Mixing water is the most underestimated ingredient in concrete. Impurities dissolved in it — chlorides, sulfates, organic matter or oils — affect setting time and strength development and, in the case of chlorides, drive corrosion of the reinforcement inside hardened concrete.

Checking the water matters most when the source is not the public supply: wells, streams, water recycled from the batching plant, or surface water near the coast, where salt content is a real risk. Acceptance criteria are given in BS EN 1008, the standard for concrete mixing water.

Analysis is recommended before a new source is brought into use, and periodically thereafter, particularly if the quality of the source may have changed.

Note on accreditation: the tests below are carried out by our laboratory to the methods referenced in BS EN 1008, but they are not included in our ISO/IEC 17025 accredited scope (certificate LT 069). Test reports for them are issued without the accreditation symbol.

 

  1. pH — acidity or alkalinity of the water
  2. Chloride content — the critical parameter for reinforcement corrosion
  3. Sulfate content — linked to sulfate attack on hardened cement
  4. Organic matter — affects setting time and strength development
  5. Silt and clay content — suspended particles that impair workability
  6. Hardness — concentration of calcium and magnesium salts
  7. Oil and grease content — impairs the cement–aggregate bond

Please contact us for further details

Accreditation

Independently verified competence

Our laboratory is accredited by the General Directorate of Accreditation (DPA) of the Republic of Albania to S SH ISO/IEC 17025:2017, “General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories”.

ISO/IEC170252017
Testing Laboratory

Registration number LT 069. Granted 08.06.2025 and valid until 07.06.2029. The certificate is issued together with its accredited scope.

View certificate (PDF)

ISO/IEC170252017
Calibration Laboratory

Registration number LK 005. Granted 06.08.2025 and valid until 05.08.2029. The certificate is issued together with its accredited scope.

View certificate (PDF)

DPA is a signatory of the EA MLA and the ILAC MRA for testing.