Cement News tagged: International
Argentina's cement consumption declines 20% in January
Cement demand in Argentina saw a 19.9 per cent drop to 767,297t in January 2024 when compared with 958,230t in January 2023, according to the country's cement association, AFCP. Argentinian demand was entirely met by domestic production, which saw a 20 per cent decline to 772,874t in January 2024 from 965,633t in January 2023. Local producers also exported 6036t of cement, an 18.5 per cent d...
Chile's cement market closes 2023 with 11% drop
Chilean cement dispatches fell by 10.1 per cent YoY to 443,170t in December 2023 from 492,963t in December 2023, according to the Chilean construction chamber, CChC. In the full-year 2023 cement dispatches were down 11 per cent YoY to 5,208,803t from 5,854,997t in 2022.
Brazilian cement sales start 2024 with a 2% drop
Cement sales in the Brazilian market saw 2.1 per cent YoY drop to 4.766Mt in January 2024 when compared with 4.868Mt in January 2023, according to SNIC, the country's cement association. Exports were down 65.2 per cent YoY to 8000t from 23,000t in January 2023. The drop in domestic sales suggests that weak performance in 2023 is expected to persist in 2024. High interest rates and debt have...
Puerto Rico’s cement market expands 8% in January
Puerto Rican cement sales increased 7.7 per cent to 539,034t (1.189m bags of 42.5kg) in January 2024 from 500,286t (1.103m bags) in January 2023, according to the Puerto Rican statistics agency. However, domestic production fell by 14.4 per cent YoY to 291,770t (643,352 bags) in January 2024 from 340,739t (751,329 bags). Domestic consumption 6,670,252t, or 14.708m bags, in 2023, representing ...
Colombian cement dispatches fall to 12.9Mt in 2023
Cement dispatches in Colombia slipped by 2.6 per cent to 1.093Mt in December 2023 from 1.122Mt in December 2022, according to the country’s statistics agency, DANE. Of this total, bulk deliveries declined by 5.2 per cent while bagged cement dispatches were down 1.4 per cent. While retail sales increased 2.5 per cent YoY in December 2023, ready-mix concrete companies and the construction and ...
India's CMA welcomes Interim Budget 2024-25
India’s cement producers have applauded the country’s government for its sustained focus on infrastructure development in its latest Interim Budget 2024-25. Under the budget plan, investment in infrastructure will increase by 11.1 per cent YoY in 2024-25, equivalent to 3.4 per cent of GDP. Three major economic railway corridor programmes, namely the energy, mineral and cement corridor, ...
MPA survey reveals deteriorating markets
The UK-based Mineral Products Association (MPA) has released the results of its latest industry sales survey, revealing a second consecutive annual drop in sales volumes of heavy-side building materials in Great Britain. The deteriorating market for aggregates, concrete, asphalt and mortar has unfolded against a backdrop of unfavourable economic conditions, escalating costs, rising interest r...
Congolese government raises cement price
Following requests from domestic cement producers, the government of the Republic of Congo has increased the prices of wholesale cement per tonne and retail cement per 50kg bag. The price of cement has increased by more than 50 per cent compared to the approved price as production costs have soared. Type 42.5N cement is now sold in Brazzaville at XAF90,000/t (US$147.78/t) and XAF4900/50kg ba...
Ghana introduces new cement regulation
Ghana has introduced a new regulation designed to protect both the quality and safety of cement products in the country, According to BNN, The Ghana Standards Authority (Manufacture of Cement) Regulation, 2023 (L.I. 2480) follows concerns raised by players in the country’s construction industry regarding the quality of cement and its impact on the durability and safety of structures. Th...
Nigerian cement prices rise by 30%
Cement prices in Nigeria have risen by 30 per cent in the last few days, reaching NGN6500 (US$5.44)/bag in some regions, reports The Guardian. The ripple effect across other building materials is already being seen with sandcrete blocks going up in price from NGN450 to NGN500 for a six inch block, while nine-inch blocks have increased from NGN550 to NGN600/block. The price of ready-mixed conc...
Italian cement production expands 10% in November
Cement output in Italy increased by 10 per cent YoY in November 2023, according to the Italian concrete association, Federbeton. However, when compared with the 2015-baseline index of 100, output declined to 92. The country imported 191,707t of grey cement in October 2023, up 13 per cent YoY, with a total CIF value of EUR16.584m, or EUR87/t. Grey exports advanced by 22 per cent YoY in Octobe...
Pakistan extends T&T implementation deadline
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has launched the Track and Trace System (TTS) that was to be rolled out across the cement, sugar, fertiliser, beverages, tobacco, POL products and steel sectors from 1 July 2021 in Pakistan to enhance tax revenue, reduce counterfeiting and preventing the smuggling of illicit goods through the implementation of a robust, and has extended the deadline for cemen...
Spanish cement demand falls 3% in 2023
Cement consumption in Spain showed no growth in 2023, settling at 14.5Mt, representing a drop of three per cent YoY and five years of stagnation, according to the country’s cement association, Oficemen. With an installed capacity of approximately 47Mta, capacity utilisation rates are low and Oficemen President, Alan Svaiter, said that a country with the population and GDP of Spain should hav...
MPA's new report issues warning to next UK Government
With a general election approaching in the UK, a new report from the Mineral Products Association (MPA) – ‘Priorities for the Next Government: Decarbonisation, Growth, Delivery’ – is urging all parties to carefully consider the supply of essential domestic mineral products in their manifesto pledges on housing and transport, schools and hospitals, flood defences and renewable energy infrastru...
Port of Rotterdam puts geopolymer concrete to the test
The Port of Rotterdam Authority is trialling the use of geopolymer concrete as part of the port’s efforts to lower its CO 2 footprint. This marks the first time geopolymer concrete, which does not contain any cement, has been tested in a maritime environment, reports Hellenic Shipping News. The Port Authority currently maintains 80km of quay walls and 200km of slopes, and plans to use the con...
Azerbaijan cement production up 5% in 2023
Azerbaijani cement companies produced 3.725Mt of cement in 2023, up 4.6 per cent YoY, according to the State Statistics Committee. Clinker output reached 3.869Mt, representing a YoY increase of 36.9 per cent. The country's cement production base consists of four cement producers, each operating a single integrated plant. Norm Cement operates the largest cement works, a 2.1Mta unit at Qizil...