UltraTech Basekrete
Polymer-modified, pre-mixed cement mortar for thick plaster, masonry jointing and old-surface repair, applied up to 25 mm per layer.
UltraTech Basekrete at a glance
The essentials specifiers and contractors ask first — answered straight from the product data, with links to go deeper.
What is it?
UltraTech Basekrete is a cement-based, polymer-modified, pre-mixed high-strength mortar from UltraTech Building Products, supplied as a powder that needs only clean water on site. It is a multipurpose mortar for thick plastering, brick/block jointing and old-surface repair, and is available in graded variants (HS1, HS2, HS3) for different designed strengths.
Where is it used?
It is used for thicker internal and external plaster on brick and block masonry, for masonry jointing and conduit filling, and for repairing old or uneven concrete. It is well suited to demanding wet zones such as swimming pools, water tanks, foundations and basements, and works as an underlayment plaster beneath tile adhesives for heavy or large-format tiles.
Why use it?
Per the UltraTech TDS it can be built up to 25 mm in a single layer without the slumping and hollowness typical of site-batched sand-cement plaster, and the polymer modification gives excellent adhesion. Factory pre-mixing with graded sand and fillers gives consistent, repeatable quality with reduced wastage.
How is it applied?
Mix the powder with 14-16% clean water by weight using mechanical stirring for 2-3 minutes to a lump-free consistency, then apply by trowel onto a clean, sound, roughened substrate. It can be laid up to 25 mm per layer; deeper build-ups need multiple layers with a minimum 48-hour gap before subsequent work.
Key advantages
- Applies up to 25 mm thick in a single layer, far more than conventional cement-sand plaster allows in one pass
- Polymer modification gives excellent adhesion and compressive strength for plaster, jointing and repair
- Available in graded variants (HS1/HS2/HS3) so designed strength can be matched to the job (up to 40/25/15 MPa)
- Factory pre-mixed with well-graded sand and fillers for consistent, repeatable quality and enhanced durability
- Just add water on site - no separate sand procurement, screening or manual batching
- Optimum pot life and ready for subsequent work after about 48 hours, helping the plastering cycle
- Reduces material wastage compared with site-batched mortar
- Suitable for demanding wet zones such as swimming pools, water tanks, foundations and basements
Specifications
- Product type: Polymer-modified, cement-based, pre-mixed high-strength multipurpose mortar
- Variants: Basekrete HS1 (designed strength up to 40 MPa), HS2 (up to 25 MPa), HS3 (up to 15 MPa)
- Compressive strength @ 28 days: 20-25 N/mm2 (without extra fine aggregate), per TDS
- Standard: Technical parameters comply with IS 2250
- Maximum thickness per layer: Up to 25 mm in a single application (15-25 mm thickness range)
- Bulk density: 1550-1650 kg/m3
- Water powder ratio: 14-16% by weight
- Pot life: About 1 hour
- Subsequent usage time: 48 hours (dependent on thickness, temperature and humidity)
- Coverage: Approximately 0.40 sq.ft per kg at 12 mm thickness (about 16 sq.ft per 40 kg bag)
- Application temperature: Do not apply below 5 C or above 50 C
- Shelf life: 12 months from date of manufacture, stored cool and dry
- Packaging: 40 kg bag, powder form
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About UltraTech Basekrete
A plain-language overview of what UltraTech Basekrete is, the problem it solves and how Space Arc Engineering positions it in a specification.
UltraTech Basekrete is a polymer-modified, cement-based, pre-mixed high-strength mortar from UltraTech Cement's Building Products Division. It is engineered as a single multipurpose product that covers three jobs site crews would otherwise handle with separate site-batched mixes: thick high-strength plastering, brick and block jointing, and the repair of old or damaged surfaces. Because it arrives as a factory powder with graded sand, fillers and polymer already blended in, the applicator only adds clean water, which removes the variability of on-site sand quality and manual proportioning.
An important point of accuracy is that Basekrete is a graded family, not a single grade. The UltraTech TDS lists three variants: Basekrete HS1 for designed strength up to 40 MPa, HS2 up to 25 MPa, and HS3 up to 15 MPa. This lets the specifier match the mortar's strength to the job rather than over- or under-specifying. The headline performance shared across the range is the ability to be applied up to 25 mm thick in a single layer, well beyond what conventional cement-sand plaster allows in one pass, with excellent adhesion and a workable pot life.
Space Arc Engineering supplies UltraTech Basekrete as an Authorized Project Distributor of UltraTech Building Products in India, providing genuine factory-fresh stock along with the certified TDS, method statement and on-site guidance. Because the right variant and the right water dosage govern the final result, we help contractors and specifiers select the correct Basekrete grade and confirm application practice for the substrate and exposure conditions on their project.
