US cement sales continue to slide in July

Total shipments of Portland and blended cement, including imports, in the US and Puerto Rico amounted to 9.286Mt in July, down 2.9 per cent year-on-year (YoY) from the 9.338Mt recorded in July 2023.

Unfavourable weather—including extreme heat for west and east coasts, the third wettest July on record and the earliest recorded category 5 hurricane—has dragged on cement demand.
 
Excluding for sales to Puerto Rico and overseas territories, cement consumption in the US fell 0.7 per cent YoY to 9.150Mt, down from 9.216Mt a year earlier.
 
The key producing states for Portland and blended cement were, in descending order, Texas, Missouri, California, Florida and Michigan. The key consuming states were, in descending order, Texas, California, Florida, Ohio and Illinois.
 
Masonry cement shipments amounted to 196,827t, up 3.2 per cent YoY, with Florida the leading producer and consumer.
 
Clinker production, excluding Puerto Rico, saw a 2.9 per cent YoY decline in July to 6.628Mt, from 6.822Mt a year earlier. The Mountain and Pacific region was the main producing district accounting for 1.462Mt, although this represented a decline of 0.7 per cent YoY.
 
Hydraulic cement, including white cement, and clinker imports amounted to 2.475Mt a decrease of 10.6 per cent YoY from 2.768Mt in July 2023. Turkey (621,557t, down 25.7 per cent YoY), Vietnam (551,119t, up 14.7 per cent YoY) and Canada (433,139t, down 2.1 per cent YoY) were the top three sources of imports.
 
January-July 2024
In the January to April period, total shipments of Portland and blended cement, including imports, in the US and Puerto Rico amounted to 58.640Mt, down 5.2 per cent YoY from the 61.889Mt recorded in the same period of 2023.
 
Excluding for sales to Puerto Rico and overseas territoriess, cement consumption in the US fell 4.5 per cent YoY to 58.069Mt, down from 60.788Mt in January-July 2023.
 
Masonry cement shipments amounted to 1.312Mt, down 6.6 per cent YoY from 1.404Mt in the same period of 2023.
 
Clinker production, excluding Puerto Rico, amounted to 40.211Mt, down 5.5 per cent YoY, from 42.550Mt in January-July 2023.
 
Hydraulic cement, including white cement, and clinker imports amounted to 15.118Mt, a decline of 5.3 per cent YoY from January-July 2023. Turkey was the key source of imports accounting for 4.423Mt, down 10.3 per cent YoY, followed by Vietnam (2.691Mt, up 17.4per cent YoY) and Canada (2.628Mt, up 3.2 per cent YoY).
 
White cement imports amounted to 1.364t in January-July 2024, down 12.5 per cent YoY. Turkey was the key source of white cement (801,623t, down 23.7 per cent YoY).
 
Imported clinker amounted to 573,415t, down 6.8 per cent YoY. Canada the key source of clinker to the US (257,761t, up 26.2 per cent YoY).