Revision to the British Standard for Concrete BS 8500

Revision to the British Standard for Concrete BS 8500

July 06, 2023
Later this year the British Standards Institute (BSI) will publish a new version of the British Standard for Concrete BS 8500, which will work even harder to move the industry forward in hot pursuit of decarbonisation. In short, the forthcoming revision to the British Standard for concrete, BS 8500, will allow the expanded use of a new generation of lower-carbon cements.

Decarbonising cement manufacture is a critical element of Cemex’s Future In Action Strategy. The revision of BS 8500 will help us to continue to develop our Vertua® brand expansion, and in tandem, focus on sustainable excellence through climate action, circularity, and natural resource management with the primary objective of becoming a net-zero CO2 company.

Lowering clinker proportions in cement has a direct impact on reducing the amount of carbon produced. A key strategy for reducing concrete’s embodied carbon involves replacing a proportion of clinker (a material produced in the manufacture of Portland cement), with limestone and other industrial by-products, whilst maintaining the performance our customers require from our products.  The introduction of such an approach is one of many steps that will support Cemex’s roadmap to net-zero, along with the increased use of alternative fuels.

The key UK standard for concrete BS 8500 is to be published in two parts.  Part 1 is concerned with the method of specifying and provides guidance for the specifier and Part 2 covers the specification for constituent materials and concrete.

The latest draughts of the new additions of BS8500 -1 and BS8500 -2 are available for public comment via BSI’s standards development portal until 10th July 2023. This gives the industry a chance to influence the development of these important standards and gather together the widest industry input into these new additions.

Cemex will be working closely with customers and with the MPA to ensure that the revised standards are communicated clearly and consistently.  More updates on the revision to BS 8500 will follow and will soon be available on our website.