kSIST FprEN 197-10:2026

• Abstract:

  This document specifies the scheme for the assessment of conformity with the FPC-limit for water-soluble hexavalent chromium.; This document provides technical rules for factory production control, including autocontrol testing of samples, and for assessment of factory production control. It also provides rules for actions to be followed in the event of non-compliance with the procedure set in place, or that of exceeding the limit of water-soluble hexavalent chromium, hereafter to be referred to as “water-soluble chromium (VI)”.; This document applies to all cements and cementitious mixtures.

• Status: Not Published
• Public Enquiry End Date: 18-Dec-2025
• ICS: 91.100.10 - Cement. Gypsum. Lime. Mortar
• Technical Committee: CAA - Mineral binders and masonry
• Current Stage: 5020 - Formal vote (FV) (Adopted Project)
• Start Date: 02-Sep-2026
• Due Date: 21-Oct-2026
• Ref Project: FprEN 197-10 - Cement - Part 10: Assessment of conformity regarding water-soluble chromium (VI) content

• Referred By: SIST EN ISO 23953-1:2024 - Refrigerated display cabinets - Part 1: Vocabulary (ISO 23953-1:2023)
• Effective Date: 28-Jan-2026

Overview

kSIST FprEN 197-10:2026, developed by SIST and CEN/TC 51, outlines requirements and procedures for assessing the conformity of cement regarding its water-soluble chromium (VI) content. Chromium (VI) in cement is regulated due to health concerns, particularly the risk of allergic contact dermatitis. This standard specifies a comprehensive scheme for factory production control (FPC), autocontrol testing, audit sampling, reporting, and corrective actions to ensure compliance with strict regulatory limits for water-soluble hexavalent chromium content. The document applies to all cements and cementitious mixtures, providing a consistent method to evaluate and document compliance throughout the manufacturing and supply chain.

Key Topics

• Regulatory Framework: The standard ensures conformity with relevant EU regulations, such as Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (REACH), setting a limit of 2 mg/kg for chromium (VI) in hydrated cement.
• Factory Production Control (FPC): Requires manufacturers to implement and document internal quality control systems, process controls for reducing agent usage, and detailed handling and storage procedures to minimize chromium (VI) levels.
• Autocontrol Testing: Mandates regular sampling, storage, and testing of cement to detect soluble chromium (VI), usually at least monthly. Samples must be tested at the end of the declared shelf life to verify compliance.
• Third-Party Assessment: Describes the role of independent bodies in annual inspection, surveillance, acceptance of FPC, and audit testing of cement samples, ensuring objectivity and transparency in the evaluation process.
• Corrective Actions and Non-Compliance: Sets out required steps in the event of non-conformance, including immediate investigation, doubled testing frequency, process reviews, and possible third-party reevaluation.
• Documentation and Reporting: Stipulates confidential reporting of inspections, test results, corrective actions, and compliance status for both manufacturers and, where appropriate, regulatory authorities.

Applications

kSIST FprEN 197-10:2026 is essential for:

• Cement Manufacturers: To maintain market access, manufacturers must implement internal controls, regularly test for water-soluble chromium (VI), keep detailed quality documentation, and act quickly if limits are exceeded.
• Regulatory Compliance: Enables compliance with EU regulations on hazardous substances in construction products, helping manufacturers avoid legal or market barriers.
• Supply Chain Management: Provides procedures for ensuring conformity of cement dispatched from factories and stored in depots, promoting traceability and quality assurance from production to delivery.
• Third-Party Certifiers: Supports impartial assessment for independent verification of manufacturer claims and regulatory adherence.
• Health and Safety: Protects end users by ensuring that cement products meet health standards, minimizing exposure to allergenic chromium (VI) during construction activities.

Related Standards

• EN 196-7: Methods for sampling and preparing cement samples.
• EN 196-10: Determination method for water-soluble chromium (VI) content.
• EN 197-2: Assessment and verification of constancy of performance for cement.
• Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 (REACH): EU regulation on chemicals, requiring registration, evaluation, and restriction of hazardous substances, including chromium (VI).

Practical Value

Implementing kSIST FprEN 197-10:2026 helps cement producers maintain high product quality and regulatory compliance, reducing health risks associated with chromium (VI). The standard's scheme supports effective quality management and provides confidence to supply chain partners, regulatory authorities, and end users that cement products consistently meet safety and performance benchmarks. Its systematic approach to testing and compliance supports risk management, traceability, and continual quality improvement in the construction materials sector.

Relevant keywords: cement standard, water-soluble chromium VI, hexavalent chromium, cement conformity assessment, factory production control, cement testing, chromium VI regulations, EN 197-10, cement quality assurance.

