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Bespoke additive packages

Bespoke Formulation

Bespoke formulation is UKCP's service for developing and manufacturing additives and admixtures tailored to your specific requirements, whether you want to improve an existing product or develop new product technology.

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Laboratory mixer used to develop mortar and screed formulations at UKCP

What is bespoke formulation?

Bespoke formulation means UKCP designs and manufactures an additive package specifically for your product, your plant and your raw materials, instead of you adapting your process around off the shelf additives.

With over 30 years' technical experience developing additives and admixtures for dry mortars, silo mortars and concrete applications, we offer our customers a unique service. Whether you want to improve the performance or consistency of an existing product or develop something new, our in-house development team works with you from the first brief through to regular supply.

Bespoke formulation at a glance

  • Black box additives in powder or liquid form
  • Developed using the raw materials from your production site
  • One blended package in place of multiple additives
  • Supplied in paper sacks or bulk bags
  • Ready to blend with your sand, cement and fillers

What is a black box additive?

A black box additive is a single, pre-blended additive package that UKCP develops for your product. Working closely with clients, we develop black box additives in powder or liquid form.

Many dry mortar manufacturers buy several small addition raw materials, such as air entrainers, accelerators, retarders and water repellents, from different suppliers, then weigh and dose each one separately. A black box additive replaces them with one package from one supplier.

UKCP sources the small addition raw materials, blends them and supplies the finished package in paper sacks or bulk bags direct to you. Your team then simply blends it with the sand, cement and fillers already used on site.

Separate additives compared with a UKCP black box additive
Comparison Separate additives UKCP black box additive
Suppliers Several One
Additives to store and dose Several One blended package
Formulation Assembled by you Developed by UKCP around your raw materials
Form Varies by supplier Powder or liquid
Packaging Varies by supplier Paper sacks or bulk bags

Which additives can be included in a bespoke blend?

UKCP can offer a wide range of additives, and any blend to suit your needs. These are the building blocks we work with most often.

Powder air entrainers

Introduce small, stable air bubbles that improve workability and help mortar resist freeze and thaw damage.

Rapid set accelerators

Speed up setting and early strength gain where a fast turnaround or cold weather working matters.

Retarders

Slow the set to extend working time, useful in warm conditions or where mortar must stay workable for longer.

Water repellents

Reduce water absorption in the hardened mortar, helping to protect finished work from moisture.

Custom blends

Any combination of additives, such as water retainers alongside the above, balanced for your product.

Who is bespoke formulation for?

UKCP are solution providers to dry bagged mortar manufacturers and the wider construction industry. Our bespoke service is designed for producers who make their own mortars, screeds or concrete.

Dry bagged mortar manufacturers

Simplify batching with one additive package tailored to your bagged mortar range and the raw materials at your plant.

Silo mortar producers

Keep silo mortar performance consistent with an additive package developed around your own sand, binders and fillers.

Concrete and precast producers

Admixture packages for readymix, wet-cast and semi-dry precast concrete and screed applications, developed around the materials at your plant.

How does the bespoke formulation process work?

A typical project follows five stages, from understanding your product to supplying the finished additive package.

  1. Step 1: Brief

    Tell us about your product, the performance you need, how it is produced and anything you want to improve. The more we understand about your process, the better the result.

  2. Step 2: Raw material review

    We review the raw materials from your own production site, including your sand, cement and fillers, because they determine how any additive will behave in your mix.

  3. Step 3: Development

    Our in-house development team uses the raw materials from your production site to develop an additive and admixture package tailored to your requirements.

  4. Step 4: Trials

    You trial the package in your own production, with support from our team, and we discuss any adjustments with you.

  5. Step 5: Supply

    Once the formulation is approved, we source the raw materials, blend your package and supply it in paper sacks or bulk bags, ready to blend with your sand, cement and fillers.

What are the benefits of a bespoke additive package?

A bespoke package moves the work of sourcing, balancing and blending additives from your plant to UKCP, so your team can concentrate on production.

Looking for a ready made product instead? Browse our liquid solutions and powder solutions.

  • One supplier and one blended package in place of multiple additives from multiple suppliers
  • Fewer ingredients to buy, store, weigh and dose at your plant
  • Formulated around your own raw materials rather than a generic mix
  • Simpler batching, with less room for dosing errors
  • Supports improvements to existing products and the development of new ones
  • Supplied in paper sacks or bulk bags to suit the way you produce
  • Backed by UKCP technical support from brief to regular supply

Bespoke formulation FAQs

Common questions from manufacturers considering a bespoke additive package.

View all FAQs

What is bespoke formulation?
Bespoke formulation is a service in which UKCP develops and manufactures additives and admixtures tailored to a customer's specific requirements, either to improve an existing product or to develop new product technology.

What is a black box additive?
A black box additive is a single, pre-blended additive package that UKCP develops for one customer's product, in powder or liquid form. It replaces several separate additives from different suppliers with one blend that is added alongside the sand, cement and fillers already used on site.

Can UKCP develop an additive using our own raw materials?
Yes. Our in-house development team uses the raw materials from your own production site to develop the additive and admixture package, so the formulation is designed around the materials you actually use.

Are bespoke additives available in powder or liquid form?
Both. UKCP develops black box additives in powder or liquid form, depending on your product and production process.

How are bespoke additive packages supplied?
Blended additive packages are supplied in paper sacks or bulk bags, direct to your site, ready to blend with your sand, cement and fillers.

How long does bespoke development take and what does it cost?
Every project is different, so timescales and costs depend on your product, your raw materials and the performance you need. Contact the team to discuss your project and we will explain what is involved.

Start your bespoke formulation project

Tell us about your product, your raw materials and the performance you are looking for. Our in-house development team will talk you through how we can help.

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