This Technical Report describes the results of the inter-laboratory testing of the chemical analysis of cement by x-ray fluorescence. In the first instance, the inter-laboratory testing was carried out in Japan and in Asian countries in accordance with JIS R 5204:2002. A total of 30 laboratories, 16 in Japan and 14 outside Japan, participated in the original testing programme. A further 12 European laboratories participated in tests with the same materials in 2005 in accordance with EN 196-2, a development by CEN/TC 51/WG 15/TG 1 of JIS R 5204. The latest version, developed as ISO 29581-2, is, as of the date of publication of this Technical Report, in the process of being circulated for technical enquiry.

The test samples used were Portland cement conforming to CEM I of EN 197-1 and a mixture of Portland cement and blast furnace slag. The mixture corresponded to the composition of Portland blast furnace slag cement, class B, specified in JIS R 5211 and CEM III/A of EN 197-1. Cement reference materials for x-ray fluorescence analysis (No. 601A) are used for the calibration standards, and certified reference materials JCA-CRM-1 and JCA-CRM-2 are used as the validation materials.

Constituents analysed include SiO₂, Al₂O₃, Fe₂O₃, CaO, MgO, SO₃, Na₂O, K₂O, TiO₂, P₂O₅, MnO and SrO. The loss on ignition is also determined.

The ISO round robin is a method-performance study conducted under close to optimum conditions with clear calibration and measurement guidelines. This is conducive to producing “best practice” values representative of the ideal situation. However, ISO 29581-2 is intended for use under everyday conditions in laboratories that operate to “good practice”. Annex D sets out the results of some international round robins carried out by a large number of laboratories demonstrating the suitability of ISO 29581-2 as a means for comparing the everyday performance of laboratories.