Innov.: Erste Zulassung Kompositzement CEM VI (S-LL)

Dyckerhoff is the first manufacturer to receive general building authority approval (abZ) for the use of the new CEM VI (S-LL) cement generation in accordance with DIN EN 197-5. The German Institute for Building Technology (DIBt) granted approval for the Dyckerhoff cement plant in Lengerich in October 2025. Sales and large-scale use of the first quantities of the new CEM VI cement are scheduled to start in 2025.

CEM VI cement was designed as a versatile cement for the production of ready-mix concrete. It combines a low CO₂ footprint (GWP), which is comparable to the CEM III/B cements commonly available on the market today, with the efficient use of locally available raw materials. In addition to the main components of Portland cement clinker and granulated blast furnace slag, limestone is used as another main component – a resource that is available in sufficient quantities. In terms of its composition, CEM VI (S-LL) is similar to the already established CEM II/C-M (S-LL) cements, but with a significantly lower carbon footprint (GWP). It offers the possibility of producing concretes that comply with reduction levels 2 (at least 40%) and 3 (at least 50%) according to the Concrete Sustainability Council‘s CO₂ module. The composition and CO₂ footprint (GWP) of the new cement can be found in the appendix.

The significance of this product innovation lies in the fact that in the future, cements will be produced predominantly from locally available raw materials. In the course of the ongoing decarbonization of industry, not all of the raw materials used today for the production of cement and concrete, in particular granulated blast furnace slag and fly ash, will be available locally in sufficient quantities in the future. The CEM VI cement presented here uses the resource granulated blast furnace slag much more efficiently than the CEM III/B cements used to date, as it contains ground limestone as an additional component. The CEM VI cement type has been developed in recent years in various research projects involving the cement industry. CEM VI (S-LL) is a component of DIN EN 197-5, published in July 2021. Without further verification, the cement may only be used in exposure classes X0, XC1, and XC2 in accordance with DIN 1045-2.

As part of this approval process, the suitability of CEM VI (S-LL) Lengerich for use in all exposure classes except XF2 to XF4 was demonstrated. This approval was based on extensive test series with a large number of raw materials at the Wilhelm Dyckerhoff Institute to determine the workability and strength development of the concrete produced with them, which provided information about possible areas of application and identified application-related limitations.

The aim is to establish the new CEM VI cement generation as a practical product in the concrete industry. Thanks to their low hydration heat, these cements are particularly suitable for massive components and thus represent a high-performance alternative to blast furnace cements.

CEM VI cements are a building block for achieving the climate targets of the cement industry. In the VDZ roadmap, these cements were originally planned for introduction in 2030. The introduction of CEM VI at this point in time will help to reduce CO₂ emissions from concrete construction more quickly.