SLOVENSKI STANDARD
oSIST prEN 197-10:2025
01-december-2025
Cement - 10. del: Ugotavljanje skladnosti glede vsebnosti vodotopnega kroma (VI)
v cementu
Cement - Part 10: Assessment of conformity regarding water-soluble chromium (VI)
content
Zement - Teil 10: Bewertung der Konformität hinsichtlich des wasserlöslichen Chrom
(VI)‑Gehalts von Zement
Ciment - Partie 10 : Évaluation de la conformité concernant la teneur en chrome (VI)
soluble dans l'eau du ciment
Ta slovenski standard je istoveten z: prEN 197-10
ICS:
91.100.10 Cement. Mavec. Apno. Malta Cement. Gypsum. Lime.
Mortar
oSIST prEN 197-10:2025 en,fr,de
2003-01.Slovenski inštitut za standardizacijo. Razmnoževanje celote ali delov tega standarda ni dovoljeno.

oSIST prEN 197-10:2025
oSIST prEN 197-10:2025
DRAFT
EUROPEAN STANDARD
prEN 197-10
NORME EUROPÉENNE
EUROPÄISCHE NORM
October 2025
ICS 91.100.10
English Version
Cement - Part 10: Assessment of conformity regarding
water-soluble chromium (VI) content
Ciment - Partie 10 : Évaluation de la conformité Zement - Teil 10: Bewertung der Konformität
concernant la teneur en chrome (VI) soluble dans l'eau hinsichtlich des wasserlöslichen Chrom(VI)-Gehalts
du ciment von Zement
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
© 2025 CEN All rights of exploitation in any form and by any means reserved Ref. No. prEN 197-10:2025 E
worldwide for CEN national Members.

oSIST prEN 197-10:2025
prEN 197-10:2025 (E)
Contents Page
European foreword . 3
Introduction . 4
1 Scope . 5
2 Normative references . 5
3 Terms and definitions . 5
4 Factory production control . 6
4.1 Internal quality control . 6
4.1.1 Process control . 6
4.1.2 Measuring and testing . 7
4.1.3 Handling, storage, packaging and delivery . 7
4.2 Autocontrol testing of samples . 7
4.2.1 General. 7
4.2.2 Sampling, storage and testing . 8
4.2.3 Corrective action . 8
5 Third-party assessment. 8
5.1 General. 8
5.2 Surveillance, assessment and acceptance of factory production control. 8
5.2.1 Inspection task . 8
5.2.2 Frequency of inspection . 9
5.2.3 Reports . 9
5.3 Evaluation of the results of auto control testing of samples . 9
5.3.1 Evaluation tasks . 9
5.3.2 Number and timing of evaluations . 9
5.3.3 Control period . 9
5.3.4 Evaluation of tests results . 9
5.3.5 Reports . 9
5.4 Audit testing of samples taken at the factory/depot . 9
5.4.1 General. 9
5.4.2 Sampling . 9
5.4.3 Transportation and storage of samples before testing . 10
5.4.4 Testing . 10
5.4.5 Evaluation of tests results . 10
5.4.6 Reports . 10
5.4.7 Proficiency testing . 10
6 Compliance criteria . 10
6.1 General. 10
6.2 Single result compliance criterion . 11
7 Compliance assessment . 11
7.1 General. 11
7.2 Evaluation of test results . 11
7.3 Evaluation of the implementation of the works' quality documentation . 12
7.4 Evaluation of cement compliance and report . 12
8 Actions in the event of non-compliance . 13
oSIST prEN 197-10:2025
prEN 197-10:2025 (E)
European foreword
This document (prEN 197-10:2025) 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.
oSIST prEN 197-10:2025
prEN 197-10:2025 (E)
Introduction
The purpose of this document is to provide a scheme for the evaluation of compliance with the
requirements in Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006.
Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 18 December 2006
concerning the Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH),
establishing a European Chemicals Agency, amending Directive 1999/45/EC and repealing Council
Regulation (EEC) No 793/93 and Commission Regulation (EC) No 1488/94 as well as Council Directive
76/769/EEC and Commission Directives 91/155/EEC, 93/67/EEC, 93/105/EC and 2000/21/EC contain
prohibitions, among other requirements, against placing on the market or using cement and cement-
containing mixtures if they contain, when hydrated, more than 2 mg/kg (0,0002 %) soluble
chromium (VI) of the total dry weight of the cement. This legislation is intended to minimize the
occurrence of chromate-related allergic contact dermatitis arising from the use of cement or cement-
containing preparations. In order to comply with the regulatory limit, in most cases a reducing agent is
added during production of the cement or cement-containing preparation, which converts soluble
hexavalent chromium into insoluble trivalent chromium during hydration. Regulation (EC) No
1907/2006 prescribes that information on the packing date, as well as on the storage conditions and the
storage period appropriate to maintaining the activity of the reducing agent and to keeping the content
of soluble chromium VI below the limit is legibly indicated on packaging and dispatch documentation.
oSIST prEN 197-10:2025
prEN 197-10:2025 (E)
1 Scope
This document specifies the scheme for the assessment of conformity with the regulatory limit for water-
soluble hexavalent chromium.
This document provides technical rules for factory production control, including autocontrol testing of
samples, and for assessment of factory production control. It also provides rules for actions to be followed
in the event of non-compliance with the procedure set in place, or that of exceeding the limit of water-
soluble hexavalent chromium, hereafter to be referred to as “water-soluble chromium (VI)”.
This document applies to all cements within the meaning of the term “cement”.
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 196-7, Methods of testing cement — Part 7: Methods of taking and preparing samples of cement
EN 196-10:— , Methods of testing cement — Part 10: Determination of the water-soluble chromium (VI)
content of cement
EN 197-2, Cement —Part 2: Assessment and verification of constancy of performance
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in EN 196-10 and EN 197-2 and the
following 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
water-soluble chromium (VI)
chromium in cement, which is soluble in water as chromate (e.g. during the mixing process)
3.2
dry cement
sample of cement as received by the testing laboratory
3.3
third-party body
impartial body, possessing the necessary organisation, staff, competence and integrity to carry out,
according to predetermined criteria, tasks such as evaluation, acceptance recommendation and
subsequent audit of those operations to check the compliance of cement with the regulatory limit for
water-soluble hexavalent chromium and, whenever appropriate, testing and test result assessment

