Fosroc Cebex 113
A three-in-one liquid mortar admixture that plasticises, entrains microbubble air and retards set so ready-mixed mortar can be hauled from plant to site and stay workable for hours.
What is it?
Fosroc Cebex 113 is a single liquid admixture for cementitious mortar that does three jobs at once: it plasticises the mix, entrains a controlled volume of microscopic air bubbles, and retards the setting time. It is formulated for stabilised (ready-mixed) mortar and is explicitly not intended for concrete.
Where is it used?
Used at mortar batching plants and on site for masonry, plastering, rendering and screed mortars where the mortar must be transported and remain usable for an extended period before being laid.
Why use it?
It lets a producer make a single batch of mortar in the morning that stays workable for several hours, cutting waste and re-tempering, while the entrained air improves cohesion, frost resistance and thermal performance and the microbubbles break capillary paths to reduce water wicking.
How is it applied?
Dosed by liquid measure at roughly 0.9-1.0% by weight of cement and added with the gauging water during mixing; optimum dosage is confirmed by site trial against the actual sand, cement and ambient conditions.
About Fosroc Cebex 113
Fosroc Cebex 113 sits in the Cebex family of Fosroc mortar and grout admixtures, alongside products such as Cebex 100, Cebex 112 and Cebex 150. Where Cebex 112 is primarily a mortar plasticiser, Cebex 113 is a multifunction liquid that combines three actions in one dose: air entrainment, plasticising and set retardation. It is engineered for what the industry calls stabilised mortar or retarded ready-mixed mortar, the kind produced centrally and delivered to a site where bricklayers and plasterers draw from it over a working shift rather than gauging fresh mortar by hand at the workface.
The practical problem it solves is time. Conventional site-gauged mortar begins to stiffen within an hour or two, forcing crews to either work fast or re-temper with extra water, which weakens the hardened mortar. Cebex 113 chemically delays the set so a single morning batch can remain plastic and workable for several hours, allowing centralised production, cleaner logistics and far less waste. At the same time, the air-entraining surfactant occludes millions of microscopic, evenly distributed air bubbles. These bubbles act as flexible bearings inside the wet mortar, dramatically improving workability and cohesion without adding water, and they reduce bleeding and segregation during transport from plant to site.
The same microbubbles deliver durability benefits in the hardened mortar. Because the bubbles are discrete and not interconnected, they interrupt the capillary network of the mortar, reducing wicking and water transport through the bedding joint, and they raise the thermal insulation value of the mortar line in a wall. For Indian masonry contractors moving toward centralised mortar supply on larger residential, institutional and infrastructure projects, Cebex 113 is the type of admixture that makes ready-mixed mortar logistics workable in practice. Space Arc Engineering supplies Cebex 113 as an authorised Fosroc distributor and applicator across Delhi NCR and Pan-India, with technical support on dosage trials and mix design.
The technical insight
The intelligence of Cebex 113 is that it bundles two chemistries that normally have to be batched separately. The air-entraining component is a surfactant that lowers surface tension and stabilises a fine, closed-cell bubble structure throughout the paste; this is what produces the plasticising effect without extra water and what later breaks capillarity in the cured mortar. The retarding component slows the hydration of the cement so the mix stays in its plastic, workable window for hours rather than tens of minutes. Crucially, retardation here is a controlled delay, not a permanent loss of strength: once laid and exposed to the substrate, the mortar hydrates and gains strength normally. Because air content and retardation both scale with dose and are sensitive to sand grading, cement type, water content and temperature, Cebex 113 is a trial-and-confirm product. Fosroc deliberately publishes a dosage range (around 0.9-1.0% by weight of cement) rather than a fixed figure, and instructs that the optimum be established by laboratory or site testing on the actual materials. Over-dosing entrains too much air and can depress strength; under-dosing shortens the working life. Compliance with UNE-EN 934-3:2010, the European standard for masonry-mortar admixtures, classifies it specifically as a set-retarding admixture.
