US shipments see second successive monthly increase
US Geological Survey preliminary estimates indicate that US cement shipments in June 2011 were 2.8% higher than in June 2010, in line with expectations by Jefferies. This followed an increase of 2.5% in May. US cement shipments have increased in four of the first six months of this year, and were only down 0.4% in January-June 2011 compared with the same period last year due to April’s 13.5% decline. They have increased in 13 of the last 16 months.
Amongst the larger states, shipments increased in June in Southern Texas (+7%), Northern California (+6%), Florida (+5%), Southern California (+4%), Arizona (+4%), South Carolina (+1%) and Northern Texas (+1%), but declined in Georgia (-11%), Michigan (-6%) and New York (-2%).
US cement shipments for the first six months of 2011 were 0.4% lower than in the same period in 2010. Amongst the larger states shipments increased in Northern California (+11%), Southern California (+4%) and Northern Texas (+2%), Florida (+1%) and South Carolina (+1%). They were unchanged in Southern Texas, but they declined in Arizona (-6%), Michigan (-9%), Georgia (-12%) and New York (-13%). Published under Cement News
