MC-Bauchemie Centrament Air
MC-Bauchemie’s chloride-free, water-reducing air-entraining admixture that builds a stable network of microscopic air bubbles for freeze-thaw and de-icing-salt durable concrete and mortar.
What is it?
A liquid, chloride-free admixture from MC-Bauchemie (formerly sold as MC-Plast AEA) that does two jobs at once: it entrains fine, evenly spaced air bubbles and reduces mixing water demand.
Where is it used?
Site-batched and ready-mix concrete, lightweight aggregate concrete, precast, and masonry or plaster mortars, especially where frost or de-icing salt exposure is a concern.
Why use it?
The entrained micro-pore system gives freeze-thaw and de-icing-salt resistance, while the water reduction improves workability, cuts bleeding and segregation, and helps lift strength through a lower water-cement ratio.
How is it applied?
Dosed at 0.15% to 0.30% by weight of cement, added during mixing, with a site trial to fix the exact dose and confirm air content in the fresh mix.
About MC-Bauchemie Centrament Air
Centrament Air is MC-Bauchemie’s dual-action liquid admixture for concrete and mortar, previously marketed in India as MC-Plast AEA. Unlike a plain air-entrainer, it combines air entrainment with a water-reducing plasticising effect. It lowers the surface tension of the mixing water, which lets the mix carry innumerable microscopic air bubbles of controlled size and spacing, distributed evenly through the matrix. That same surface-tension effect means less water is needed to reach a given workability, so the mix can run at a lower water-cement ratio. The product is chloride-free, compatible with most cements and sands, and helps the concrete resist efflorescence.
For Indian sites, the practical appeal is that one admixture addresses two recurring problems. First, durability: entrained air gives the hardened concrete room to absorb the expansion of freezing water, which is what protects roads, bridge decks and exposed slabs against freeze-thaw cycling and de-icing salt attack in cold-climate and high-altitude zones. Second, buildability: the air bubbles act like ball bearings in the fresh mix, improving cohesion, cutting segregation and bleeding, and producing a dense, close-textured surface free from gravel nests and honeycombing. The result is a homogeneous, easy-to-compact concrete that finishes cleanly. It suits site-mixed and ready-mix concrete, lightweight aggregate concrete, precast production, and masonry and plaster mortars where added resilience is wanted.
The technical insight
Frost damage in concrete is driven by water in the capillary pores expanding roughly nine percent as it freezes; with nowhere to go, that expansion generates internal tensile stress that scales, cracks and eventually breaks down the surface. Centrament Air works by seeding the paste with a stable system of tiny, discrete air voids. These act as pressure-relief chambers: as pore water freezes, it can migrate the short distance into a nearby air void and expand there harmlessly. What makes the system effective is not just the total air content but how finely and closely the bubbles are spaced, so that no point in the paste is far from a relief void. The water-reducing side comes from the same surfactant chemistry lowering surface tension, letting the mix reach target slump with less water, which tightens the paste and raises strength. Because air content is sensitive to cement, aggregate, mix temperature and mixing time, the dose has to be dialled in by trial rather than read straight off a table.
