NACE 23.5 – Manufacture of Cement, Lime and Plaster | Public Tenders

Definition: NACE 23.5 covers the manufacture of cement (Portland, blast-furnace, pozzolanic cement), lime (quicklime, slaked lime, dolomitic lime) and plaster (raw gypsum, gypsum-board precursors, stucco). These building materials are indispensable base materials in public infrastructure works — every road project, every building project and every soil-stabilisation measure uses products from this group.

Legal basis: NACE Rev. 2 (Regulation (EC) No 1893/2006) · Last updated: January 2026

What does NACE 23.5 cover?

NACE 23.5 (Manufacture of cement, lime and plaster) classifies companies that produce mineral binders for construction and industry — base materials used in bulk for public infrastructure projects.

Group 23.5 within Section C (Manufacturing) and Division 23 is broken down into three classes:

Cement is the most important mineral binder by volume and an indispensable component of concrete and mortar. In addition to construction, lime is used in water treatment (municipal waterworks) and environmental protection (flue-gas desulphurisation). Gypsum serves as a base raw material for plasterboard products and plaster materials.

Public tenders: scope of activity NACE 23.5

Cement, lime and plaster form the mineral basis for almost all public construction activity — from the road sub-base to building foundations. Particularly in major infrastructure projects, bulk procurements arise that trigger EU-wide tendering obligations.

Typical contract types

• Road construction and soil stabilisation: lime and cement for soil consolidation (lime stabilisation, cement stabilisation) in the sub-base of federal, state and municipal roads
• Concrete for engineering structures: cement as a precursor for ready-mix concrete for bridges, tunnels, bridge abutments and wastewater-treatment-plant structures (mostly procured indirectly via precast concrete and construction companies)
• Direct supply to municipal building projects: procurement of cement in sacks or in bulk for direct works by municipal works yards
• Water treatment: hydrated lime and quicklime for pH regulation, softening and neutralisation in municipal waterworks and wastewater treatment plants
• Flue-gas desulphurisation: lime for desulphurisation plants at heating power stations and waste-incineration plants under municipal ownership
• Plaster and interior fit-out: gypsum-based plaster materials for public building projects (as a precursor for plasterer/drylining companies)

Thresholds and procurement procedures

Direct bulk procurement of cement, lime or plaster by public contracting authorities (e.g. for soil-stabilisation projects or municipal waterworks) may exceed EU thresholds and is tendered in the open procedure. More frequently, however, procurement takes place indirectly as material sourced by construction companies as part of works contracts.

Relevant CPV codes for NACE 23.5

The following CPV codes are relevant for searching direct procurement of cement, lime and plaster as well as for works contracts that use these materials.

Current tenders are published on TED (Tenders Electronic Daily), on the German Procurement Portal (DTVP) and on municipal procurement portals.

For whom is NACE 23.5 relevant in procurement law?

Public contracting authorities

The main contracting authorities for direct procurement of cement, lime and plaster are municipal waterworks and water associations (lime for water treatment), municipal heating-power-station and WIP operators (lime for flue-gas cleaning), road authorities for soil-stabilisation projects, and municipal works yards for direct labour. Indirect procurement, where construction companies source cement and lime themselves for public works contracts, is much more common.

Companies and bidders

Cement, lime and plaster manufacturers and building-materials traders acting as bidders should consider:

• Product standards: EN 197 for cement (CEM I–V), EN 459 for building lime, EN 13279 for gypsum binders; CE marking under the Construction Products Regulation is mandatory
• Environmental certificates: relevant for public procurement: CO₂ reduction evidence (increasingly required for the award of infrastructure works), EMAS registration for cement plants
• Delivery logistics: reliable silo or sack deliveries; response time for demand peaks during winter operations or major construction sites
• Quality consistency: critical for concrete production — complete batch documentation and quality monitoring under RAL-GZ 952 (cement quality mark)
• Technical customer service: advice on cement-type selection (exposure classes under EN 206) as a value-added service on public works contracts

NACE 23.5 in context: Section C and Division 23

Together with NACE 23.6, NACE 23.5 forms the mineral value chain from binders to finished precast elements — one of the highest-volume material chains in the entire public construction sector.

• NACE C – Manufacturing: parent section
• NACE 23 – Manufacture of glass, ceramics and other non-metallic mineral products: parent division
• NACE 23.6 – Manufacture of articles of concrete, cement and plaster: downstream precast concrete elements
• NACE 42 – Civil engineering: main user of cement and lime

Frequently asked questions on NACE 23.5 and public tenders

Is cement tendered publicly as a standalone supply contract? Yes, particularly by public operations that procure construction materials independently (municipal works yards, waterworks). The more frequent case, however, is that cement is procured as a building material in works contracts by construction companies themselves — without a separate public tender.

Why is lime procurement relevant for municipal waterworks? Lime (calcium hydroxide or oxide) is used in drinking-water treatment for pH adjustment, softening and decarbonation. Bulk volumes for municipal waterworks frequently exceed thresholds and are therefore tendered as framework agreements, often with annual volumes in the six-figure euro range.

How high are the CO₂ emissions from cement manufacture and does this play a role in tenders? Cement manufacture is responsible for around 7–8% of global CO₂ emissions. In sustainable public procurement, CEM II/B or CEM III cements (with a lower clinker content) or cements with a low CO₂ footprint are increasingly specified. The EU Construction Products Regulation (revised version) will in future create stronger transparency obligations in this area.

Last updated: January 2026 All information provided without warranty. For legally binding advice, please consult a law firm specialising in public procurement.