Types of cement

Cement is classified according to its composition, mainly into Portland, blended and specialty cement.

Portland cement
This is the most common type of cement in general usage, as it is a basic ingredient of concrete.

Portland cement is manufactured by burning a finely ground mixture of lime, silica, alumina and iron oxide at a very high temperature to form clinker.
The clinker is then ground to a fine powder with the addition of gypsum (up to 5%). Portland cement consists of tricalcium silicate, dicalcium silicate,
tricalcium aluminate and tetracalcium aluminoferrite.

There are different types of Portland cement, which differ in property and chemical composition. However, the manufacturing process remains the
same.

Ordinary Portland cement (OPC)

OPC is popularly known as grey cement. Although OPC is suitable for all types of civil engineering works, it cannot be used for mass concrete works
like multi-storeyed buildings, as it generates a lot of heat during hydration.

Moderate heat Portland cement (MHPC)

Heat generated during hydration can be lowered by altering the chemical composition of the cement. Such cement is called MHPC. This cement is
more resistant to sulphate compared to OPC.

Rapid hardening cement (RHC)

RHC is a special purpose cement used for urgent repairs (such as airport runway repairs). It is similar to OPC, except that it is ground much finer, so
that the compressible strength increases rapidly upon casting. RHC or high early strength cement develops compressive strength within 24 hours, as
compared to 28 days for OPC. RHC generates more heat in the early stages, and is thus useful in concretisation in cold weather regions. However, its
principal use is in manufacturing pre-cast concrete units where the high early strength of the concrete permits quick reuse of moulds and formwork.

Sulphate-resistant cement (SRC)

The compressive strength of concrete made using OPC, MHPC and RHC deteriorates on account of continued contact with soil and water, which are
rich in sulphates. SRC is a type of Portland cement with tricalcium aluminate content less than 5%. SRC is used for marine construction or in places
that are rich in sulphates.

Oil well cement (OWC)

This is a special cement used to fill the space between steel lining tubes and the wall of oil wells. Oil wells are drilled at depths of 500 metres or more.
After the drilling operation, wells are lined with an annulus made of cement concrete. Because the temperature at these depths is over 1,000 degree
Celsius, if Portland cement grout is pumped into the well, it would set instantly, and obstruct the 'cementation' or setting process. Hence, the cement
used for lining oil wells should be able to withstand the setting time by up to 40-120 minutes, and thereafter, set within 24 hours. In addition, it should
have strength of over 100 kPa. The tricalcium aluminate content in OWC is less than 3%, which helps control/modify the setting time. According to the
Bureau of Industrial Standards, nine types of OWC are used in India, depending on construction type and application.

White cement
White cement has all the physical properties of OPC and can be substituted for OPC. However, its use is limited to tiling, flooring or decorative
purposes as it is more expensive. White cement is produced under a fixed manufacturing process, with smaller quantities of iron and manganese.
Although white cement and grey cement have similar physical properties, they cannot be produced in the same plant.
OPC is grey in colour due to the chemical complexes formed with iron oxide present in the cement raw feed. Moreover, OPC is manufactured by
heating haematite, bauxite and limestone using coal, which gives the cement its dark colour. When the iron oxide proportion in cement is reduced to
less than 0.4%, cement becomes white. Thus, the use of haematite is minimised in manufacturing white cement, and it is replaced by pure silica or
sand. Also, the clinker for white cement is burnt using fuel oil instead of coal. Special cooling techniques are also used to manufacture white cement.

White cement is primarily used as a filler between ceramic tiles or for decorative purposes. The white cement market in India is very small, as it is
nearly three times more expensive than grey cement; the use of pure silica adds to the production cost. Moreover, white cement plants are few, while
the markets are spread across India, which increases the freight cost. The excise duty on an ad valorem basis and higher temperature (requiring more
oil) add to production costs.

White cement price index

This document is being provided for the exclusive use of Sourabh Kishanpuria at Indian Institute of Management

No part of this Report may be published/reproduced/distributed in any form without CRISIL's prior written approval
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Source: Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, CRISIL Research

UltraTech Cement and JK Synthetics are the two major players in the white cement market. The UltraTech plant at Khangar, Rajasthan, is the largest
white cement plant in India.

