MC-Bauchemie Centrament 100
A chloride-free set-accelerating and early-strength admixture that speeds up hydration for cold-weather placement, faster precast demoulding and quick-turnaround repair concrete.
What is it?
A liquid, chloride-free set-accelerating admixture from MC-Bauchemie that boosts early-age compressive strength in concrete and mortar without endangering embedded steel.
Where is it used?
Precast yards, cold-weather site pours, emergency and utility-reinstatement repairs, and any job where the crew needs to demould, load or reopen early.
Why use it?
It shortens setting time and lifts 1-day strength so formwork cycles faster and repairs return to service sooner, all while keeping chloride out of reinforced and prestressed sections.
How is it applied?
Dosed into the mix water or added at the batching plant at 0.5 to 2.0 percent by weight of cement, then batched and placed as normal concrete.
About MC-Bauchemie Centrament 100
MC-Bauchemie Centrament 100 is the answer to a problem every site team knows well: concrete that will not gain strength fast enough when the weather turns cold, when the precast bed has to be cleared by morning, or when a repair has to carry traffic the same day. It is a ready-to-use liquid admixture that accelerates the setting and early hardening of concrete and mortar, so structural sections reach usable strength hours earlier than an untreated mix would allow. Crucially, it does this without calcium chloride, the old-school accelerator that quietly corrodes reinforcement and is barred from structural work under Indian codes.
For engineers and contractors across Delhi NCR and the rest of the country, that combination is what makes it a workhorse rather than a niche product. Winters in the north, night pours, precast factories chasing tighter mould-cycle targets, and municipal repair gangs who cannot close a road for three days all lean on the same behaviour: quicker set, higher one-day strength, and no compromise on durability. Space Arc Engineering supplies Centrament 100 as an authorised distributor and applicator, with technical guidance on dosage and trial mixes so the acceleration you get on site matches what the lab promised.
The technical insight
Cement gains strength through hydration, and the rate of that reaction is what dictates how quickly a pour goes from plastic to load-bearing. Centrament 100 works on the chemistry of that reaction rather than on the mix water content. Its active organic and inorganic salts catalyse the early hydration of the silicate and aluminate phases in Portland cement, so the crystal structure that carries load begins forming sooner and denser at early ages. The visible result is a shorter dormant period, an earlier set, and a marked jump in the strength measured at 24 hours. Because the mechanism is catalytic and not a chloride-based ionic attack on the passive layer around the steel, reinforcement stays protected. In cold conditions the benefit is compounded, since low temperatures naturally slow hydration and the admixture partly offsets that drag, keeping the pour on schedule when the ambient sits in single digits. By 28 days the accelerated mix typically converges with a comparable control mix, so you buy early speed without sacrificing the ultimate strength the design relies on.
Where it is used
- Precast reinforced concrete elements that must be demoulded and stacked early to keep the casting bed turning over
- Cold-weather and night-time concreting where low ambient temperatures would otherwise stall strength gain
- Emergency and fast-track structural repairs that have to carry load or traffic the same working day
- Utility reinstatement, manhole frame bedding and kerb laying where roads must reopen quickly
- Shotcrete and patch mortars needing an accelerated grab for early stability
- Ready-mix and site concrete supplied to programmes with tight formwork-strike deadlines
- Screeds and toppings that need to take foot traffic ahead of the normal curing window
- Winter masonry mortar where a faster set helps productivity in low temperatures
Key advantages
- Chloride-free formulation, safe for reinforced and prestressed concrete where calcium chloride accelerators are prohibited
- Delivers noticeably higher 1-day compressive strength, cutting formwork and demoulding cycle times
- Shortens both initial and final setting time, improving productivity on cold or time-critical pours
- Partly counteracts the slowing effect of low ambient temperatures on hydration
- Ready-to-use liquid that disperses easily in the mix water or at the batching plant
- Broadly neutral effect on 28-day strength, so long-term design performance is preserved
- Compatible with normal Portland-cement concrete and mortar practice, with no exotic handling
- Backed by an established European admixture technology and local MC-Bauchemie India support
