The use of certain CEM-II-M-type cements is permitted without the client’s approval as of the December 2023 edition of the Additional Technical Contract Conditions for Civil Engineering Structures (ZTV-ING).

Overview

The Additional Technical Contract Conditions and Guidelines for Civil Engineering Structures (ZTV-ING) most recently stipulated in Part 3 “Structural Engineering”, Section 1 “Concrete”, Subsection 4 (7) that the use of CEM-II-M-type cements in accordance with DIN Technical Report 100 “Concrete”, Table F.3.2 requires the approval of the client.

With the new December 2023 edition, the approval requirement – now found in Subsection 4.3 – applies only to CEM-II-M-type cements that require a DIBt approval for use:

“The use of CEM-II-M-type cements in accordance with DIN Technical Report 100 ‘Concrete’, Table F.3.2 footnote a requires the approval of the client.”

This means that CEM-II-M-type cements with a corresponding DIBt approval for certain exposure classes are subject to the client’s approval.

Cements not subject to approval requirement

The following CEM-II-M-type cements can be used in all exposure classes without the client’s approval:

• CEM II/A-M (S-D; S-T; S-LL; D-T; D-LL; T-LL; S-V; V-T; V-LL)
• CEM II/B-M (S-D; S-T; D-T; S-V; V-T)

For applications without the XF2 or XF4 requirements, the following cement types would also be eligible:

• CEM II/A-M (S-P; D-P; D-V; P-V; P-T; P-LL)
• CEM II/B-M (S-P; D-P; D-V; P-T; P-V)

This represents progress, although the cements whose performance has been demonstrated in extensive approval tests may still only be used in civil engineering structures with the client’s approval for the time being.

For the current SCHWENK product range, this means that the following CEM-II-M-type cements can be used without approval for all exposure classes:

• CEM II/A-M (V-LL) 42,5 N aus den Lieferwerken Allmendingen und Mergelstetten

The following CEM-II-M-type cements continue to require the client’s approval:

• CEM II/B-M (V-LL) 32.5 R (az) and CEM II/B-M (V-LL) 32.5 R-LH (az), CEM II/B-M (V-LL) 42.5 N (az), Allmendingen plant
• CEM II/C-M (V-LL) 42.5 N, Allmendingen plant
• CEM II/C-M (S-LL) 42.5 N, Mergelstetten and Karlstadt plants

 

Regional particularities in Baden-Württemberg

The individual federal states can, to a certain extent, issue supplementary implementation rules for the ZTV-ING to address state-specific circumstances. For many years, the use of CEM-II-M-type cements in Baden-Württemberg was therefore possible without prior client approval, thanks to a supplementary decree. When the state’s Ministry of Transport in Stuttgart updated and introduced a new version of the ZTV-ING, this supplementary decree was – presumably inadvertently – not renewed. This means that from now on, the same approval regulations as in the other federal states apply once again in Baden-Württemberg as well (see above). Likewise, the special requirements for the use of coarse limestone aggregates for XF2 concretes in ZTV-ING structures were not renewed by the state Ministry of Transport.

Outlook

We generally recommend actively notifying the client of the intended use of CEM-II-M-type cements in ZTV-ING structures in order to avoid misunderstandings.

We will continue to advocate, together with the relevant associations in the various committees, during the further revision of the ZTV-ING, for clinker-efficient cements to be increasingly usable without the client’s approval. Furthermore, the use of recycled aggregates in civil engineering structures is unfortunately still not permitted.

In order to achieve the ambitious climate targets of the cement and concrete industry, it is essential to adapt the ZTV-ING regulations accordingly, so that clinker-efficient cements and sustainable concretes can be used across the board in this sector as well.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact SCHWENK Bauberatung.