The Leader in its Industry

Cement: A material in great demand

Lafarge offers a range of cements, hydraulic binders and limes for construction, renovation and public works. In 2009, Lafarge's cement business accounted for more than half of the Lafarge Group's total sales.

Fast-growing markets, such as China, India and Eastern Europe are a key focus of our strategic development plan. Such markets account for more than half of Lafarge's cement business sales.

Aggregates: The most-consumed material in the world, ahead of water!

Aggregates are an essential ingredient in the manufacture of concrete and are used in the framework of many structures. Lafarge is a leader in this sector thanks to its expertise throughout the value chain, from extraction to quarry rehabilitation.

Concrete: A high-tech material at the heart of architectural innovation.

Lafarge has created more than 500 different concrete formulas to meet the specific needs of our customers: pre-cast concretes, ready-mix concretes, ultra-high-performance concretes, to name a few.

Concrete is now studied at the nanometric scale, bringing it into the realm of high-tech and allowing it to contribute its many qualities to bold architectural projects.

Gypsum: A material with remarkable technical and aesthetic properties.

Gypsum is perfect for partitions, walls and ceilings. Lafarge offers a range of plasterboard solutions that meet a variety of needs, including thermal and acoustic insulation, protection against fire and dampness and decoration.

Innovation is a strategic priority for the Lafarge Group. Lafarge holds several hundred patents and consistently offers new high-tech products and solutions.

• The Group's research center, the world's leading research center in the field of building materials, is an international point of scientific reference.
• Our decentralized global structure of technical centers and application laboratories empowers us to pioneer competitive innovations in all of our markets.

Each year, Lafarge devotes more than $190 million to research. More than 1,000 scientists, engineers, and expert technicians are working to develop the building materials of tomorrow. Join us so that we can innovate together!

Lafarge has developed partnerships with important research centers, engineering schools, international institutions and universities around the world.

In partnership with two prestigious French engineering schools, the Ecole des Ponts and the Ecole Polytechnique, the Lafarge Group is a founding member of the Research Chair in the Science of Sustainable Construction Materials. The goal of this partnership is to create a world center of excellence in the science of building materials.

The Lafarge Group also works closely with other universities and organizations worldwide, including:

• MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
• Princeton University
• University of California, Berkeley
• University of Toronto
• University of Sherbrooke
• The Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Europe's leading scientific research organization
• The Building Materials Academy in Beijing
• The Institute of Technologyin Roorke (India)

This top-class scientific cooperation helps Lafarge maintain its leadership position in the building materials sector.