Spain’s cement consumption sees 12% YoY in April

Spanish cement demand rose by 11.7 per cent YoY in April, according to the country’s cement association, Oficemen. The growth has been attributed due to a recovery in housing starts, particularly in large cities such as Madrid and Barcelona, which have seen apartment prices rise in the last three years.

In the last 12 months up to April, 12.4Mt of cement were consumed in Spain, which represents an additional 1.25Mt when compared with the same period of the previous year. New residential housing has been hailed as the main driver of this expansion.

In terms of exports, volumes fell 8.2 per cent in March, when compared with the same period in 2017. Oficemen has blamed rising costs and a loss of competitiveness as key causes of this export erosion.