Limitations & considerations
- It is an accelerator, not a plasticiser or waterproofer, so it will not on its own reduce water demand or resist water ingress
- Overdosing can cause a flash set and a loss of workability, so the dose must be trial-established for the specific mix
- Its cold-weather help is a chemical boost, not a substitute for proper cold-weather protection, insulation and curing
- Acceleration behaviour varies with cement type, temperature and mix design, so plant or site trials are essential before production
- Faster early strength can be accompanied by slightly higher early heat and shrinkage sensitivity, which needs attention on thick or restrained sections
- It does not replace air-entrainers or dedicated freeze-thaw protection in genuinely freezing service conditions
Selection & best practice
Always fix the dosage by trial mix rather than by rule of thumb: start within the 0.5 to 2.0 percent by weight of cement window, then dial in the exact figure against your cement, aggregates and the temperature you actually pour at. Add Centrament 100 to the gauging water or dose it at the batching plant, never onto dry cement, and mix thoroughly so it disperses evenly; uneven addition is the usual cause of localised flash set. Keep it away from other admixtures in the neat state, adding each separately to the mix. In cold weather, treat it as one part of a wider strategy, still protect the pour with insulation, covers and adequate curing, because the admixture speeds hydration but cannot keep concrete warm on its own. Verify early strength with job cubes cured alongside the element before you strike formwork or lift precast, and store the drums sealed, off the ground and protected from frost.
Specifications
| Product type | Chloride-free set-accelerating and early-strength admixture (liquid) |
| Base | Aqueous solution of organic and inorganic accelerating salts |
| Chloride content | Chloride-free, less than 0.1% Cl- by weight |
| Recommended dosage | 0.5 to 2.0% by weight of cement (trial-established) |
| Effect on early strength | Increased 1-day compressive strength versus an equivalent control mix |
| Effect on 28-day strength | Broadly neutral compared to unadmixed concrete |
| Reinforcement suitability | Safe for reinforced and prestressed concrete |
| Standard reference | Accelerating admixture per IS 9103 Type C; compatible with IS 456 and IS 1343 requirements |
| Addition point | Added to mix water or dosed at the batching plant |
Industry use cases
Precast concrete
Precast manufacturers use it to demould, stack and dispatch elements earlier, squeezing more cycles out of each casting bed and mould per day.
Infrastructure and roads
Municipal and highway crews rely on it for manhole frames, kerbs and patch repairs that must be reopened to traffic within the same shift.
Cold-region and winter works
On northern winter and night pours it offsets sluggish low-temperature hydration so programmes hold their formwork-strike dates.
Repair and rehabilitation
Emergency structural repairs and fast-track patching gain the early strength needed to restore service quickly without a chloride durability penalty.
Ready-mix supply
RMC plants dose it to meet contractor demands for accelerated early strength on time-critical structural pours.
Frequently asked questions
Is Centrament 100 safe to use in reinforced and prestressed concrete?
How much should I add per cubic metre of concrete?
Will it reduce my final 28-day strength?
Does it also reduce water or make the concrete waterproof?
Can it be used for cold-weather concreting on its own?
What happens if it is overdosed?
How we position MC-Bauchemie Centrament 100
Centrament 100 sits in MC-Bauchemie’s set-accelerating family, so the natural same-brand step-up is the Centrament Rapid range (such as Centrament Rapid 500 and 601) when you need higher-output or shotcrete-specific acceleration. Pair it with an MC-Bauchemie superplasticiser from the MC-PowerFlow or MC-VP series when a job needs both early strength and reduced water, since Centrament 100 accelerates but does not plasticise. Where a specification is written around another brand, comparable non-chloride accelerators exist in the Fosroc, Sika and Master Builders Solutions ranges we also stock, and our team can match dosage and performance to your mix. For genuinely waterproof concrete, do not confuse this with the separate MC-Centrament WP integral waterproofing line, which is a different product family altogether.
Fosroc Conplast NC — A specifier already standardised on Fosroc may prefer Conplast NC, an inorganic-formate chloride-free accelerator that adds a mild water-reducing effect alongside the acceleration.
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Authorised distribution, technical advice & professional application across Delhi NCR and Pan-India.