes in water, sand or fines that would otherwise cause it to separate.
How is it applied?
Dosed into the mix water or added to the wet concrete alongside a PCE superplasticiser, typically at 0.1 to 0.5 percent by mass of cement, then confirmed by site trials.
About MC-Bauchemie Centrament Stabi 300
Centrament Stabi 300 is MC-Bauchemie’s stabilising admixture for self-compacting and high-fluidity concrete. Modern SCC is designed to fill a form under its own weight, wrapping around dense reinforcement without a poker vibrator. That flowability comes from high superplasticiser dosages and a carefully balanced paste, but it also makes the mix fragile: a little too much water, a change in sand grading or a slightly leaner fines content, and the aggregate begins to sink while cement paste and water rise to the surface. Stabi 300 exists to hold that balance, giving the specifier a way to build cohesion into the mix independently of the water and cement content.
Chemically it is a modified polysaccharide (a starch-type polymer) supplied as an aqueous solution. When dosed into concrete, the polymer chains unfold and swell in the water phase, thickening the paste so that fine particles and aggregate are physically held in suspension rather than allowed to settle. The result is a mix that still spreads and self-levels but resists the separation that undermines strength and finish. As the authorised MC-Bauchemie distributor and applicator for Delhi NCR and Pan-India, Space Arc Engineering supplies Stabi 300 to ready-mix plants, precasters and site teams, and supports mix design and trial dosing so the product performs on the actual materials being used.
The technical insight
The behaviour of fresh concrete is governed largely by two rheological parameters: yield stress, the shear the mix must overcome before it starts to move, and plastic viscosity, its resistance to flow once moving. Superplasticisers work by driving yield stress down so the concrete spreads easily. The problem is that a low-yield-stress mix has very little to hold coarse aggregate in place, so gravity pulls it downward and free water migrates up. Centrament Stabi 300 addresses this by raising plastic viscosity without meaningfully raising yield stress. The polysaccharide chains create a weak, reversible network in the paste that traps water and slows the relative movement of solids, so aggregate stays suspended during flow and at rest. Because the network is shear-sensitive it thins under the energy of pumping or discharge and rebuilds when the concrete comes to rest, which is exactly the response a self-compacting mix needs: fluid enough to travel and fill, stable enough to hold together once placed. That is why Stabi 300 is dosed as a partner to a PCE superplasticiser rather than as a replacement for it, the two acting on the two different rheological levers.
Where it is used
- Self-compacting concrete for heavily reinforced beams, columns and shear walls where a vibrator cannot reach
- Architectural and exposed concrete where surface finish and freedom from honeycombing are critical
- Precast and prestressed production requiring consistent, high-quality faces off the mould
- Bored piles, drilled shafts and caissons placed by tremie where the mix must stay cohesive underwater
- Mass concrete and congested pours with restricted vibrator access
- Long-distance and high-lift pumped concrete that must resist bleeding during transport
- Ready-mix SCC where raw-material variation needs to be absorbed without loss of stability
Key advantages
- Controls both static and dynamic segregation, keeping aggregate suspended during flow and at rest
- Suppresses bleeding and surface water migration, improving the paste-to-surface quality
- Improves robustness, so the SCC tolerates small swings in water demand, sand grading and fines content
- Delivers cleaner architectural finishes with fewer voids, blowholes and honeycombs
- Reduces or eliminates the need for vibration, cutting labour and noise on congested pours
- Compatible with all MC-Bauchemie PCE superplasticisers and can be combined with Centrament Nano 500 for fine-tuned rheology
- Adjustable dosage lets one product serve several SCC viscosity and slump-flow classes
Limitations & considerations
- It is a stabiliser, not a plasticiser; it must be paired with a PCE superplasticiser to achieve self-compacting flow
- Overdosing raises viscosity too far, producing a sticky mix that flows slowly and is hard to place and finish
- Effective dosage depends on the specific cement, fines and aggregate, so laboratory and site trials are essential before production
- It cannot rescue a fundamentally poor mix design; grading, powder content and paste volume still have to be correct
- As a water-based admixture it must be protected from freezing in storage and stirred if it has stood for a long period
Selection & best practice
Treat Stabi 300 as one lever in a designed SCC mix rather than a field additive. Start trials at the low end of the dose range, around 0.1 to 0.2 percent by mass of cement, alongside your chosen PCE superplasticiser at roughly 0.8 to 1.5 percent, and increase only as segregation testing demands. Add it to the mix water or to already-wetted concrete and allow full mixing time so the polymer can hydrate and develop viscosity; judging a batch too early gives a misleadingly thin result. Validate every trial with the standard SCC test suite: slump flow and T500 for filling ability, the sieve segregation test for stability, and a J-ring or L-box for passing ability through reinforcement. Aim for a stable window rather than a single number, so normal batch-to-batch variation still lands inside spec. Where the mix also needs finer control of cohesion, Stabi 300 can be combined with Centrament Nano 500. Keep the product sealed, above freezing and out of direct sun, and re-establish the dosage whenever the cement source or sand grading changes.
