Lafarge recently introduced portland-limestone cement (PLC) to Canada. Widely used in Europe for more than 25 years, PLC is a new category of cement that provides performance similar to conventional portland cement with up to 10 percent less carbon dioxide emissions.
Approved for use by the Canadian Standards Association, the National Building Code of Canada, and the British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec Building Codes, PLC is produced by intergrinding portland cement clinker with between 6 percent and 15 percent limestone. The new GUL cement with up to 15 percent limestone should perform comparably to regular portland cement in terms of concrete workability, set time, durability and all ages of concrete strength development.
Lafarge will start the transition from regular portland cement to PLC this year. Customers in British Columbia, Ontario, and Quebec are currently being supplied PLC. Product introduction to other provinces will occur as additional testing and updates to local building codes are completed.
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