MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Furno Materials, a leader in sustainable cement production, has reached a significant milestone announcing its cement has achieved ASTM C150 certification, the benchmark for Ordinary Portland Cement (OPC). Furno’s cement was found to perform at strengths 2x industry ASTM standard. This breakthrough combines the strength and reliability of traditional OPC with superior sustainability, positioning Furno as a transformative player in the cement industry.
Over the last twenty years, numerous alternative cement chemistries have been introduced in an attempt to reduce carbon emissions. Despite significant investment and long development cycles, these alternatives have struggled to gain mass-market adoption due to complex supply chains, longer setting times, performance uncertainties, and regulatory hurdles required by new technologies. In addition, in a conservative industry that builds structures meant to last a century or more, taking chances on new materials is viewed as a high risk, low reward gamble. These challenges have left the industry reliant on traditional OPC processes with a low-carbon footprint, unattainable until now.
Enter Furno’s approach. This Silicon Valley-based startup produces Ordinary Portland Cement (ASTM C150)—the same product trusted by builders for over 200 years. Furno is a plug-and-play solution, offering better strength, performance, and reliability, but with a fraction of the carbon emissions. This milestone is a major breakthrough for the industry, as Furno provides a direct path to decarbonizing cement without creating burdens along a complex value chain.
“Our ASTM test results speak for themselves,” said Gurinder Nagra, CEO of Furno Materials. “Our cement is not only outperforming industry standards, but it’s doing so with a fraction of the carbon emissions. With third-party validation from CTL and support from industry leaders, our cement is ready for adoption in the market.”
According to Nagra, Furno was founded with the mission to standardize, decarbonize, and decentralize cement production. The company’s standardized, mass-produced plants are designed to drive down costs, increase flexibility of cement manufacture, and streamline deployment anywhere to under 12 months. Its novel, gas-based combustion system removes coal from the process equation, and slashes heating emissions by 70%. In addition, Furno replaces virgin limestone with calcium-rich waste materials, abating limestone-based CO2 emissions.
“Furno’s cement is not only environmentally superior, but it also meets the high-performance standards we require for our projects,” said Marty Ozinga, CEO of Ozinga. “We and our customers want to reduce our carbon footprint, without sacrificing quality and schedule. Furno delivers the product we’ve used for generations while lowering emissions. We look forward to continuing to work with Furno to integrate this cement into our operations, to help us reach our goal to deliver carbon neutral concrete by 2030.”
By meeting both performance standards and sustainability goals, Furno is poised for large-scale adoption.
“With these results and the backing of key industry leaders, we’re ready to scale,” added Nagra. “Meeting ASTM standards is just the baseline. Today’s market demands cement that far exceeds those benchmarks. Our product exceeds the strength and performance that customers expect from traditional cement, without asking them to compromise on quality or reliability. What sets us apart is that we achieve this while significantly cutting emissions. By offering the same trusted product used in the industry today, we remove the barriers to adoption, making it easy for concrete companies to integrate our solution.”
About Furno Materials
Furno Materials is pioneering a new era with standardized, decentralized, and decarbonized cement production. Furno’s vision is to jumpstart growth in domestic cement manufacturing, while enabling customers to deploy carbon neutral concrete anywhere. Headquartered in Mountain View, California, Furno is partnering with leading independent concrete producers to revolutionize the way cement is made.
About Ozinga
Ozinga is a fifth-generation, family-owned company that provides concrete, materials, energy, and logistics solutions. Founded in 1928 and headquartered in Mokena, Illinois, Ozinga is one of the largest independent concrete producers in the U.S., with a commitment to sustainability and innovative solutions. Ozinga’s purpose is to make a positive impact on individuals, their families and the community for generations. They do this by upholding their values of service, learning, and entrepreneurship to influence and encourage coworkers, customers and community.