White cement - Capacity and production

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Source: Company reports, CRISIL Research

Blended cement
In order to produce blended cement, certain natural or fabricated compounds such as fly ash, slag and sandstone are mixed with Portland cement
clinker and ground finely. Blended cement is more suitable for certain applications compared to Portland cement.

Blended cement is also called low-heat cement as it generates lesser heat during hydration compared to OPC. This cement is used for large concrete
works, such as dams and piers. Blended cement minimises the risk of developing contraction cracks on account of the lower heat of hydration.

Portland blast furnace slag cement (PBFSC)

Blast furnace slag (a waste product of pig iron production) can be used to produce slag cement. However, blast furnace slag does not have
cementitious properties if it is cooled slowly and ground finely. Hence, it is cooled quickly or quenched and subsequently ground. The quenching
process is called 'granulation' and the slag is known as granulated blast furnace slag.

Granulated blast furnace slag is mixed with lime or OPC clinker and ground to form slag cement. PBFSC is the most widely-used slag cement, and
contains 25-65% of slag, 5-6% of gypsum and Portland cement clinker. Apart from the properties of OPC, PBFSC has other properties such as lower
heat of hydration and higher sulphate resistance.

Super sulphate cement, another type of slag cement, is prepared by grinding granulated slag, anhydrite and clinker (in the proportion of 70:15:15). This
cement is more sulphate-resistant than PBFSC or SRC.

Portland pozzolona cement (PPC)

Pozzolona is a clay matter (natural or synthetic), which when ground with lime/clinker and mixed with water produces cementitious compounds. Highly
reactive pozzolona or fly ash is mixed with Portland cement clinker and ground with 5-6% of gypsum to form PPC. PPC contains up to 25% pozzolona
or fly ash. PPC has a lower heat of hydration as compared to OPC and is relatively more resistant to sulphates. As a standard, 15-35% fly ash can be
used.

This document is being provided for the exclusive use of Sourabh Kishanpuria at Indian Institute of Management

No part of this Report may be published/reproduced/distributed in any form without CRISIL's prior written approval
 PPC has the physical properties of OPC, and hence can be used for all types of construction works for which OPC is used. However, in PPC, the
shrinkage is lesser.

Product mix - Shift from OPC to PPC

The industry has seen some major changes in the production of various varieties of cement, i.e., OPC, PPC, and PBFSC.

Variety-wise cement production

2005-06

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2015-16
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Source: CRISIL Research

Cement producers have shifted from manufacturing OPC to blended cement in the last five-six years. The proportion of blended cement has increased
from 60% in 2005-06 to approximately ~80-85% in 2015-16, primarily due to its growing acceptability in the market and because it requires lesser
limestone (a scarce natural resource).

Over the next five years, CRISIL Research expects the cement industry's blending ratio to increase due to higher acceptance and application of
blended cement.

Speciality cement
Speciality cements have several special properties and are used in specific applications.

Expansive cement/shrinkage compensated cement

Concrete prepared from Portland cement or blended cement, shrinks on setting and hardening. Cement should expand on setting and hardening when
it is used for pre-stressed, pre-fabricated concrete products and as a grout for filling cracks. This cement is prepared by increasing the proportion of
gypsum and aluminous cement clinker in Portland cement clinker while grinding.

Super-high strength cement

This cement is used for urgent repairs to important concrete structures, such as foundation pillars. This cement is prepared in jet mills by finely grinding
Portland cement clinker with a high proportion of tricalcium silicate (around 60%).

Alinite cement
Alinite cement is manufactured using a low-energy process, in which over 5% calcium chloride is added to the raw meal while grinding. As the burning
point of raw meal is lowered significantly, less fuel is required for burning. Calcium chloride is vapourised and condensed in the kiln dust, which is
recirculated. A part of the chloride sticks gets attached to the clinker components and increases its compressive strength.

This process, which is still in the development stage, would be viable if sufficient byproduct waste and calcium chloride were available at low cost.

Source: Department of Industrial Policy & Promotion, CRISIL Research

This document is being provided for the exclusive use of Sourabh Kishanpuria at Indian Institute of Management

No part of this Report may be published/reproduced/distributed in any form without CRISIL's prior written approval