Masonry Cement - IS 3466:1988

BIS Certification for Masonry Cement -IS 3466:1988

Introduction to the Standard (IS 3466:1988 - Masonry Cement)

Masonry cement is a specially blended cement designed for use in mortar mixes for plastering, brickwork and blockwork. The Indian Standard - IS 3466:1988 is titled as “Specification for Masonry Cement (Second Revision)” specifies that the manufacturing, chemical and physical requirements of masonry cement is general for all purposes where the mortars are required for masonry.

In simple terms: masonry cement is made by inter-grinding of Portland cement clinker with the certain pozzolanic or non-pozzolanic materials (such as fly-ash, limestone, slag, dolomite), air-entraining plasticiser and additives like gypsum, then the final product meets the performance demands for masonry mortars.

This standard ensures that the material used for masonry mortar works reliably in terms of strength, setting, durability and consistency.

Purpose / Why BIS Certification is Needed for IS 3466

• Ensuring Quality & Safety: Under the Cement (Quality Control Order), 2003 and BIS Act mentioned that the manufacturers of masonry cement must ensure compliance with IS 3466:1988 before manufacture, sale or import in India.
• Legal Market Access: Without a valid BIS licence/ISI mark, a manufacturer cannot legally sell masonry cement for general purposes in India.
• Consumer & Construction Confidence: Certified masonry cement gives confidence to builders, contractors and authorities as the product meets the essential criteria for compressive strength, water retention, setting time and soundness.
• Regulatory Compliance: BIS certification/ISI mark certification under Scheme-I provides a structured way to BIS officials for ongoing quality assurance and market surveillance.

Certification Process
For a detailed, step-by-step BIS certification process for masonry cement or any product visit:
For Domestic manufacturers 
For Foreign manufacturers

Applicable BIS Scheme

For masonry cement under IS 3466 the relevant conformity assessment scheme is Scheme-I (Product Certification Scheme) of BIS, wherein the BIS Standard Mark (commonly called the ISI Mark) is used.

And applicable BIS scheme for Foreign Manufacturers is FMCS (Foreign Manufacturers Certification Scheme)

Documents Required for BIS Certification

Typical documents categories for masonry cement as per IS 3466 listed below:

• Administrative details: company incorporation, factory address, manufacturing licence.
• Technical details: product specification listed as per IS 3466, raw material details (clinker, pozzolanic or non-pozzolanic additives), process flow, mixing/blending details.
• Quality-control / laboratory details: in-house test laboratory setup, list of test equipment, personnel qualifications, test report history.
• Product sample test reports from BIS-approved lab.

Also, for foreign manufacturers who are exporting to India must appoint an Indian representative and ensure for factory inspection and testing compliance.

Testing & Labelling Requirements

As per the Product Manual for IS 3466:1988, the following tests are required for masonry cement: fineness, initial & final setting time, air content, water retention, soundness, compressive strength, staining.
Packaging must conform to IS 3466:1988 marking requirements. Each bag or drum is intended for sale after grant of licence must bear the BIS Standard Mark/ISI mark along with the licence number, manufacturer’s name and batch details.