1. Cement production and sales
in the United States In 2023, the output of Portland cement in the United States was about 88 million tons, and the output of masonry cement was about 2.4 million tons, both of which declined compared with previous years. Cement production lines in
the United States are mainly distributed in 99 factories in 34 States and Puerto Rico. Texas, Missouri, California, and Florida are the four major cement producing States (from largest to smallest), accounting for about 43% of all U.S. production.
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
2023, about 110 million tons of cement were sold in the United States, with a total value of about 16 billion US dollars, or about 115.9 billion RMB. In
2023, the cement consumption structure of the United States: ready-mixed concrete manufacturers accounted for 70% to 75%, concrete product manufacturers accounted for 11%, construction contractors accounted for 8% to 10%, and other users accounted for 5% to 12%.
2. From 2019 to 2022, the United States imported 31% of cement from
Turkey, 25% from Canada, 10% from Greece, 9% from Mexico and 25% from others.
3. Events, trends and problems
in the first three quarters of
2023, the construction completion of the United States increased by 5% compared with the same period in 2022, the expenditure on non-residential construction increased, and the expenditure on residential construction decreased. The number of new housing starts in the first three quarters of 2023 fell by 12% compared with the same period in 2022. In the first three quarters of
2023, cement sales declined slightly compared with the same period in 2022, and Texas, Florida and California remained the States with the largest cement consumption (from large to small). The development of the cement industry in the United States in
2023 was affected by factors such as rising costs of energy, raw materials and services, labor shortages, and supply chain disruptions, and the apparent consumption of cement was generally the same as in 2022.
Mergers and Acquisitions
In 2023, mergers and acquisitions among American cement companies continued. An American cement company plans to sell its factory in California to a Peruvian cement company. In 2022, a Japanese cement company reached a deal with the American cement company to acquire its California plant, but the deal fell through in May 2023 after failing to obtain regulatory approval. In September
2023, a cement company in Colombia and a cement company in the United States announced plans to merge their operations in the United States to expand their geographical coverage. In December
2023, an American cement company reached an agreement with an Irish company to sell its Texas plant, which is pending regulatory approval.
In terms of production upgrading, a cement plant in Indiana has successfully completed the upgrading and capacity expansion project in June 2023. At the same time, a cement plant in Texas is actively working on its capacity expansion and renovation project. In addition, a cement company in Missouri has announced plans to carry out similar capacity improvement work.
There are also some cement companies in the United States that are carrying out the construction of storage capacity upgrading and low-carbon cement transformation projects. A Turkish company says it plans to build a cement grinding plant in the United States by 2025. Many cement enterprises in
the United States actively respond to the call of the industry, increase the use of alternative fuels and materials, promote carbon capture projects, use renewable energy, improve the efficiency of energy application, and improve the digitalization and intellectualization of the industry.
In 2022, portland-limestone blended cement (PLC) was recognized by many authorities, and some cement enterprises in the United States transformed to produce this type of cement. In 2023, the sales volume of composite cement in the United States increased significantly, 97% of which was PLC (IL type).
In addition, the research and development of innovative low-carbon cement and composite cement product lines are also advancing.
In order to meet the 2010 National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP), many plants have installed emission reduction equipment, but some kilns may need to be shut down, idle or reduce production capacity, which will limit the production capacity of clinker in the United States to some extent. Cement plants will close in California, Maine and New York in
2022 and 2023.
