US March shipments rise 11% YoY

Total shipments of Portland and blended cement in the United States and Puerto Rico for March 2012 were nearly 6Mt, data from the US Geological Survey showed. This was 11% higher than shipments in March 2011. Shipments for the year through March were 15.2 Mt, up by about 20%.

The leading producing states in March were Texas, California, Missouri, Florida, and Pennsylvania, in descending order, and accounted for nearly 47% of total output. The leading consuming States (Texas, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, and New York, in descending order) received about 40% of the March total shipments.

Clinker production totaled 5.3Mt in March, about 7% higher than output in March 2011. Production for the year through March was 13.7 Mt, up by almost 16%. The leading clinker-producing states in March were Texas, Missouri, California, Alabama, and Florida, in descending order.

March 2012 imports of cement and clinker of about 429,000 t were about 6% higher than those in March 2011. Imports for the year through March were 1.09 Mt, up by almost 14%.