STP ShaliTex Sealing Compound
A hot-poured, IS 1834 Grade A bitumen sealant that keeps water and grit out of concrete pavement, runway and floor joints while flexing with every seasonal movement cycle.
What is it?
A single-component, hot-applied bitumen-based joint sealing compound conforming to IS 1834-1984 Grade A, supplied as a black solid in 20 kg and 200 kg drums.
Where is it used?
Poured into horizontal expansion and construction joints in concrete pavements, runways, bridge decks, road slabs, warehouse and garage floors, and the walls and floors of water-retaining structures.
Why use it?
It seals joints against water and foreign matter, stretches without cracking through temperature cycling, and resists sunlight, rain, corrosion and root growth over long service life.
How is it applied?
Clean and prime the joint with ShaliTex Primer, melt the compound to 170-190 C with slow stirring, then pour at 180-200 C from one side so it flows the full depth of the joint.
About STP ShaliTex Sealing Compound
STP ShaliTex Sealing Compound is a hot-applied joint sealant built around a bitumen matrix, made by STP Limited (the former Shalimar Tar Products, in business since 1935). It arrives as a black solid in the drum, is melted on site, and is poured molten into horizontal joints where it cools to form a tough yet plastic seal. The formulation is deliberately low-flow so that, once in place, it stays put through hot Indian summers instead of slumping or bleeding out of the joint. It is certified to IS 1834-1984 Grade A, the Indian Standard for hot-applied sealing compounds for concrete joints, which puts a recognised benchmark behind its softening point, penetration and flow behaviour.
The product earns its place on pavements, runways, bridge decks and industrial floors because those surfaces move. Concrete expands and contracts with temperature and traffic, and an unsealed joint quickly lets in water, silt and debris that accelerate spalling and sub-base damage. ShaliTex fills that gap with a material that can stretch as the joint opens and recover as it closes, all while shrugging off UV, rain and thermal cycling. One honest limitation is baked into its chemistry: it is not suited to joints exposed to kerosene, diesel or other petroleum oils, which soften bitumen. For fuelling aprons and oil-contact areas, a fuel-resistant elastomeric sealant is the correct call.
The technical insight
The performance of a hot-poured bitumen sealant is a balancing act between three numbers, and ShaliTex is engineered to sit in the IS 1834 Grade A window on all of them. Its softening point of 86-89 C is high enough that the sealant does not go soft and track under a summer sun or hot tyres, yet its penetration of 15-28 dmm and extensibility of 6-7 mm mean the cooled compound stays plastic rather than brittle, so it follows the joint as the slab opens on a cold night. The low flow test result of 2-4 percent is what stops a vertical or sloped section of sealant from creeping downward over time. In service the material works as a self-healing plug: because it is thermoplastic, minor surface cracks tend to close up again during the next warm cycle rather than propagating. The bitumen base also does the chemistry of protection for free, being naturally water-repellent, corrosion-inhibiting to embedded steel at the joint, and unpalatable enough to plant roots that it discourages the root intrusion that wrecks pavement joints near landscaping.