Where it is used
- Road and highway pavement concrete in cold-climate and hill regions exposed to freeze-thaw and de-icing salts
- Bridge deck, approach slab and runway concrete needing frost and salt-scaling durability
- Ready-mix concrete where high, cohesive workability is required without added water
- Precast and prestressed concrete elements benefiting from bleed-free, well-compacted mixes
- Lightweight aggregate concrete for improved cohesion and reduced segregation
- Masonry and plaster mortars requiring greater plasticity and resilience
- Water-retaining and hydraulic structures in frost-exposed areas
- Site-batched structural concrete where honeycombing and gravel nests must be avoided
Key advantages
- Chloride-free, so safe for use in reinforced and prestressed concrete
- Dual action in one product: air entrainment plus water reduction and plasticising
- Improves freeze-thaw and de-icing-salt durability through a stable micro-pore system
- Reduces mixing water demand, lowering water-cement ratio and lifting strength
- Cuts bleeding and segregation, giving a homogeneous, close-textured surface
- Improves compaction and helps avoid honeycombing and gravel nests
- Compatible with most cements and sands and avoids efflorescence
- Works with other MC admixtures, including Zentrament FBV plasticiser and MC retarders
Limitations & considerations
- Air content is sensitive to cement type, aggregate, mixing time and temperature, so a site trial mix is essential before production
- Over-dosing raises air content excessively and can reduce compressive strength, since every extra one percent of air trades away strength
- Air content changes during pumping and prolonged mixing, so the target may need adjusting for pumped concrete
- Not a high-range superplasticiser; where large water reductions are the priority a PCE-based product is better suited
- Recommended minimum application temperature is around 20 degrees C, so cold-weather batching needs care
- Achieved air must be verified in the fresh concrete, as it cannot be assumed from dosage alone
Selection & best practice
Always run a preliminary site trial to fix the dose within the 0.15% to 0.30% by weight of cement range and to confirm the air content in the fresh concrete against your specification, since achieved air depends heavily on the local mix, temperature and mixing regime. Add Centrament Air during the mixing operation, then mix thoroughly to a uniform, homogeneous consistency. Where it is combined with other MC admixtures, respect the sequence of addition: with MC retarders, add the retarder first; with MC-Schnell OC, add Centrament Air before the accelerator, so the entrained micropore system stabilises correctly. Check air content in the field at the point of placement, and raise the target where the concrete will be pumped, because pumping tends to strip out some entrained air. Keep the material in unopened packaging, protected from rain, direct sunlight, heat and frost, and use within its shelf life.
Specifications
| Product type | Chloride-free, water-reducing air-entraining admixture |
| Form | Liquid |
| Colour | Pale yellowish to brown |
| Chloride content | Chloride-free |
| Dosage | 0.15% to 0.30% by weight of cement (application-dependent) |
| Minimum application temperature | 20 degrees C |
| Packaging | 250 kg drums and 30 kg pails |
| Shelf life | 12 months from date of manufacture, in unopened packaging |
| Storage | Protect from rain, direct sunlight, heat and frost |
Industry use cases
Highways and Roads
Pavement concrete in hill states and cold zones, where entrained air resists freeze-thaw cycling and de-icing salt scaling, often paired with a plasticiser for high early strength.
Bridges and Infrastructure
Bridge decks, approach slabs and runways that face frost and salt exposure and need a durable, bleed-free, well-compacted surface.
Ready-Mix Concrete
RMC plants needing cohesive, workable mixes with reduced water demand and controlled air, delivered consistently to site.
Precast and Prestressed
Factory production of elements that benefit from homogeneous, honeycomb-free concrete with clean, close-textured finishes.
Masonry and Plastering
Masonry and plaster mortars where added plasticity, cohesion and resilience improve buildability and reduce demixing.
Frequently asked questions
Is Centrament Air the same as MC-Plast AEA?
What dosage of Centrament Air should I use?
Does Centrament Air contain chloride?
Can I use it together with a superplasticiser or other admixtures?
How is Centrament Air supplied and what is its shelf life?
Will adding air reduce the concrete strength?
How we position MC-Bauchemie Centrament Air
Within the MC-Bauchemie range, Centrament Air is the dual-purpose choice when you want both air entrainment and a measure of water reduction in a single, chloride-free admixture. Where the priority is a large water reduction and higher slump retention rather than air, an MC PCE-based superplasticiser from the Centrament Flow or MC-PowerFlow families is the better partner, and it can be run alongside Centrament Air in a combined system proven by trial. For high-early-strength, salt-resistant road concrete, MC pairs Centrament Air with the Zentrament FBV plasticiser. Across our other brands we also stock equivalent air-entraining and water-reducing admixtures, so if you are standardising a mix design around a particular supplier we can match the function while keeping the durability outcome. Talk to Space Arc for a mix-specific recommendation and trial support across Delhi NCR and Pan-India.
Fosroc Conplast AEA — A specifier standardised on Fosroc, or one who wants a pure air-entrainer based on neutralised vinsol resin without the water-reducing action, may prefer Conplast AEA.
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