Under preparation. Stage at the time of preparation: prEN 196-10:2025
oSIST prEN 197-10:2025
prEN 197-10:2025 (E)
3.4
reducing agent
additive incorporated in cement for the purpose of reducing the water-soluble chromium (VI) during
hydration, thus rendering chromium insoluble
3.5
shelf life
storage period declared by the manufacturer for the cement in which the reducing agent remains effective
in limiting the water-soluble chromium (VI) content to the regulatory limit for water-soluble hexavalent
chromium when cement is stored in accordance with the conditions recommended by the manufacturer
3.6
reduction capacity
quantity of water-soluble chromium (VI) that can potentially be reduced by the reducing agent
incorporated in the cement
Note 1 to entry: The reduction capacity can be determined, for example, by the method described in EN 196-10:—
Annex D.
3.7
testing laboratory
laboratory that measures, examines, tests, calibrates or otherwise determines the characteristics or
performance of materials or products
3.8
regulatory limit
water-soluble chromium (VI) content of the total dry weight of cement including any associated
requirements for maintaining the effectiveness of any reducing agent during the declared shelf life
3.9
Works’ quality documentation
documentation that provides information on the production control which is applied by a manufacturer
to ensure compliance of the cement with the regulatory limit for water-soluble hexavalent chromium
4 Factory production control
4.1 Internal quality control
4.1.1 Process control
4.1.1.1 General
The Works’ quality documentation shall describe the measures to be implemented for process planning
and control, to enable compliance of cement with the regulatory limit for water-soluble hexavalent
chromium with special attention to the use of reducing agent, as well as testing, inspection, corrective
action, assessment, dispatch and associated records. It shall also indicate the shelf life for the cement
dispatched.
The Works’ quality documentation shall also contain a list of those cements with water-soluble chromium
(VI) contents impacted by regulatory limits on water-soluble hexavalent chromium without the use of a
reducing agent. The documentation shall also give, for each of these cements, references of the records
demonstrating compliance as well as a list of the parameters that would be monitored to ensure on-going
production stability in respect of the water-soluble chromium (VI) content.
oSIST prEN 197-10:2025
prEN 197-10:2025 (E)
NOTE Cements in compliance with local regulations on water-soluble hexavalent chromium without the use of
a chromium (VI) reducing agent are neither subject to the auto control tests described in 4.2 nor to the sampling
described in 5.4 and no indication of the shelf life on the packaging or in the delivery documents is required.
4.1.1.2 Reducing agent and composition of cement
Procedures to indicate that the reducing agent meets the documented specification shall be documented.
The Works’ quality documentation shall describe the methods used to ensure compliance with the limit
for water-soluble hexavalent chromium as well as conformity of cement composition to the relevant
product specification standard.
NOTE The method of determination of chromium reduction capacity (3.6) in cement as an alternative to direct
determination of water-soluble chromium (VI) has proved to be suitable for internal control in countries with
several years of experience. See EN 196-10:— Annex D.
4.1.1.3 Control of off-specification production
The Works' quality documentation shall contain procedures to ensure that production which does not
meet internal speci
...