Displaying items by tag: Clinker

Vietnam: The country exported 19.8Mt of cement and clinker worth US$745m in the first seven months of 2025, up by 9% in volume and 7% in value year-on-year, according to the General Department of Vietnam Customs. The Philippines remained the largest buyer with 3.87Mt worth US$147m, accounting for nearly 20% of total shipments. However, exports to this market fell by 17% in volume and 21% in value compared to 2024. Bangladesh ranked second with 3.53Mt worth US$116m, while Taiwan and Malaysia followed, each importing more than 850,000t.

Dominican Republic: Cement and clinker exports totalled US$72.5m in the first half of 2025, a 37% rise year-on-year, according to cement exporter Despradel & Asociados (DASA) and the Dominican Association of Portland Cement Producers (Adocem). Haiti was the main market, with US$39.6m of exports, followed by Jamaica (US$9.4m), Guyana (US$8.3m), Turks and Caicos Islands (US$6.0m), Suriname (US$2.3m) and the US (US$1.2m).

Ghana: Continental Blue Investment Ghana (CBI) may receive up to US$20m from the International Finance Corporation (IFC) for a limestone calcined clay cement (LC3) plant in Tema, according to Ecofin Agency. The US$66.7m project is supported by Société Générale, Norfund and Denmark’s export credit agency EKF, with IFC’s board due to decide on 30 September 2025.

The company said that the facility operates with the ‘world’s largest’ flash calciner, and has a capacity of 400,000t/yr of calcined clay. With the funding, CBI plans to raise output from 600,000t/yr to 1.4Mt/yr, reducing clinker imports and lowering cement prices.

CBI is owned by Swiss holding company F. Scott in a joint venture with Heidelberg Materials, with minority stakes held by Norway and Denmark’s public funds and Danish equipment supplier FLSmidth.

Brazil: Cia. de Cimento Itambé has inaugurated a new kiln at its Balsa Nova plant in the Curitiba metropolitan region following a US$91.8m investment, according to the Curitiba government. Mayor Eduardo Pimentel and other members of the government were in attendance. The project reportedly increases clinker production capacity by 120% and adds 600,000t/yr of cement capacity, raising the plant’s total to 3Mt/yr.

The kiln will replace up to 50% of fossil fuels with renewable energy sources like biomass and industrial waste.

US: Shipments of Portland and blended cement, including imports, fell by 7.5% year-on-year to 8.91Mt in May 2025, according to the latest figures from the United States Geological Survey (USGS). Shipments for January to May 2025 totalled 37.9Mt, down by 6% from the same period in 2024. Texas, Missouri, California, Florida and Michigan accounted for 39% of production, while Texas, California, Florida, Ohio and Illinois received 40% of shipments.

Clinker production was 6.38Mt in May 2025 , compared with 6.46Mt in May 2024. For January to May 2025, clinker output dropped by 10% to 24.5Mt. Imports for the period declined by 5% year-on-year to 9.81Mt.

Iran: Domestic cement demand fell by 8% year-on-year to 4.69Mt in July 2025, according to the Iran Cement Association. Cement output dropped by 11% year-on-year to 4.71Mt, while clinker production rose by 23% year-on-year to 6.31Mt. Cement exports grew by 1.4% during the period to 0.5Mt, but clinker exports declined by 11% to 0.5Mt.

In the first seven months of 2025, cement consumption fell by 7.3% to 34.6Mt from 37.3Mt in 2024. Cement output declined by 3.7% year-on-year to 37.8Mt, while clinker production was stable at 43.0Mt. Cement exports rose by 4.6% year-on-year to 3.37Mt, but clinker exports dropped by 21% to 3.53Mt from 4.45Mt.

The association attributed the fall in demand to a sluggish real estate market and difficult economic conditions. The government’s limits on cement production to address power shortages has also impacted production levels.

India: JK Cement’s board has approved greenfield expansions totalling 7Mt/yr. The projects include a 4Mt/yr clinker line and 3Mt/yr grinding plant at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, and two split grinding units of 2Mt/yr each in Rajasthan and Punjab. The investment is estimated at US$549m.

Peru: National cement despatches rose by 6% year-on-year to 1.1Mt in July 2025 and by 2% over the past 12 months, according to the Asociación de Productores de Cemento (ASOCEM). Cement production grew by 6.5% year-on-year to 0.97Mt, while clinker output fell by 22% year-on-year to 0.69Mt. Cement exports rose by 28% year-on-year to 13,300t, and clinker exports fell by 12% compared to July 2024 to 32,600t. Cement imports dropped by 63% compared to the previous corresponding period to 8000t, while clinker imports grew by 81% to 85,000t.

Jamaica: Caribbean Cement produced a record 93,450t of clinker and 109,682t of cement in July 2025, one month after completing a US$41m plant expansion and efficiency upgrades, according to the Jamaican Gleaner newspaper. The figures surpassed previous records of 89,600t and 103,869t respectively, a combined rise of over 9600t.

Managing director Jorge Martinez said “This is an encouraging achievement for Caribbean Cement and for Jamaica. This increase in clinker and cement production clearly indicates that our investment strategy is working. We are now in a stronger position to meet local demand by reducing our reliance on imports. At the same time, we are better positioned to explore export opportunities.”

Saudi Arabia: Cement sales by the country’s 17 producers rose by 21% year-on-year to 13.1Mt in the second quarter of 2025, according to Al Yamama Cement. Local demand grew by 23% and accounted for 97% of total despatches, while exports fell by 16% to account for 3% of sales.

Al Yamama Cement led the market with 1.93Mt of local sales, followed by Saudi Cement with 1.36Mt, Qassim Cement with 1.14Mt and Yanbu Cement with 1.00Mt. Saudi Cement topped exports with 376,000t sold, ahead of Najran Cement with 50,000t and Eastern Province Cement at 5000t. Cement expert and CEO at consultancy firm A³&Co Amr Nader said “East Africa and Yemen have seen rising local production, such as capacity expansions in Kenya and the reactivation of plants in Ethiopia, alongside aggressive pricing from Turkiye and Iran.”

Clinker production grew by 13% year-on-year to 14.8Mt, with Saudi Cement producing 2.15Mt. Clinker inventories rose by 3% from 2024 to 134Mt by the end of June 2025, led by Southern Province Cement with 20.2Mt. Clinker exports increased by 39% year-on-year to 1.63Mt. Key markets included Bangladesh, Kenya, Benin, Ghana and Yemen.