US and Puerto Rico January shipments edge ahead

Total shipments of Portland and blended cement in the United States and Puerto Rico in January 2017 totalled about 5.4Mt, up by 2.9 per cent YoY, latest data from the USGS shows.

The leading cement-producing states for Portland blended cement in January 2017 were Texas, California, Florida, Missouri and Alabama, in descending order. The leading cement-consuming states (Texas, California, Florida, Georgia and New York, in descending order) received 47 per cent of the January shipments.

Clinker production totalled 4.3Mt in January 2017, down by 17.8 per cent from the output in January 2016. The leading clinker-producing states in January were, in descending order, California, Texas, Florida, Missouri and Alabama.

Import update
In terms of imports, the USGS noted that for some time imports have been increasing at rates generally higher than those for cement sales overall.

“In part, this reflects the collapse of imports during the recession (hence a low basis for comparison) but also the relatively low cost of imports resulting from a combination of low bunker fuel costs, modest ship chartering rates, increased ship availability and a strong dollar,” it noted.

In some regions, imports are offsetting domestic production constraints related to difficulties in bringing long-idle extra kilns back on-line. Also, clinker imports have increased, likely temporarily, ahead of expected disruptions to kiln output at certain plants that are undergoing upgrades, the USGS added.

January 2017 imports of cement and clinker of about 675,000t were 11.8 per cent higher than those in January 2016, the data revealed.