National foreword

This British Standard is the UK implementation of EN 196‑2:2025. It supersedes BS EN 196‑2:2013, which is withdrawn.

The UK participation in its preparation was entrusted to Technical Committee B/516/15, Revision of methods of testing cement.

A list of organizations represented on this committee can be obtained on request to its committee manager.

Contractual and legal considerations

This publication has been prepared in good faith, however no representation, warranty, assurance or undertaking (express or implied) is or will be made, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by BSI in relation to the adequacy, accuracy, completeness or reasonableness of this publication. All and any such responsibility and liability is expressly disclaimed to the full extent permitted by the law.

This publication is provided as is, and is to be used at the recipient’s own risk.

The recipient is advised to consider seeking professional guidance with respect to its use of this publication.

This publication is not intended to constitute a contract. Users are responsible for its correct application.

Compliance with a British Standard cannot confer immunity from legal obligations.

This British Standard was published under the authority of the Standards Policy and Strategy Committee on 30 November 2025.

This European Standard was approved by CEN on 22 September 2025.

CEN members are bound to comply with the CEN/CENELEC Internal Regulations which stipulate the conditions for giving this European Standard the status of a national standard without any alteration. Up-to-date lists and bibliographical references concerning such national standards may be obtained on application to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre or to any CEN member.

This European Standard exists in three official versions (English, French, German). A version in any other language made by translation under the responsibility of a CEN member into its own language and notified to the CEN-CENELEC Management Centre has the same status as the official versions.

CEN members are the national standards bodies of Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and United Kingdom.

European foreword

This document (EN 196‑2:2025) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 51 “Cement and building limes”, the secretariat of which is held by NBN.

This European Standard shall be given the status of a national standard, either by publication of an identical text or by endorsement, at the latest by May 2026, and conflicting national standards shall be withdrawn at the latest by May 2026.

Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent rights. CEN shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.

This document supersedes EN 196‑2:2013.

EN 196‑2:2025 includes the following significant technical changes with respect to EN 196‑2:2013:

redefinition of the introduction;
introduction of concept;
determination of reactive silica;
introduction of the concept of determination of total carbonate content instead of determination of CO₂;
determination of chloride by potentiometric titration as alternative method;
determination of total carbonate content by gas volumetric method as alternative method;
determination of total carbonate content by infrared detection system (method A and B) as alternative method;
determination of SO₃ by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy as alternative method.

This European Standard series, under the general title Methods of testing cement, comprises the following parts:

Part 1: Determination of strength;
Part 2: Chemical analysis of cement;
Part 3: Determination of setting times and soundness;
Part 5: Pozzolanicity test for pozzolanic cement;
Part 6: Determination of fineness;
Part 7: Methods of taking and preparing samples of cement;
Part 8: Heat of hydration — Solution method;
Part 9: Heat of hydration — Semi-adiabatic method;
Part 10: Determination of the water-soluble chromium (VI) content of cement;
Part 11: Heat of hydration — Isothermal conduction calorimetry method.

NOTE Another document, CEN/TR 196‑4 Methods of testing cement — Part 4: Quantitative determination of constituents, has been published as a CEN Technical Report.

Any feedback and questions on this document should be directed to the users’ national standards body. A complete listing of these bodies can be found on the CEN website.

According to the CEN-CENELEC Internal Regulations, the national standards organisations of the following countries are bound to implement this European Standard: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of North Macedonia, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Türkiye and the United Kingdom.

Introduction

In this document, the elemental chemical analysis of a clinker or cement, as of any natural or artificial mineral material (volcanic pozzolan, blast furnace slag, fly ash, etc.) is expressed in a conventional manner in the form of the mass proportions of the common oxides corresponding to the most frequent and stable degree of oxidation (Si: SiO₂; Al: Al₂O₃, etc.). This expression of the chemical analysis does not indicate how these elements are combined into minerals such as silicates, oxides, carbonates, sulphates or sulphides.

This means that the presence of SiO₂ in a chemical analysis sheet does not necessarily imply the presence of crystalline silica e.g. quartz or cristobalite, but most likely silicates. Moreover, even if quartz is detected in the material, this does not necessarily imply an inhalation hazard if the particle size is larger than the inhalable fraction. Similarly, the presence of TiO₂ in a chemical analysis report does not necessarily imply the presence of the mineralogical phase(s) corresponding to this formula (rutile, anatase, brookite), although the presence of the mineralogical phase(s) does not necessarily imply an inhalation hazard if the particle size is larger than the inhalable fraction. In the same way, determination of total carbonate content (TCC) can be done by dosing CO₂ induced by acid attack, which does not mean, in any case, that the material contains CO₂.

The only way to identify mineralogical phases in a powdered mineral material is by X-ray diffraction, which is the only analytical technique that is sensitive to the crystalline character of minerals. For an accurate quantification of inhalable fractions, it advisable be necessary to perform a quantitative particle size selection (e.g. by aerosolization technique) in order to eliminate coarse fractions that could reduce the quantitative character of the X-ray diffraction analysis.

Standardization to 100 made it possible to know if no constituent element had been left out. Hence the expression “percentage by mass of oxides” in the chemical analysis.

1 Scope

This document specifies the methods for the chemical analysis of cement.

This document describes the reference methods and, in certain cases, an alternative method which can be considered to be equivalent. In the case of a dispute, only the reference methods are used.

An alternative performance-based method using X-ray fluorescence (XRF) is described for SiO₂, Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, CaO, MgO, SO₃, K₂O, Na₂O, TiO₂, P₂O₅, Mn₂O₃, SrO, Cl and Br. This method is based on beads of fused sample and analytical validation using certified reference materials, together with performance criteria. A method based on pressed pellets of un-fused sample can be considered as equivalent, providing that the analytical performance satisfies the same criteria.

An alternative performance-based method using inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) is described for SO₃.

When correctly calibrated according to the specified procedures and reference materials, XRF and ICP-OES provides methods equivalent to the reference methods but has not been validated for use yet as a reference procedure for conformity and dispute purposes. They can be applied to other relevant elements when adequate calibrations have been established.

Any other methods can be used provided they are calibrated, either against the reference methods or against internationally accepted reference materials, in order to demonstrate their equivalence.

This document describes methods which apply principally to cements, but which can also be applied to their constituent materials. They can also be applied to other materials, the standards for which call up these methods. Standard specifications state which methods are to be used.

2 Normative references

3 Terms and definitions

4 General requirements for testing

4.1 Number of tests

4.2 Repeatability and reproducibility

4.3 Expression of masses, volumes, factors and results

5 Analysis by wet chemistry

5.1 General

5.2 Reagents

5.3 Apparatus

5.4 Analysis procedure

5.5 Determination of major elements

6 Chemical analysis by X-ray fluorescence

6.1 Reagents and reference materials

6.2 Apparatus

6.3 Flux

6.4 Determination of loss on ignition and the change in mass on fusion of the cement

6.5 Factoring test results and correcting total analyses for presence of sulfides and halides

6.6 Preparation of fused beads and pressed pellets

6.7 Calibration and validation

6.8 Calculation and expression of results

6.9 Performance criteria (repeatability, accuracy and reproducibility limits)

7 Chemical analysis by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES)

7.1 Determination of SO₃ – alternative method

Bibliography

BS EN 196-2:2025

Methods of testing cement - Chemical analysis of cement

Current

Published:

30 Nov 2025