Total shipments of Portland and blended cement in the United States and Puerto Rico in September 2013 were 7.9Mt, up by 14 per cent in September 2012, latest data from the USGS shows. Shipments for the year through September were up by about four per cent to 61.6Mt.

The leading Portland cement-producing states in September were Missouri, Texas, California, Michigan and Florida, in descending order, accounting for about 43 per cent of total shipments for the month. The leading consuming states (Texas, California, Florida, Illinois and Ohio, in descending order) received about 35 per cent of September’s total shipments.

Clinker production totaled about 6.4Mt in September, up by six per cent from the output in September 2012. Production for the year through September was 51.6Mt, up by three per cent. The leading clinker-producing stats in September were Missouri, Texas, California, Alabama and Florida.

September 2013 imports of cement and clinker of 564,000t were about 17 per cent lower than those in September 2012. Imports over the first nine months of the year were up slightly to 5.31Mt.