Cement was among eight products exempted by US President Donald Trump from tariffs on US$20bn/yr-worth of imports from Canada on 15 September 2026. New tariffs on 122 other products offset the exemptions. The other exempted products included sanitary and toilet paper products, fishing rods and bourbon. So, the full gamut… from essentials to ‘lifestyle’ items. This may be a case of Trump’s artful dealings running up against something actually irreplaceable: even after a 5% year-on-year decline, the US still imported 1.04Mt of Canadian cement and clinker in the first four months of 2026, worth US$136m – 14% of total imports of 7.41Mt.1 The overall US reliance on cement imports rose over the same period by 1%.
Whatever his motivation, President Trump is not the first to run into difficulties over an intended cement duty. In Kenya, the government finally upheld a 17.5% duty on clinker imports on 17 September 2026, following sustained complaints since its original implementation in July 2023. The government explained its decision with reference to the country’s increased clinker self-sufficiency. Imports dropped from 148,000t in 2023 to 18,800t/yr in 2025.
Cement producers in South Africa alleged cement dumping in the market in June 2026, leading to an International Trade Administration Commission investigation and the implementation of anti-dumping duties on 21 September 2026. Importers will pay an additional 91% on shipments of cement from neighbouring Mozambique and 37% on shipments from Vietnam.
Vietnam exported 25.5Mt of cement and clinker in the eight-month period up to 31 August 2026, worth US$951m – up by 10% year-on-year both in volume and value. Volumes are 9% below their historical peak of 28Mt in the first eight months of 2021. At that time, Vietnamese cement and clinker exports still primarily served China, but Chinese demand has since fallen significantly.
Meanwhile in Algeria, cement producers have despatched shipments via new channels to Guatemala (22,000t of white cement), Italy and Libya (18,950t combined) and other destinations in Europe (6000t of cement and 7000t of clinker) so far in September 2026. The Mediterranean Sea ports of Annaba, Skikda, Ténès handled the shipments. They may position Algeria to become a competitor to Türkiye in the Atlantic sphere – including the increasingly important West and Southern African markets.
Exporting is not a simple matter, with or without tariffs. In Bolivia, operations at state-owned ECEBOL’s cement plant in landlocked Potosí Department finally proved untenable on 18 September 2026. Among the factors figuring in the decision by the Ministry of the Presidency was the absence of rail infrastructure leading from the plant. The Potosí plant was intended to export its cement to Chile and Peru.
Had the Potosí plant commenced exports, it would have encountered a growing, but already crowded, market in Peru. In August 2026, the country imported 12,400t of finished cement – 7440t (60%) Chilean and 4960t (40%) Vietnamese – up by 16% year-on-year. It imported 110,000t of clinker – 74,800 (68%) from neighbouring Ecuador and 35,200t (32%) from South Korea.
Producers will always seek to fend off new competition from their domestic market. The greatest measure of success, perhaps, lies in achieving irreplaceability in another market overseas – and causing headaches for local rivals, trade commissions and presidents alike.
References
1 United States Geological Survey, 'Cement in April 2026,' 2 September 2026, https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/media/files/mis-202604-cemen.pdf
