US cement consumption fell 14% in the first 10 months of 2008

< P > < FONT face = Verdana > Statistics from the United States Geological Survey (USGS) show that in the first ten months of 2008, cement consumption in the United States dropped by 14.1 percentage points compared with the same period in 2007. Cement consumption declined in all regions due to a general decline in construction spending. Five of the nation's nine regions fell more than national average: the Central Northeast, the Southeast, the High Mountains, the Pacific Rim and the South Atlantic.

< P > < FONT face = Verdana > The largest decline in cement consumption in the first 10 months of 2008 was in the Pacific Rim region, which consumed 11.7 million tons of cement, a 22% decline. States with large declines in the region include Alaska-30%, Oregon-27%, California-23%, and Washington-15%.

< P > < FONT face = Verdana > It was followed by the South Atlantic region, where cement consumption fell 21.5% to 15.6 million tonnes in the first 10 months of 2008, with Florida-27%, South Carolina-23% and Georgia-21%.

< P > < FONT face = Verdana > Cement consumption in the Alpine region fell 20% to 8.9 million tonnes. Among them, the largest declines were in Arizona, down more than 28%, Idaho-25%, Nevada-24% and Utah-20%. The only exception was Wyoming, where cement consumption rose 9% in the period.

< P > < FONT face = Verdana > Consumption in the southeast region was 5.1 million tons, down 15 percentage points. Among them, Tennessee and Alabama led the decline, with 22% and 12% respectively.

< P > < FONT face = Verdana > Cement consumption in the Central Northeast fell 14.2% to 10.5 million tons, with Indiana -18%, Illinois -17%, and Ohio -14%.

< P > < FONT face = Verdana > Cement consumption in New England fell 11% to 2.1 million tons in the first 10 months of 2008. Of these, Rhode Island-20%, Maine-19%, and Connecticut-14%.

< P > < FONT face = Verdana > Cement consumption in the Mid-Atlantic region totaled 6.7 million tons in the first 10 months of 2008, down 7%. Among the States with the largest declines were Pennsylvania and New York, with declines of 10% and 6%, respectively.

< P > < FONT face = Verdana > Central North West consumption was 7.6 million tonnes, down six percent. Of these, Minnesota-16% and Mississippi-11%. Kansas and South Dakota rose 7% and 3%, respectively.

< P > < FONT face = Verdana > Compared with other regions, the consumption of cement in the central and southwestern regions decreased by only two percentage points to 16.9 million tons. The largest declines were in Arkansas, down 16%, Louisiana, down 6%, and Texas, down 1 percentage point, basically the same as the same period in 2007. Only in Oklahoma did cement consumption rise by 5%.

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