Where it is used
- Sealing transverse and longitudinal expansion joints in concrete road pavements and highways
- Runway, taxiway and apron joints at airfields (away from fuelling zones)
- Construction and contraction joints in warehouse, garage and industrial floor slabs
- Bridge deck and approach-slab joints exposed to weather and traffic
- Joints in the walls and floors of artificial ponds, tanks and secondary containment bunds
- Joints in filling-station forecourts and hardstanding, excluding direct fuel-spill areas
- Sealing over ShaliTex Expansion Joint Board in dowelled pavement joints
- Perimeter and isolation joints in external hardscape and precast concrete paving
Key advantages
- Certified to IS 1834-1984 Grade A, a recognised Indian Standard for concrete joint sealing compounds
- Stretches to accommodate joint movement and thermal cycling without cracking
- Low susceptibility to flow (2-4 percent), so it holds position in hot weather
- High 86-89 C softening point resists summer heat and tyre tracking
- Good adhesion to concrete and other prepared surfaces once primed
- Resists sunlight, rain and repeated temperature cycles for long service life
- Anti-corrosive to embedded steel and actively discourages root growth into joints
- Single-component and melt-and-pour ready, keeping site logistics simple
Limitations & considerations
- Not suitable for joints exposed to kerosene, diesel or other petroleum oils, which soften bitumen
- Hot-applied only, requiring on-site melting equipment and skilled handling of material at 180-200 C
- Flammable during heating and application, demanding good ventilation and strict fire precautions
- Practical mainly for horizontal, pour-in joints rather than vertical or overhead sealing
- Requires a compatible primer (ShaliTex Primer) and a fully dry, clean joint for adhesion
- Movement capability is modest compared with cold-applied polysulphide or MS-polymer elastomeric sealants
Selection & best practice
Success with ShaliTex is mostly about the joint prep and the temperature discipline. Start by cleaning the joint back to sound concrete with a jet of dry compressed air, removing all dust, flakes, oil and grease so the sealant bonds to bare substrate. Confirm the substrate moisture content is below 5 percent, then apply ShaliTex Primer evenly through the joint and allow it to dry fully, typically 24 hours in normal weather; cover the joint with plastic film if rain threatens before pouring. Melt the compound slowly to 170-190 C with continuous gentle stirring, allowing 2-3 hours for a 20 kg drum, and never overheat, as that causes frothing and degrades the bitumen; if bubbles appear, hold near 180 C with slow stirring until they clear. Pour at 180-200 C from one side of the joint so the molten material travels the full depth, and lay wooden boards along the joint edges with an extended-spout pour can to control spillage. Work only when substrate and ambient temperatures are between +5 C and +50 C. To size the order, use the STP formula 952 divided by width times depth in millimetres to get running metres sealed per kilogram, then add 5-20 percent for site wastage.
Specifications
| Standard / Grade | IS 1834-1984 Grade A |
| Form and colour | Black solid, single component (hot-applied) |
| Density | 1.05 plus/minus 0.05 gm/cc (at 27 C, 55% RH) |
| Softening point | 86-89 C |
| Penetration | 15-28 dmm |
| Extensibility | 6-7 mm |
| Flow test | 2-4 % |
| Pour / application temperature | 180-200 C (melt at 170-190 C) |
| Packaging and shelf life | 20 kg and 200 kg drums; 12 months sealed at 5-35 C |
Industry use cases
Roads and Highways
Sealing contraction and expansion joints in concrete carriageways so water and grit cannot reach the sub-base and undermine the slab.
Airports and Airfields
Weatherproofing runway, taxiway and apron joints that face intense sun, thermal cycling and wheel loading, kept clear of fuelling zones.
Industrial and Warehousing Floors
Sealing floor-slab construction joints in warehouses and garages to keep them level, watertight and free of debris under forklift traffic.
Bridges and Infrastructure
Sealing deck and approach-slab joints on bridges and flyovers against rain ingress and de-icing water while accommodating movement.
Water-Retaining Structures
Sealing joints in the walls and floors of artificial ponds, tanks and secondary containment bunds where a durable waterproof plug is needed.
Frequently asked questions
What standard does STP ShaliTex Sealing Compound conform to?
How much compound do I need per metre of joint?
At what temperature is ShaliTex applied?
Can it be used on fuel-station forecourts or oil-contact joints?
Does it need a primer?
What pack sizes and shelf life does it have?
How we position STP ShaliTex Sealing Compound
STP ShaliTex Sealing Compound is the economical, IS-certified workhorse for hot-poured horizontal joint sealing on pavements, floors and decks, and it pairs naturally with two companion products from the same STP Shali range: ShaliTex Primer, which is mandatory for adhesion, and ShaliTex Expansion Joint Board, the compressible filler that ShaliTex is poured over in dowelled pavement joints. Where a project needs more movement capability, a longer design life or a cold-applied installation without on-site melting, we would guide specifiers toward an elastomeric option instead – a two-part polysulphide such as Fosroc Thioflex 600, or an MS-polymer sealant like Fosroc Nitoseal MS600 for facade and building movement joints. For fuel-contact aprons where bitumen is ruled out, a fuel-resistant polysulphide grade is the right specification. As authorised distributors across Delhi NCR and Pan-India, Space Arc can supply the full ShaliTex joint system alongside Fosroc, Dr. Fixit and other brand alternatives so the sealant is matched to the joint rather than the other way round.
Fosroc Thioflex 600 — Choose this cold-applied two-part polysulphide when a specifier needs higher movement accommodation, a 20-30 year design life or an installation without on-site hot-melting equipment.
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