Counterfeit Cement in Russia Down by 60%

Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation considers the mandatory certification of cement has a positive effect. The amount of counterfeit product in the country dropped by 60%, said the head of the ministry Denis Manturov.

According to Denis Manturov, the decrease in counterfeit directly affects the volume of production of high-quality cement, and preserves jobs in the industry. The Federal Customs Service also confirmed issues with the quality of imported cement.

“We see positive results of decisions we made three years ago,” the minister says.

Portland cement, alumina- and slag cement, as well as supersulphate cement and similar hydraulic cements, coloured/white/grey cement, finished or in the form of clinkers, are all subject to certification in Russia. The certification norm was introduced in March 2016.

Among many aspects, certification requirements focus on alkali and tricalcium aluminate. A deviation from the norm of alkali contents leads to the formation of cracks, corrosion and reduces the durability of structures. An increase in tricalcium aluminate contents leads to a decrease in frost resistance.

By mid-2016, Federal Accreditation Service registered over 300 GOST certificates of conformity for cements. Products of almost all cement plants of the Russian Federation and the majority of importers passed the certification. Since September 2019, countries of the Eurasian Economic Union received the right to directly contact the Russian certification bodies.

According to 2015 reports, up to 5 million tonnes of cement were imported into Russia primarily from Turkey, Iran, Poland, Latvia and Lithuania. The main suppliers for 2019 were Belarus, Kazakhstan, Iran and Turkey. In Jan-Oct 2019, 1.3 million tonnes of cement were imported, which is 71,000 tonnes less than last year.