Cement sales in Indonesia amounted to 5.996Mt in September, a drop of 1.3 per cent YoY compared to the 6.073Mt reported a year earlier, according to the Asosiasi Semen Indonesia. Bagged sales accounted for 70 per cent of total sales in September.

All regions except Bali-Nustra reported a contraction in demand during the month. Bali-Nustra noted a 16.3 per cent YoY increase in dispatched to 437,766t, up from 376,525Mt in September 2024.

Java, the country’s largest market, accounting for 52 per cent of all sales, saw dispatches slip a modest 0.3 per cent YoY to 3.110Mt from 3.117Mt in September 2024. Sumatera, which accounts for just over a fifth of cement sales nationwide, fell 3.5 per cent YoY to 1.309Mt from 1.357Mt previously.

Sulawesi noted a 2.2 per cent YoY decline to 479,395t from 490,057t. Maluku-Papua reported a 4.9 per cent YoY decrease to 178,996t, down from 188,288t previously. Kalimantan reported an 11.5 per cent YoY decline to 481,709t, from 544,148t.  

Cement production in Indonesia contracted eight per cent YoY to 5.744Mt, from 6.241Mt in September 2024. Blended cement accounted for 4.073Mt or 71 per cent of total production, and OPC the remainder. Clinker production slipped 0.1 per cent YoY to 5.219Mt, down from 5.296Mt previously.

In September, cement exports rose 11 per cent YoY 100,364t, up from 90,401ta year earlier. Meanwhile, clinker exports jumped 35 per cent YoY to 1.016Mt, up from 753,075t. East Timor was the key destination for cement, followed by the Maldives, the Philippines, Taiwan and Papua New Guinea. Bangladesh was the key destination for clinker, followed by Taiwan, Angola, Ghana, Sri Lanka and Mozambique.

January-September 2025
Cement sales during 9M25 contracted 2.4 per cent YoY to amount to 45.668Mt, down from 46.789Mt in the same period of 2024. 

The regions of Sumatera, Bali-Nustra and Maluku-Papua reported an increase in demand over the nine months to September. Sumatera noted a 2.4 per cent YoY increase to 10.220Mt, demand in Maluku-Papua increased two per cent YoY to 1.513Mt and dispatches in Bali-Nustra rose 1.7 per cent YoY to 3.032Mt.

Meanwhile, cement demand in Java declined 2.1 per cent YoY to 23.834Mt and sales fell 6.2 per cent YoY to 3.646Mt in Sulawesi. Cement consumption contracted most in Kalimantan, with a 16.8 per cent YoY decline to 3.422Mt amid a slowdown in construction of the new capital.

Cement production amounted to 46.546Mt in 9M25, down 5.9 per cent YoY from 49.470Mt in the same period of 2024. Blended cement accounted for 18.334Mt or 64 per cent of total production, and OPC the remainder. Clinker production amounted to 42.319Mt, up 0.9 per cent YoY from 41.943Mt. 

Trade
Cement exports amounted to 0.879Mt in 9M25, up 11.5 per cent YoY, from 0.788Mt in the same period of 2024. Clinker exports amounted to 9.413Mt, up 20.3 per cent YoY from 7.828Mt in 9M24.

Despite increasingly stiff competition from Egypt, Vietnam and the UAE, Indonesia is expected to retain its crown as the top clinker exporter globally this year, with clinker exports forecast to hit 12.5Mt. Egyptian clinker exports are forecast to come in at 12.4Mt in 2025. At the same time, Indonesian cement exports are forecast to amount to 1.1Mt for the year, giving Indonesia joint-18th position alongside Russia in the list of global cement exporters.