Key facts
Which construction years are worth checking?
Those from 1950 to 1970, when prestressed floor joists were made with high-alumina cement in Spain, according to INTEMAC engineers writing in Informes de la Construcción (CSIC, 1992). From 1973 the EH-73 concrete code required a special study for each project, but a building finished in the mid-1970s may still have older joists.
Engineers from INTEMAC, in a study published in 1992 by the CSIC, place the use of high-alumina cement in prestressed joists between the 1950s and the 1970s. Cementos Molins had made the cement in Spain since 1928, but its mass use in housing came with the rapid building of those decades.
The concrete code approved by Decree 3062/1973 (EH-73) did not ban it: it required its use to be the subject, “in each case, of a special study” setting out the reasons for choosing it. From then on its use had to be justified project by project, and a building finished in the mid-1970s may still have joists made earlier.
Where was high-alumina cement used most?
In Catalonia, which took 57% of Spanish production, more than all other regions combined, according to Madrid City Council in Informes de la Construcción (CSIC, 1992). Madrid's own technical services estimated between 20,000 and 50,000 homes with the material, with less damage than on the Mediterranean coast thanks to a drier, cooler climate.
According to the same issue of the journal, Catalonia used more high-alumina cement than all the other Spanish regions put together. In Madrid, the City Council's technical services estimated in 1992 that between 20,000 and 50,000 homes in the municipality contained it, while the INTEMAC engineers considered the higher figures circulating at the time exaggerated.
Climate matters. Madrid City Council put the lower damage seen there down to a drier, cooler climate than the Mediterranean coast; Barcelona, the Canary Islands and Seville were among the areas with more damage. Besides homes, it was found in schools, industrial buildings and even the stands of a football stadium.
Which construction date should you look at?
The one published by the Catastro, Spain's land registry of buildings, found from the address or cadastral reference. It is a starting point, not a verdict: if the building was extended or fully refurbished, compare it with the deeds or the project. A building from 1948 or 1975 is not ruled out either.
The starting point is the year of construction in the Catastro, Spain's land registry of buildings. If the building went up in phases, was extended or had a full refurbishment, that date may not match the floors: compare it with the title deed, the original project or the owners' association's records.
A building from 1948 or 1975 is not ruled out for falling outside the range, and one from 1962 is not condemned for falling inside it. The date helps you decide how much effort to put into the floor documents, not to reach a verdict.
What to do if the building is from those years
Ask for the latest building inspection (ITE or IEE) and look at what it says about the structure and floors. Ask the property manager whether the joists have ever been studied, opened up or strengthened, and read the owners' association minutes for recent years.
On the viewing, look at the ceilings in bathrooms and kitchens and around the drainpipes. If you see rust stains, cracks along the joists or fallen concrete, speak to a professional before you commit.
How HOUSINGFAX checks it
The report combines the Catastro year with other signals in two checks: 02, “Risks by year of construction”, and 03, “Is there a risk of aluminosis?”. Check 03 gives a level in words, from very low to very high, with the date and its source, and what to check next. Where your region's register is integrated, it adds what the building inspection says about the floors.
The free report shows those checks with your building's real data and the key information blurred; the essential report (€11) and the complete report (€19) show them in full as a PDF within minutes. The report does not replace a technical inspection of the building.
Short answers
When was high-alumina cement used in Spain?
Mainly between 1950 and 1970, to make prestressed floor joists. From 1973 the concrete code required a special study to use it on each project.
Does a 1965 building definitely have aluminosis?
No. Joists were made with both high-alumina and Portland cement in those years. The year tells you to check the floor documents; only a professional with samples can confirm the cement.
What if the building is from the 1970s?
Technical sources place its use up to the 1970s, and a building from that decade may have joists made before 1973. Check the building inspection and the floor documents just as you would for a 1960s building.
Where can I find a building's year of construction?
In the Catastro records, from the address or the cadastral reference. The free HOUSINGFAX report looks it up for you and uses it in checks 02 and 03.
Official sources you can consult
The links let you review the primary source. Their inclusion does not widen their purpose or turn a piece of context into a diagnosis.
- Informes de la Construcción (CSIC, Spanish National Research Council), 1992 — Inspection, diagnosis and repair of high-alumina cement joists (in Spanish)
- Informes de la Construcción (CSIC), 1992 — High-alumina cement concrete in Madrid (Madrid City Council, in Spanish)
- BOE (Spanish Official Gazette) — Decree 3062/1973, EH-73 concrete code (article 5.1 and annex 4, in Spanish)
- Sede Electrónica del Catastro (Spanish land registry of buildings) — cadastral data look-up