US: Data from the US Geological Survey (USGS) shows that cement producers achieved volumes of 87Mt of Portland cement in 2020, a slight increase from 2019 levels. Portland and masonry cement volumes rose by 1% year-on-year to 89Mt from 88Mt, while clinker volumes remained level at 79Mt. Total cement shipments remained level at 103Mt. The value of shipments in 2020 was US$12.7bn. Total exports of cement and clinker were 1.0Mt, down from slightly over 1.0Mt in 2019. The USGS said that on-going upgrades, closed and mothballed plants, low capacity utilisation and relatively inexpensive imports constrained the industry’s growth.
Domestic consumption fell by less than 1% to 102Mt from 103Mt. Cement imports totalled 15.0Mt, up slightly from 14.7Mt, while clinker imports rose to 1.4Mt from 1.2Mt. This corresponded to a 15% rise in reliance on imports of cement and clinker. The main exporters of cement and clinker to the country were Canada, accounting for 33% of US imports, Turkey (16%), Greece (15%) and China (12%).