RustGuard™ is a calcium nitride-based corrosion-inhibiting admixture designed specifically for steel-reinforced concrete. It protects rebar by forming a protective passivation layer in concrete's alkaline environment, preventing chloride-induced corrosion while accelerating set times for faster project timelines.
RustGuard™ delivers dual benefits in ready-mix concrete applications. It inhibits corrosion on embedded steel while speeding up early strength gain, making it ideal for harsh environments like bridges, parking structures, and marine projects.
Accelerates set time and early compressive strength without compromising long-term durability.
Proven effective in chloride-rich conditions, extending the structure's life.
Easy dosage integration into standard batch plants.
Our CBM Concrete Solutions product line covers a wide range of project needs – from self-consolidating and high-workability flatwork mixes to fibre-reinforced, accelerated strength, extended workability, and durability-focused formulations. All mixes are performance-based and CSA-compliant. Our technical team can also develop custom mix designs for projects with specific structural or environmental requirements.
We work directly with engineers and contractors before the first truck arrives – reviewing exposure class, strength development, pumping distances, and workability windows to build a concrete program around your project, not around a standard product. The Gordie Howe International Bridge, the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, and 141 Bay are examples of that process at work.
Yes. Every customer has access to the same ready mix concrete solutions and quality-controlled mixes that go into our largest builds. Get in touch with your local CBM representative to discuss your requirements.
CBM is proud to be part of Votorantim Cimentos, one of the largest building materials companies in the world. Our VC Way is the operating philosophy that runs across the entire Votorantim Cimentos family – and it shapes how our teams work every day. For our customers, that means decisions made close to the job, clear communication from order to delivery, and accountability that does not stop once the truck leaves the plant. The work we did at Ripley’s Aquarium, the Gordie Howe International Bridge, and other countless projects reflects exactly that – sustained technical collaboration, dependable execution, and a standard of care that holds across the full life of a project.
RustGuard™ functions by sustaining a passive film on the steel surface, even when chloride ions penetrate the concrete cover. The calcium nitrite reacts with ferrous ions from the reinforcing steel to form stable ferric oxide compounds, preventing the electrochemical reactions that initiate corrosion. This mechanism maintains rebar passivation as long as adequate nitrite concentrations remain in the pore solution, significantly extending expected service life in marine or de-icing salt exposure conditions.
Yes. RustGuard™ is compatible with blends containing fly ash, silica fume, and slag cement, as well as with high-range water reducers and air-entraining agents. The nitrite ions do not interfere with pozzolanic reactions; however, laboratory or field trial mixes should always verify setting time and slump retention, particularly when used with accelerating admixtures or high early-strength cement types.
RustGuard™’s effectiveness is validated through both accelerated corrosion tests (ASTM G109, G180) and long-term chloride penetration assessments (ASTM C1202). These tests consistently demonstrate delayed onset of corrosion potential and lower half-cell readings compared to untreated control mixes. Field applications, such as bridge decks, precast marine elements, and parking structures, have also shown measurable reductions in maintenance and repair cycles when RustGuard™ is included in the mix design.
Contact us today to learn more about RustGuard™ and get customized dosing recommendations.
