Displaying items by tag: demand

Brazil: Cement sales reached 5.5Mt in November 2025, up by 4% compared to the same month in 2024, according to the National Cement Industry Union (SNIC). Between January and November 2025, total sales amounted to 62.2Mt, reflecting the same 4% year-on-year growth.

The Minha Casa, Minha Vida housing programme remains a major driver of demand, with project launches up by 8% and sales increasing by 16% over the period. Each 45m² housing unit consumes between 4-6t of cement, depending on the construction method. With a national goal of delivering more than 2 million units between 2023 and 2026, the programme is expected to significantly boost cement demand.

At COP30 in Belém, the Brazilian cement sector presented its new Net Zero 2050 Roadmap. Brazil’s cement industry currently emits 580kg of CO₂ per tonne of cement, which is below the global average of 610kg/t, and has reached 32% alternative fuel use, primarily biomass and waste.

“The cement industry is approaching the end of 2025 closely observing the dynamics between the heating up of the labour market and the constraints on credit,” said SNIC President Paulo Camillo Penna. “While the real estate market financed by savings suffers from high interest rates, social housing confirms its strategic role. The progress of the Minha Casa, Minha Vida programme and the continuous investments in infrastructure, combined with our renewed commitment to the climate agenda, will be decisive in sustaining demand next year.”

Iran: Cement output fell by 10% year-on-year to 31.7Mt in the first half of 1403 (21 March – 22 September 2025), down from 35.1Mt, according to Ali Akbar Alvandian, secretary of the Cement Industry Association. He attributed the decline to weaker domestic demand and energy constraints.

Clinker output also dropped by 10% in the first quarter (21 March – 21 June 2025), recovered in July and August 2025, then declined by 4.5% in September 2025. Cement production in the sixth month (22 August - 21 September) fell to 5.7Mt from 6.4Mt a year earlier.

Exports rose by 7% to 6.9Mt of cement and clinker, while domestic demand fell by about 10%. A nationwide power cut in May 2025 reportedly halted production and temporarily increased prices.

South Korea: Cement exports are expected to reach 4.5Mt in 2025, up by 52% year-on-year, according to the Korea Cement Association, as producers seek to offset weak domestic demand and rising raw material costs. Domestic shipments are projected to fall by 16.5% to 36.5Mt, the lowest level in 34 years.

Despite high transport costs and limited profitability, producers including Ssangyong C&E, Halla Cement and SAMPYO Cement are increasing exports to cover fixed costs and maintain kiln operations to retain carbon emission allowances.

A cement industry official said “The domestic economy is as bad as during the global financial crisis, but we cannot stop the plants, so we are sending the cement piling up overseas. On top of that, we need to keep the plant kilns running to maintain a minimum allocation of carbon emission allowances, so the goal is also to secure at least fixed costs.”

Another official said “Ssangyong C&E, Halla Cement and SAMPYO Cement have plants on the coast, so their transportation expenses are lower than those of corporations located inland. For inland companies, transportation costs double when you add ocean freight to land shipping, so it is difficult even to choose exports as a stopgap measure.”

Halla Cement increased exports by 63% year-on-year, expanding sales beyond Latin America into African markets including Cameroon and Guinea. SAMPYO Cement also signed new export contracts with South America in the second quarter of 2025. The Korea Cement Association forecasts 2026 demand will fall further to 36Mt, down by 1.3% from 2025, citing continued stagnation in the domestic construction sector.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Cimenterie Kongo (CIMKO) plans to invest over US$300m to expand its cement production capacity from 1.4Mt/yr to 3Mt/yr by 2027. The joint venture between the Rawji Group and Lucky Cement has operated a plant in Songololo, Kongo-Central province since 2018. The investment responds to growing demand from public and private construction and aims to reduce imports and stabilise prices. According to the Central Bank of the Congo, cement consumption reached 2.55Mt in 2023, while local production totalled 2.3Mt, with the shortfall covered by imports.

Other producers are also expanding. China-based WIH Cement plans to raise its capacity to 2.2Mt/yr by 2027, while the Chinese consortium Avic-Conch has partnered with the Congolese government to restart the National Cement plant in Kimpese, Kongo-Central.

The government banned grey cement and clinker imports in the southeast and southwest in July 2024 to support the domestic industry. However, in October 2025, Foreign Trade Minister Julien Paluku ordered an investigation into illegal imports from Nigeria’s Dangote Cement that were reportedly still entering the country due to rising prices of local cement.

Colombia: The cement industry recorded a 6% year-on-year rise in national production to 1.25Mt in October 2025, driven by recovering construction activity and commercial demand. Domestic shipments grew by 10% to 1.18Mt. Shipments in the Bogotá area rose by 11%, while Nariño and Norte de Santander reported growth of 39% and 26%, respectively. Demand fell in Valle del Cauca and Sucre, by 2% and 0.6% respectively.

