WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/TBT/N/CRI/9 
4 June 2004  
 
(04-2407) 
Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade Original:  Spanish 
  
NOTIFICATION 
 
The following notification is being circ ulated in accordance with Article 10.6. 
 
1. Member to Agreement notifying:   REPUBLIC OF COSTA RICA 
If applicable, name of local government involved (Articles 3.2 and 7.2):     
2. Agency responsible:    
Ministry of the Economy, Industry and Trade (MEIC) 
Technical Regulation Body 
Tel.: (506) 297-1439 and 235-2700, ext. 265 
Name and address (including telephone and fax numbers, E-mail and Web site 
addresses, if available) of  agency or authority designated to handle comments 
regarding the notification shall be  indicated if different from above:    
TBT Enquiry Point 
Ministry of the Economy, Industry and Trade (MEIC) 
P.O. Box 10216-1000 Tel.: (506) 297-1439 Fax: (506) 297-1439 E-mail: crotc@meic.go.cr 
Web site: www.meic.go.cr  
3. Notified under Article 2.9.2 [  X ], 2.10.1 [   ], 5.6.2 [   ], 5.7.1 [   ], other:     
4. Products covered (HS or CCCN where app licable, otherwise national tariff heading.
ICS numbers may be provided in addition, where applicable):   HS tariff item 
No. 2523.90.00.00 
5. Title, number of pages and language(s) of the notified document:   Costa Rican 
Technical Regulation RTCR:    2004, Hydraulic Cements  (14 pages, in Spanish). 
6. Description of content:   This Technical Regulation de fines the quality parameters and 
specifications for domestically produced and imported hydraulic cements and the  
components thereof intended for use in Costa Rica.   It also establishes the classification of, 
and respective specifications for, hydraulic cements by type.  
7. Objective and rationale, including the na ture of urgent problems where applicable:  
 Protection of human health and safety and prevention of consumer deception. G/TBT/N/CRI/9 
Page 2  
 
8. Relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:  
Annual Book of ASTM (American Society fo r Testing and Materials) Standards 2002 , 
Volume 4,  Cement; Lime; Gypsum , 2002; 
ASTM C-109M-01: Standard Test Method for Compressive  Strength of Hydraulic Cement 
Mortars (Using 2-in. or 50-mm Cube Specimens ); 
ASTM C-114-03: Standard Test Methods for Chemical Analysis of Hydraulic Cement ; 
ASTM C-151-00: Standard Test Method for Autoclave Expansion of Portland Cement ; 
ASTM C-183-02: Standard Practice for Sampling and th e Amount of Testing of Hydraulic 
Cement ; 
ASTM C-185-02: Standard Test Method for Air Content of Hydraulic Cement Mortar ; 
ASTM C-191-03: Standard Test Method for Time of Se tting of Hydraulic Cement by Vicat 
Needle ; 
ASTM C-204-00: Standard Test Method for Fineness of Hydraulic Cement by Air 
Permeability Apparatus; 
ASTM C-465-99: Standard Specification fo r Processing Additions for Use in the 
Manufacture of Hydraulic Cements; 
ASTM C-150: C150-02ae1:  Standard Specification for Portland Cement;
 
ASTM C-187-98: Standard Test Method for No rmal Consistency of Hydraulic Cement; 
ASTM C-188-95(2003): Standard Test Met hod for Density of Hydraulic Cement; 
ASTM C-219-03: Standard Terminology Relating to Hydraulic Cement;  
ASTM C-430-96(2003): Standard Test Method for Fineness of Hydraulic Cement by the 45-
μm (No. 325) Sieve; 
ASTM C-1157-02: Standard Performance Specification for Hydraulic Cement;  
ASTM C-595-03: Standard Specificatio n for Blended Hydraulic Cements;  
ASTM E-380: Standard for Use of the Inter national System of Units (SI): The Modern 
Metric System; 
Mexican standard NMX-C-414-ONNCCE-1999: Industria de la Construcción - Cementos 
Hidráulicos - Especificaci ones y Métodos de Prueba  (Construction Industry - Hydraulic 
Cements - Specifications and Test Methods); 
Spanish standard UNE-EN 197-1-2000: C ementos comunes  (Common cements), Spanish 
Standards Institute, Madrid, June 2002; 
Bhatty, Javed I ., Role of Minor Elements in Cement: Manufacture and Use,  Portland 
Cement Association Research and Developmen t Bulletin RD109T, Skokie, Illinois, USA,  
1995.  
9. Proposed date of adoption:  To be determined  
Proposed date of entry into force:  Upon publication in the Official Journal, 
La Gaceta.  
 A six-month period is provided for product labelling to be brought into 
compliance with the provisions of point 8 of this Regulation. 
 Otherwise unchanged.   G/TBT/N/CRI/9 
 Page 3 
 
 
10. Final date for comments:   60 days as of the date of notification. 
11. Texts available from:  National enquiry point [  X ] or address, telephone and fax 
numbers and E-mail and Web site addresses,  if available, of the other body:   
Centro de Información de Obstáculos Técnicos al Comercio 
Ministerio de Economía, Industria y Comercio - MEIC  Apartado Postal 10216-1000 Tel.: (506) 297-1439 Fax: (506) 297-1439  
E-mail: crotc@meic.go.cr  
Web site: www.meic.go.cr