Specifications
| Admixture type | Viscosity-modifying / stabilising admixture (VMA) for concrete |
| Base chemistry | Modified polysaccharide (starch-type polymer) in aqueous solution |
| Typical dosage | 0.1 to 0.5 percent by mass of cement (confirm by trial) |
| Dosage with Centrament Nano 500 | 0.1 to 0.3 percent by mass of total powder content |
| Companion PCE superplasticiser | Typically 0.8 to 1.5 percent by mass of cement |
| Target slump flow (SCC) | 550 to 750 mm; SF2 class approx. 640 to 700 mm |
| Sieve segregation index | Below 15 percent (stable SCC) |
| T500 flow time (VS2 class) | 3 to 8 seconds |
| Reference standards | EN 206-9, IS 10262 SCC guidance, EFNARC; tested per EN 12350-8, -11 and -12 |
Industry use cases
Ready-mix concrete
Stabilises plant-produced SCC so it stays cohesive through long haul distances and high pump lifts, absorbing day-to-day variation in incoming sand and fines.
Precast and prestressed
Delivers consistent, blowhole-free architectural faces off the mould and lets congested, heavily reinforced units be filled without external vibration.
Deep foundations
Keeps tremie-placed concrete for bored piles and diaphragm walls resistant to washout and segregation during underwater placement.
High-rise and infrastructure
Supports SCC in densely reinforced columns, cores and transfer beams where poker access is impossible and finish quality is non-negotiable.
Architectural concrete
Produces exposed fair-faced surfaces free of honeycombing and water streaking on visible structural and decorative elements.
Frequently asked questions
Is Centrament Stabi 300 a replacement for a superplasticiser?
What dosage should I start with?
Will it slow down my flow or make the concrete sticky?
How do I confirm the SCC is stable on site?
Is it compatible with fly ash, GGBS and different cements?
Does Space Arc supply this Pan-India and support the mix design?
How we position MC-Bauchemie Centrament Stabi 300
Centrament Stabi 300 sits in the MC-Bauchemie SCC toolkit as the stabilising partner to the flow admixtures rather than a standalone product. It is designed to run with MC’s PCE superplasticisers and can be combined with Centrament Nano 500 where finer rheology control is needed, so specifiers building a self-compacting mix should think of Stabi 300, a PCE and, if required, Nano 500 as a system. For teams standardised on other brands we carry through Space Arc, the closest equivalents are Fosroc’s Auramix V100 and V200 VMAs, run with the Auramix and Structuro superplasticiser ranges, and comparable stabilising admixtures within the Sika and Master Builders Solutions admixture lines. The right choice usually follows whichever admixture family the concrete producer has already qualified in their plant, since VMA performance is tuned around the companion superplasticiser and local materials.
Fosroc Auramix V100 — A specifier already standardised on the Fosroc Auramix or Structuro superplasticiser range will typically pair this chloride-free VMA with it for the same anti-segregation control in self-compacting concrete.
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