prEN 196-18

• Abstract:

  This document describes a method for the determination of whiteness and the colour of common cements and clinkers.; This method can be used to determine the whiteness of white cements defined in the EN 197-1.; This document does not apply to colour measurements on cement-based formulated products or cement-based products.; The method is based on the measurement of the CIE XYZ trichromatic coordinates and describes the mathematical procedure for converting these coordinates into the CIE 1976 (L*a*b*) colour space.; NOTE Although the possible values of the L* parameter range from 0 to 100, this document applies to the range between 70 and 100 (photopic vision).

• Status: Not Published
• Publication Date: 28-Jun-2028
• ICS: 91.100.10 - Cement. Gypsum. Lime. Mortar
• Technical Committee: CEN/TC 51 - Cement and building limes
• Drafting Committee: CEN/TC 51/WG 15 - Revision of methods of testing cement
• Current Stage: 4020 - Submission to enquiry - Enquiry
• Start Date: 06-Aug-2026
• Due Date: 11-Feb-2027
• Completion Date: 06-Aug-2026
• Ref Project: oSIST prEN 196-18:2026 - Methods of testing cement - Part 18: Determination of whiteness or colour of cement and clinker

Overview

prEN 196-18: Methods of testing cement – Part 18: Determination of whiteness or colour of cement and clinker is a draft European Standard developed by CEN/TC 51. This document establishes a reference method for determining the whiteness and colour of common cements and clinkers, including white cements as defined in EN 197-1. The method is based on measuring the CIE XYZ trichromatic coordinates and converting them into the CIE 1976 (Lab*) colour space. The standard provides detailed procedures regarding sample preparation, measurement, calculation, and reporting, ensuring reliable and repeatable determination of cement colour properties.

Key features include:

• Measurement using reflectance spectrophotometry.
• Expression of colour values in the internationally recognized CIE Lab* system.
• Application to cement and clinker powders, but not to cement-based formulated or finished products.

Key Topics

• Scope of Application: The standard specifically covers the colour evaluation of cement and clinker materials, excluding cement-based products and composites.
• Sample Preparation: Guidance is provided for systematic sampling of cement and clinker, ensuring a homogeneous sample for testing.
• Measurement Methodology:
  • Use of a reflectance spectrophotometer with defined characteristics.
  • Creation of pressed pellets or tamped layers as test samples.
  • Calibration using standardized tiles or internally referenced procedures.
  • Measurement under controlled environmental conditions to ensure result consistency.
• Calculation of Colour Coordinates: The method uses the XYZ tristimulus values obtained from spectrophotometric analysis for calculation into L*, a*, and b* values in accordance with EN ISO/CIE 11664-4.
• Result Reporting: Includes averaging measurement values, rounding protocols, and parameters for reporting including test date, method details, and any deviations.
• Precision: Details on repeatability and reproducibility, including standard deviations for various colour parameters to ensure reliability.

Applications

The accurate determination of whiteness and colour of cement and clinker serves several practical purposes in the cement and construction industries:

• Quality Control: Manufacturers use the defined methods to monitor and maintain the visual consistency of cement and clinker, especially for white cements, which are often specified for decorative or architectural uses.
• Product Specification Compliance: Enables verification of compliance with EN 197-1 and other product standards where colour is a critical characteristic.
• Research and Development: Used in R&D departments to evaluate the effects of raw materials and production processes on the colour properties of cement and clinker.
• Customer Assurance: Provides objective, traceable data for commercial agreements and customer specifications where colour plays a role in product selection.
• Inter-Laboratory Comparisons: Ensures consistency and reliability in testing among different laboratories, supporting accreditation and regulatory requirements.

Related Standards

prEN 196-18 is closely linked with other European and international standards addressing cement testing and colour measurement:

• EN 197-1: Cement - Part 1: Composition, specifications, and conformity criteria for common cements; defines white cement types referenced in prEN 196-18.
• EN 196-6: Methods of testing cement - Part 6: Determination of fineness; relevant for clinker sample preparation.
• EN 196-7: Methods of testing cement - Part 7: Sampling and sample preparation of common cement and its constituents; referenced for obtaining laboratory samples.
• EN ISO/CIE 11664-4: Colorimetry – Part 4: CIE 1976 Lab* Colour Space; forms the basis for the calculation method in prEN 196-18.
• CIE S 017:2011: International Lighting Vocabulary; provides foundational terms and concepts for light and colour measurement.
• EN ISO/CIE 11664-1 & -2: Colorimetry – Standard colorimetric observers and standard illuminants, which underpin the measurement and calculation procedures.

Keywords: cement colour testing, whiteness measurement, CIE Lab*, cement quality control, clinker colour, spectrophotometric analysis, EN 197-1, European cement standards, CEN/TC 51, laboratory cement testing, construction material standards.

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
01-oktober-2026
Metode preskušanja cementa - 18. del: Določanje beline ali barve cementa in
klinkerja
Methods of testing cement - Part 18: Determination of whiteness or colour of cement and
clinker
Prüfverfahren für Zement - Teil18: Bestimmung des Weißgrades oder der Farbe von
Zement und Klinker
Méthodes d'essais des ciments - Partie 18: Détermination de la blancheur ou de la
couleur du ciment et du clinker
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 196-18
ICS:
91.100.10 Cement. Mavec. Apno. Malta Cement. Gypsum. Lime.
Mortar
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
August 2026
ICS 91.100.10
English Version
Methods of testing cement - Part 18: Determination of
whiteness or colour of cement and clinker
Méthodes d'essais des ciments - Partie 18: Prüfverfahren für Zement - Teil18: Bestimmung des
Détermination de la blancheur ou de la couleur du Weißgrades oder der Farbe von Zement und Klinker
ciment et du clinker
This draft European Standard is submitted to CEN members for enquiry. It has been drawn up by the Technical Committee
CEN/TC 51.
If this draft becomes a European Standard, 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.

