Concrete demand is increasing along with the development of infrastructure that is emerging in Indonesia. The development of science in the sector of concrete technology allows the use of waste as a concrete material by utilizing industrial waste, as nickel slag due to the smelting process of nickel ore after going through the combustion and screening process. In this study, nickel slag will be used as a supplementary cementitious material to evaluate result on high strength concrete. Samples were made with water cement ratio 0.31 and will be compared with 100% OPC Type 1 concrete as a reference (Ref). Nickel slag powder (NSP) substitution of cement were 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30% with the concrete age of 3, 7, 14 and 28 days. Specific gravity test for NSP and cement were done by the Le Chatelier method. Mineral characterization using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) was carried out on nickel slag powder used and concrete substitution 30% NSP aged 3 days. The mechanical characteristics include ease of work in the field (workability) and compressive strength. Concrete was targeted to reach an average compressive strength of ≥ 72 MPa at aged 28 days using superplasticizer type Sika Viscocrete 8015. The compressive strength result of NSP concrete substitution at aged 28 days was 82.94 MPa for 5% NSP, 82.28 MPa for 10% NSP, 79.98 MPa for 15% NSP, 77.89 MPa for 20% NSP, 77.26 MPa for 25% NSP and 73.80 MPa for 30% NSP. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2025.