About us

Our story

In 1880, the first regulations on cements were created and the following year the International Association for Material Testing and the Commission of Test Methods were founded in France.

In 1893, Leucate sand was recommended for cement mortar tests by the Methods Commission and Mr. R. Ferret founded the SNL in 1910 to produce and market the so-called “normal” sand.

In 1989, 100 years later, the new CEN EN 196-1 standard detailed the specifications of standard-sand and its manufacturing conditions. In 1994, the Société Nouvelle du Littoral built its new factory in the Leucate business park.

In 2007, the four French cement manufacturers and the French Association of the cement industry ATILH (that have since then become France-Ciments) acquired a stake in S.N.L. Many cement and sand experts have led the company to offer our customers a perfect understanding of their industry.

Since 2016, the Société Nouvelle du Littoral has modernized its factory with more precise and efficient workshops allowing the production of up to two million standard-sand bags. It has also diversified its product portfolio to offer our customers the laboratory materials they need, notably by marketing:

• The reference cements from the international inter-laboratory Round Robin Test of France-Ciments
• A wide range of special sands, formulation sands and sands used for concrete equivalent mortar
• A range for road, concrete and civil engineering laboratories.
• Special and tailor made sands for other industries and their R&D departments.