This draft European Standard was established by CEN 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, 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
United Kingdom.
Recipients of this draft are invited to submit, with their comments, notification of any relevant patent rights of which they are
aware and to provide supporting documentation.

Warning : This document is not a European Standard. It is distributed for review and comments. It is subject to change without
notice and shall not be referred to as a European Standard.

EUROPEAN COMMITTEE FOR STANDARDIZATION
COMITÉ EUROPÉEN DE NORMALISATION

EUROPÄISCHES KOMITEE FÜR NORMUNG

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre: Rue de la Science 23, B-1040 Brussels
© 2026 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 196-18:2026 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

Contents Page
European foreword .3
1 Scope .5
2 Normative references .5
3 Terms and definitions .5
4 General requirements for testing .6
4.1 Number of tests .6
4.2 Repeatability and reproducibility.7
5 Apparatus .7
5.1 Balance: laboratory balance, capable of weighing to an accuracy of ± 0,01 g .7
5.2 Reflectance spectrophotometer .7
5.3 Caliper, capable of measuring with an accuracy of ± 0.01 mm. .7
5.4 Mill, made of corundum or zirconium oxide, with a minimum purity of 99 % for
corundum or 99 % for zirconium oxide .7
5.5 Optical container (e.g. glass or other suitable material). .8
5.6 Metal ring, for pellet preparation. .8
6 Preparation of a test sample of cement and clinker .8
6.1 General .8
6.2 Preparation of test sample of cement .8
6.3 Preparation of test sample of clinker .8
7 Procedure .8
7.1 General .8
7.2 Preparation of the test sample as a pressed pellet .9
7.2.1 General .9
7.2.2 Determination of pellet density .9
7.3 Preparation of the test sample for tamping (alternative method) . 10
7.4 Preparation of the measuring reflectance spectrophotometer . 10
7.4.1 Environmental conditions . 10
7.4.2 Instrument calibration . 10
7.4.3 Colour determination . 11
8 Calculation and expression of results . 11
8.1 Calculation . 11
9 Reporting of results . 11
9.1 Expression of results . 11
9.2 Test report . 11
10 Repeatability and reproducibility. 12
Annex A (Informative) . 13
Bibliography . 14

European foreword
This document (prEN 196-18:2026) has been prepared by Technical Committee CEN/TC 51
“Cement and building limes”, the secretariat of which is held by NBN.
This document is currently submitted to the CEN Enquiry.
Introduction
This document specifies the reference method for the determination of cement and clinker colour.
1 Scope
This document describes a method for the determination of whiteness and the colour of common
cements and clinkers.
This method can be used to determine the whiteness of white cements defined in the EN 197-1.
This document does not apply to colour measurements on cement-based formulated products or
cement-based products.
The method is based on the measurement of the CIE XYZ trichromatic coordinates and describes
the mathematical procedure for converting these coordinates into the CIE 1976 (L*a*b*) colour
space.
NOTE Although the possible values of the L* parameter range from 0 to 100, this document applies to
the range between 70 and 100 (photopic vision).
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies.
For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
EN 196-6, Methods of testing cement — Part 6: Determination of fineness
EN 196-7, Methods of testing cement — Part 7: Methods for sampling and sample preparation of
common cement and its constituents
EN ISO/CIE 11664-4, Colorimetry – Part 4: CIE 1976 L*a*b* colour space
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
ISO and IEC maintain terminology databases for use in standardization at the following
addresses:
— ISO Online browsing platform: available at https://www.iso.org/obp/
— IEC Electropedia: available at https://www.electropedia.org/
3.1
CIE standard illuminant D65
reference illuminant having a spectral power distribution within the visible range that
corresponds to average daylight, with a correlated colour temperature of approximately 6500 K
3.2
CIE 1931 colorimetric observer
colour perception for stimuli presented as an aperture on a dark background, corresponding to a
2° field of view (foveal vision)
3.3
CIE 1976 (L*a*b*) colour space
opponent-colour space with L* representing lightness, and a* and b* representing the chromatic
opponent dimensions, derived from the non-linear compression of the CIE XYZ tristimulus values

Figure 1 — CIE L*a*b* colour space
where:
L* = lightness coordinate, with values ranging from 0 (black) to 100 (white).
a* = red/green chromatic coordinate, where positive a* indicates redness and negative a*
indicates greenness. (see EN ISO/CIE 11664-4)
b* = yellow/blue chromatic coordinate, where positive b* indicates yellowness and negative
b* indicates blueness. (see EN ISO/CIE 11664-4)
3.4
whiteness CIE 1976
colorimetric attribute (L*a*b*), as defined by the CIE, expressing the perceived closeness of a
material to an ideal white under specified illumination and observation conditions
4 General requirements for testing
4.1 Number of tests
Determination of colour, where determination is not part of a series subject to statistical control,
shall be carried out in duplicate.
Where the determination is one of a series subject to statistical control, a single test shall be the
minimum required.
In the case of a dispute, the number of tests shall be two.
4.2 Repeatability and reproducibility
Repeatability - precision under repeatability conditions where independent test results are
obtained with the same method on identical test items (material) in the same laboratory by the
same operator using the same equipment within s
...