The technical insight
Why UltraTech Basekrete behaves the way it does — the mechanism behind the performance, in specifier-friendly terms.
Basekrete works on the same principle as any polymer-modified mortar: a redispersible polymer is blended with cement and graded aggregate so that, once gauged with water, the polymer film co-cures with the hydrating cement matrix. That polymer film bridges the mortar to the substrate and toughens the set mortar, which is what gives the 'excellent adhesion' the TDS cites and lets a thick section bond without the hollow drumminess (de-bonding) that thick sand-cement plaster is prone to. The pre-graded sand and filler package controls the particle packing so the mortar can be laid up to 25 mm in one pass and still resist slumping while green.
Where UltraTech Basekrete is used
Typical applications UltraTech Basekrete is specified for, supplied by Space Arc Engineering across Delhi NCR, Ghaziabad, Noida and Uttar Pradesh.
- Thicker internal and external plaster on brick and block masonry where high strength is required
- Brick and block laying / masonry jointing mortar
- Polymer-modified repair mortar for old or damaged surface repair
- Plastering inside swimming pools and water tanks
- Plastering of foundation areas and basements
- Underlayment plaster beneath tile adhesives for heavy or large-format tiles on vertical surfaces
- Filling and making good around electrical conduits and chases
Key advantages
The properties that make UltraTech Basekrete the right choice — drawn from the manufacturer's product literature.
- Applies up to 25 mm thick in a single layer, far more than conventional cement-sand plaster allows in one pass
- Polymer modification gives excellent adhesion and compressive strength for plaster, jointing and repair
- Available in graded variants (HS1/HS2/HS3) so designed strength can be matched to the job (up to 40/25/15 MPa)
- Factory pre-mixed with well-graded sand and fillers for consistent, repeatable quality and enhanced durability
- Just add water on site - no separate sand procurement, screening or manual batching
- Optimum pot life and ready for subsequent work after about 48 hours, helping the plastering cycle
- Reduces material wastage compared with site-batched mortar
- Suitable for demanding wet zones such as swimming pools, water tanks, foundations and basements
Limitations & considerations
Where UltraTech Basekrete is not the right answer. Check these constraints from the manufacturer before specifying — using it outside its scope is the most common cause of failure.
- Single-layer build is capped at 25 mm; defects or sections deeper than 25 mm must be patched first or built up in multiple layers with the required gap between them
- Application is temperature-sensitive: per the TDS, do not apply if the temperature is likely to drop below 5 C or exceed 50 C, and curing must be extended in hot site conditions
- It is a high-strength structural-grade plaster and repair mortar, not a thin-bed tile adhesive or a decorative finishing/skim coat - it provides the substrate, not the final finish or the tile bond itself
- Performance depends on correct water dosage (14-16% by weight) and a clean, adequately roughened substrate; over-watering or a poorly prepared surface compromises adhesion and strength
- Choosing the wrong variant matters - HS3 (up to 15 MPa) should not be used where the design calls for the HS1 (up to 40 MPa) strength, so the grade must be confirmed against the structural requirement
Selection & best practice
How to decide whether UltraTech Basekrete fits your job — and how to apply it so the repair lasts.
Specify Basekrete when you need a thick, high-strength, well-bonded plaster or repair mortar in one product and want to eliminate site-batched sand-cement variability - particularly on water-retaining and below-grade structures such as pools, tanks and basements. Choose the variant by required strength: HS1 for the highest designed strength (up to 40 MPa), HS2 for general high-strength plaster and repair (up to 25 MPa), and HS3 where up to 15 MPa is sufficient. For thin finishing plaster coats use a ready-mix plaster such as UltraTech Readiplast instead, and for fixing tiles use a dedicated tile adhesive over the cured Basekrete underlayment rather than Basekrete alone.