Where it is used
- Production of stabilised / retarded ready-mixed mortar at a central batching plant for delivery to site
- Masonry bedding mortar for brick and block walls that must stay workable across a full working shift
- Plastering and rendering mortars where extended workability reduces re-tempering and improves finish
- Floor and bedding screeds requiring good cohesion and reduced bleeding during placement
- Mortar transported over distance from plant to site where set delay prevents premature stiffening in transit
- Walling where reduced capillary water wicking and improved thermal insulation of the joint are desired
Key advantages
- Three functions in one liquid dose: plasticiser, air-entrainer and set retarder, simplifying batching
- Keeps mortar workable for several hours, enabling centralised production and plant-to-site delivery
- High plasticising effect from entrained microbubbles improves workability without adding water
- Reduces bleeding and segregation during mixing and transport, giving a more cohesive mortar
- Discrete air bubbles break capillarity, cutting water wicking through the hardened joint
- Improves the thermal insulation capacity of the mortar line in the wall
- Reduces site waste and the need for re-tempering, which protects hardened strength
- Complies with UNE-EN 934-3:2010 as a set-retarding masonry-mortar admixture
- 12-month shelf life in sealed original containers stored in dry conditions
Limitations & considerations
- Formulated for mortar only; Fosroc states it must NOT be used for the manufacture of concrete
- Dosage is not a fixed value and must be established by trial on the actual sand, cement, water and temperature
- Over-dosing entrains excessive air and can reduce hardened mortar strength
- Performance is sensitive to sand grading, cement type, water content and ambient temperature
- Set retardation extends working time but is not a substitute for proper curing once laid
- Air content should be checked regularly during production to keep it within the target range
- India-specific pack sizes, exact specific gravity, colour and the precise entrained-air percentage are not openly published and should be confirmed on the current regional TDS
- Designed around EN 934-3; Indian projects specifying IS 2645 / IS 4031 mortar requirements should verify equivalence with the supplier
Selection & best practice
Always run a dosage trial before production. Mix a control batch and trial batches at points across the 0.9-1.0% by cement-weight range using the project’s own sand, cement, water and at the expected ambient temperature, then measure air content and confirm the working life and strength against your specification. Add Cebex 113 by accurate liquid measure with the gauging water rather than dosing into dry materials, and avoid eyeballing the quantity. Once in production, check air content regularly because it drifts with sand moisture and temperature. Do not re-temper retarded mortar with extra water to extend its life beyond the trialled window. Store the product in its original sealed containers in a dry, shaded place and use within the 12-month shelf life. Never use it in concrete. For specification cross-checks against Indian standards or for a project-specific trial, request the current regional technical data sheet and a sample through Space Arc Engineering.
Specifications
| Product type | Combined air-entraining plasticiser and set-retarding liquid admixture for mortar |
| Form | Liquid admixture |
| Primary function | Plasticising, air entrainment (microbubbles) and set retardation |
| Intended use | Stabilised / ready-mixed mortar (masonry, plaster, render, screed) |
| Not for | Manufacture of concrete (per Fosroc) |
| Typical dosage | Approx. 0.9-1.0% by weight of cement (confirm by trial) |
| Method of addition | Added with the gauging/mixing water using a suitable dosing system |
| Standard compliance | UNE-EN 934-3:2010 (set-retarding masonry-mortar admixture) |
| Shelf life | 12 months in original sealed containers, stored dry |
| Specific gravity / colour / air content % | Not openly published — confirm on current regional TDS |
Industry use cases
Ready-mixed mortar producers
Batch a single stabilised mortar load in the morning that stays workable for a full shift, enabling plant-to-site delivery without re-tempering and with less waste.
Residential & commercial masonry
Keep bedding mortar plastic and cohesive across large brick and block walls, improving bricklayer productivity and joint consistency.
Plastering & rendering
Extend the workable window for plaster and render coats, reducing premature stiffening, re-mixing and surface defects.
Screeding & flooring
Produce cohesive bedding and floor screeds with reduced bleeding and segregation during placement.
Infrastructure & institutional projects
Support centralised mortar logistics on large sites where mortar must be transported some distance and remain usable on arrival.
Frequently asked questions
Is Fosroc Cebex 113 a real product?
Can I use Cebex 113 in concrete?
What dosage of Cebex 113 should I use?
What does Cebex 113 actually do to the mortar?
How is Cebex 113 different from Cebex 112?
What is the shelf life and how should it be stored?
How we position Fosroc Cebex 113
Cebex 113 is the right choice when the core requirement is keeping mortar (not concrete) workable for hours across plant-to-site logistics. Within the Fosroc line it pairs naturally with other Cebex mortar admixtures: choose Cebex 112 when you only need plasticising, Cebex 150 for an alternative air-entraining plasticiser-retarder, or the Cebex 100 / Conbex grout admixtures for cementitious grouting work. For concrete rather than mortar, the correct Fosroc products are the Conplast water-reducer and retarder range and the Auracast superplasticisers. Among competitor admixtures available in India, credible alternatives in the mortar-plasticiser and retarder space include Sika (Sika air-entraining and retarding admixtures and the Plastiment range), MBS (MYK Schomburg / MBCC-lineage mortar and concrete admixtures), Dr. Fixit (Pidilite’s construction-chemicals range, strong in waterproofing and mortar additives) and STP (Shalimar / Sika-distributed products). Space Arc Engineering, as an authorised Fosroc distributor and applicator across Delhi NCR and Pan-India, can supply Cebex 113, provide the current regional technical data sheet and run a project-specific dosage trial so the specified working life, air content and strength are confirmed on your own materials before full production.
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