The US produced an estimated 95Mt of Portland and masonry cement in 2022, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS), up from 93Mt in the previous year. Cement was produced at 96 plants in 34 states, along with two plants in Puerto Rico. Texas, Missouri, California and Florida were, in descending order, the four leading cement-producing states, accounting for approximately 43 per cent of US production.
The US cement industry’s growth continues to be constrained by closed or idle plants, underutilised capacity at others, production disruptions from plant upgrades, and relatively inexpensive imports, reports the USGS.
In 2022 shipments of cement were estimated to have increased by about three per cent from those in 2021 and were valued at US$14.6bn. Last year, between 70-75 per cent of cement sales were to ready-mixed concrete producers, 11 per cent to concrete product manufacturers, 8-10 per cent to contractors, and 5-12 per cent to other customer types.
Clinker production in the US came in as an estimated 80Mt in 2022, up slightly from the 79Mt seen in the previous year.
US cement consumption (production + imports) in 2022 is estimated at 120Mt, compared to 110Mt in the previous year. The leading cement-consuming states continued to be Texas, California and Florida, in descending order by tonnage. The increase in consumption is being attributed to the continued economic recovery from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the November 2021 passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
According to USGS data, world cement consumption fell from an estimated 4.4bnt in 2021 to 4.1bnt last year. Gains over the same period were seen in India, where production advanced from 350Mt to 370Mt, Russia (61Mt to 62Mt), Turkey (82Mt to 85Mt) and Vietnam (110Mt to 120Mt). Declines in production were reported in China (2.4bnt to 2.1bnt), Brazil (66Mt to 65Mt), Indonesia (65Mt to 64Mt), and Mexico (52Mt to 50Mt).