El Salvador: Cement demand rose by 22% year-on-year between January and August 2025 to 34.3 million 42.5kg bags, up from 28.1 million bags in the same period in 2024, according to data from the Central Reserve Bank (BCR). In August 2025, demand was 3.9 million bags, up from 3.5 million in August 2024. Director of the Planning Office of the Metropolitan Area of San Salvador (OPAMSS) Luis Rodríguez said “The main concrete companies are about to expand their distribution capacity.”

Holcim executive director for El Salvador and Nicaragua Manuel Arrieta said “We are seeing a 20% increase in our sales this year in volume. We have never produced as much as we did in the second half of the year and we foresee super-strong construction for the future, so we hope that next year we will be able to break a new record.”

Holcim operates two plants in Metapán and reported sales of more than 1.2Mt of cement in 2025. It has reportedly invested nearly US$80m over the past five years in expansion and sustainable technology. Cement imports also rose, with 614 million kg of hydraulic cements entering the country between January and October 2025. Guatemala was the top source at 193.2 million kg, followed by Vietnam and Japan. Total imports were valued at US$51.6m.

Rodríguez said that cement volumes, in addition to other construction materials, have increased by 60% through the port of Acajutla. Over five producers and importers now compete in El Salvador’s cement market.

US: Cement import capacity is continuing to rise despite a slowdown in demand and growing uncertainty over tariffs, according to a report by Argus Media. Cement supplier Ozinga initially expected  demand would bounce back after the November 2024 presidential election. CEO Marty Ozinga said “Then the Liberation Day thing happened. I think that really put a pause to a lot of projects, just enough to make it very disappointing for most of the year,” referring to the tariffs rolled out in April 2025.

Tariffs have increased costs for importers by US$5-10/t, said On Field Investment Research managing partner Yassine Touahri. Market analyst Ed Sullivan forecasts cement consumption falling by 5% in 2025 and dropping by a further 0.2% in 2026, hitting a low of 100Mt. He said longer-term growth is still possible, citing a potential market size of 140Mt by 2050 if past per capita consumption rates return.

With mortgage rates above 6% and affordability at record lows, residential construction is expected to remain weak. Sullivan said that industry utilisation is running at 76%, below the 80% that producers ‘would like to see’, and he expects imports to hit a bottom at 17Mt in 2026, despite new import capacity coming online.

"On the import side, capacity additions are not slowing down at all", even though demand for additional imports is much less certain than it was three to five years ago, LEK Consulting managing director Olivier Asset said.

Indonesia: Cement sales fell by 2.5% year-on-year to 51.9Mt between January and October 2025, amid a reduction in the national IKN capital city construction budget to US$889m. Cement production also saw a decline of 6%, reaching 52.9Mt. The Indonesian Cement Association (ASI) said weakening demand occurred in Kalimantan, where sales dropped by 828,356t to 3.88Mt, and Java, where sales fell by 556,468t to 27.1Mt.

Secretary general Ari Wirawan said “Domestic cement sales from January to October 2025 continue to show a negative trend, affecting nearly all regions with a 2.5% decrease compared to the same period in 2024.”

Sales in Sumatra and Nusa Tenggara rose by 2% and 3% respectively due to toll road and tourism infrastructure projects. Exports rose by over 20% to 1.11Mt, with shipments going to Bangladesh, Taiwan, Australia, Timor Leste and Sri Lanka. Production dropped by 6% to 52.9Mt, with utilisation reaching 53%.

ASI chair Lilik Unggul Raharjo said a proposed increase in the home renovation programme budget to US$2.6bn could lift annual cement consumption by 6.2Mt. He said “A 4Mt increase in demand is admittedly somewhat optimistic. Nevertheless, our fervent hope is that the increased budget for home renovations will indeed come to fruition.”

Senegal: The country’s cement sector recorded a slowdown in August 2025, according to provisional figures from the Directorate of Forecasting and Economic Studies (Dpee), cited by the National Agency for Statistics and Demography (Ansd). Cement production fell by 14% month-on-month following several months of growth, reflecting weaker domestic and external demand. The decline was driven largely by a 24% drop in local sales, linked to a slowdown in construction activity and inventory adjustments. Exports also eased, falling by 8% from July 2025.

Despite the monthly setback, the sector maintained positive momentum year-on-year. Production in August 2025 was 10% higher than in August 2024, supported by strong export growth of 44% as regional demand remained firm. Local sales posted a modest increase of 0.9% compared to August 2025.

Zimbabwe: The government has relaxed regulations so that more cement can be imported into Zimbabwe. This aims to address cement shortages experienced recently due to a national construction boom, according to the Herald Zimbabwe newspaper. Minister of Skills Audit and Development, Professor Paul Mavima, said that cement prices will also decline as a result.

Historically, construction activity peaks between April and November, just ahead of the country’s rainy season, but demand in 2025, driven by both home building and commercial construction, has been described as ‘incomparable’ to previous cycles by dealers.
Zimbabwe’s cement industry has an installed production capacity of about 2.6Mt/yr, although output has been inconsistent due to ageing equipment and fuel shortages. While the country primarily imports cement from neighbouring Zambia, imports have dropped sharply, squeezing external supply just as domestic need accelerated.