Overview of US Cement Market in 2020

1. Production and use

of cement in the United States Cement in the United States is mainly produced by 96 factories in 34 States and 2 cement factories in Puerto Rico. Among them, Texas, Missouri, California and Florida are the four major cement producing States (from large to small), accounting for about 45% of the total production in the United States. In 2020, the production of Portland cement in the United States was about 87 million tons, with a slight increase, and the production of masonry cement was 2.3 million tons, with a slight decrease.

In recent years, the development of the cement industry in the United States has been constrained by multiple factors, including the closure of enterprises, shutdown, overcapacity, production disruption caused by plant upgrading and transformation, and the impact of low-cost imported cement. In 2020, cement sales in the United States were basically the same as in 2019, with a total value of $12.7 billion. In 2020, the cement consumption structure of the United States: ready-mixed concrete manufacturers accounted for 70% to 75%, concrete product manufacturers accounted for 10%, construction contractors accounted for 8% to 10%, and other users accounted for 5% to 12%.

Generally speaking, cement cannot be recycled, but a large amount of concrete can be recycled as building aggregate. Cement kilns can use waste fuels, cement kiln dust, slag, fly ash, etc. As renewable raw materials, and various secondary materials can be used as cement-assisted gel materials in the cement paste of composite cement and concrete.

2. Import sources

In 2020, the United States imported 15 million tons of cement and 1.4 million tons of clinker . Imported cement clinker mainly comes from Canada (33%), Turkey (16%), Greece (15%) and China (12%), and other sources (24%).

Events, trends, and issues

In 2020, many countries and regions responded to local governments' lockdowns to limit the spread of COVID-19, resulting in production halts in cement production that varied in duration from region to region. The epidemic in the United States began to break out rapidly on a large scale in March 2020, and remained severe by the end of the year, affecting all aspects of production and life in the United States to varying degrees. In terms of construction, the disruption of construction activities has reduced the demand for cement, and the cost of raw materials and transportation in some areas has also increased. In addition, some planned cement plant construction and expansion projects have been delayed. Residential construction outpaced nonresidential construction. A cement plant in New York was forced to stop production after restrictions imposed in April to slow the spread of the virus reduced demand.

However, the US cement industry has not clearly demonstrated the long-term or widespread negative impact of COVID-19. Texas, California and Florida remain the leading cement consuming States. In terms of market transactions, with the completion of the sale of a cement company in Kentucky, the company's M & a activities continued in 2020.

In 2020, cement plants in Alabama and Texas announced upgrades to their cement plants, a number of other domestic plants are undergoing minor upgrades, and some cement terminals have also announced upgrades. However, one cement company has delayed upgrades to one of its plants in Indiana, and another has received a formal atmospheric permit for a new cement plant in Georgia. Many companies have made announcements that align with the industry's commitment to sustainability, such as new product lines, renewable energy initiatives, decarbonization research initiatives, and other innovations. Many plants have installed abatement equipment that meets the 2010 National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP). Some kilns may be closed, idled, or reduced in capacity to comply with NESHAP requirements, which will limit U.S. clinker capacity to some extent.

IV. Comparison