Application best practice
- Prepare the surface so it is clean and free of oil, grease and paint, with adequate roughness on smooth concrete to develop adhesion; patch any defect deeper than 25 mm first
- Mix with 14-16% clean water by weight using mechanical stirring for 2-3 minutes to a lump-free, consistent mix - do not over-water
- For higher-volume work, the TDS permits adding M-Sand or River Sand at 1:1 by weight, which changes the strength outcome, so confirm the target grade before extending the mix
- Apply by spatula or trowel and bring the final level with aluminium floats or levelers; keep each layer within the 25 mm single-pass limit
- Allow a minimum of 48 hours before any subsequent work over the applied area, and extend normal 2-3 day curing in hot conditions
- Run a site trial for suitability before full-scale use, and request the current certified TDS from Space Arc for the exact variant being supplied
Specifications
Indicative properties from the manufacturer's literature. Always confirm batch-specific values against the current TDS before specification.
| Product type | Polymer-modified, cement-based, pre-mixed high-strength multipurpose mortar |
|---|---|
| Variants | Basekrete HS1 (designed strength up to 40 MPa), HS2 (up to 25 MPa), HS3 (up to 15 MPa) |
| Compressive strength @ 28 days | 20-25 N/mm2 (without extra fine aggregate), per TDS |
| Standard | Technical parameters comply with IS 2250 |
| Maximum thickness per layer | Up to 25 mm in a single application (15-25 mm thickness range) |
| Bulk density | 1550-1650 kg/m3 |
| Water powder ratio | 14-16% by weight |
| Pot life | About 1 hour |
| Subsequent usage time | 48 hours (dependent on thickness, temperature and humidity) |
| Coverage | Approximately 0.40 sq.ft per kg at 12 mm thickness (about 16 sq.ft per 40 kg bag) |
| Application temperature | Do not apply below 5 C or above 50 C |
| Shelf life | 12 months from date of manufacture, stored cool and dry |
| Packaging | 40 kg bag, powder form |
Coverage, dosage, pack sizes and cure times vary with substrate and conditions — request the full TDS for certified technical data.
Industry use cases
Real-world scenarios where UltraTech Basekrete is the practical choice — the teams who reach for it and the jobs it does for them.
- Water-retaining structures - pool and water-tank contractors needing a high-strength, well-bonded plaster on wet-zone walls
- Below-grade construction - basement and foundation plastering where thick, durable mortar is required
- Repair and refurbishment - re-profiling old, spalled or uneven concrete and masonry surfaces
- Large-format tiling - creating a strong plaster underlayment so tile adhesive can hold heavy tiles on vertical surfaces
- General building works - high-strength external/internal plaster and block jointing on residential, commercial and industrial projects
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about specifying and sourcing UltraTech Basekrete.
What is UltraTech Basekrete?
It is a polymer-modified, cement-based, pre-mixed high-strength mortar from UltraTech Building Products, supplied as a powder that needs only clean water on site. It is a multipurpose mortar for thick plastering, brick/block jointing and old-surface repair, and comes in graded variants for different designed strengths.
What are the HS1, HS2 and HS3 variants?
Per the UltraTech TDS, Basekrete is supplied in three grades: HS1 for designed strength up to 40 MPa, HS2 up to 25 MPa, and HS3 up to 15 MPa. The variant is chosen to match the strength the job requires, so confirm which grade you need against your structural requirement.
How thick can it be applied in one coat?
It can be applied up to 25 mm in a single layer without sagging, which is well beyond what conventional cement-sand plaster typically allows. For thickness above 25 mm, apply in multiple layers, allowing a minimum of 48 hours between them.
How much water does it need, and does it need sand?
Mix with 14-16% clean water by weight using mechanical stirring for 2-3 minutes to a lump-free consistency. It already contains graded sand and fillers, so no separate sand is required; for higher-volume work the TDS does allow adding M-Sand or River Sand at 1:1 by weight, which affects the final strength.
What strength and standard does it meet?
Its technical parameters comply with IS 2250. The standard product develops a compressive strength of 20-25 N/mm2 at 28 days without extra aggregate, while the variant range covers designed strengths up to 40 MPa (HS1), 25 MPa (HS2) and 15 MPa (HS3).
What is the coverage and pack size?
Coverage is approximately 0.40 sq.ft per kg at 12 mm thickness, which is about 16 sq.ft from a 40 kg bag at 12 mm. It is supplied as a powder in a 40 kg bag with a 12-month shelf life. Actual coverage varies with thickness and surface profile - request the TDS for full data.
Are there any application limits I should know?
Yes. Do not apply if the temperature is likely to drop below 5 C or exceed 50 C, and extend the normal 2-3 day curing in hot conditions. The surface must be clean and adequately roughened, defects deeper than 25 mm should be patched first, and a site trial for suitability is recommended before full-scale use.
References
Manufacturer and technical sources this page draws on. Always confirm current data against the live TDS before specification.
Source UltraTech Basekrete for your project
Space Arc Engineering is an authorised distributor for UltraTech, serving Delhi NCR, Ghaziabad, Noida and Uttar Pradesh. Talk to us for pricing, the technical data sheet and on-site support.
Or email info@space-arc.com · www.space-arc.com
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