Cement allocation stations do not build rotary kilns, do not burn clinker , do not account for clinker production capacity indicators, nor are they constrained by peak staggering and kiln shutdown. They only do one thing-purchase high-grade cement from large enterprises and mix it with admixtures to supply the market with low-grade cement. In the first half
of 2026, the national cement output was 736 million tons, with a year-on-year decrease of 8.0%, the lowest level in the same period in the past 17 years; the cement price continued to decline, and the overall loss of the industry in the first half of the year was 4 billion yuan. With the decline of demand and price, the cement allocation station, which does not occupy clinker production capacity and is not constrained by peak staggering, may have a more profound impact on the increasingly severe cement market.
At present, all the firepower of industry governance is focused on "price"-the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology's "Work Program for Steady Growth of Building Materials Industry (2025-2026)" points out that "sales below cost price occur from time to time", and on July 21, 2026, it deploys a comprehensive rectification of the "involution" vicious competition in the building materials industry. However, the configuration station rarely appears in the regulatory list. It increases not only the pressure of production, but also the impact on market stability.
1. Incremental supply of finished products intensifies the excess
supply and demand of regional cement. The allocation station does not need to add new clinker production capacity, and is not constrained by clinker production capacity replacement, peak staggering and kiln shutdown. It only needs to purchase high-grade cement mixed with solid waste to produce low-grade cement within the standard. In the domestic cement industry, there is a situation of almost agreed maturity, and the internal control standard of cement strength in large enterprises is much higher than national standard.
Taking a large domestic cement group enterprise as an example, the 28-day strength of 42.5 cement has reached 50Mpa, which means that high-standard cement is almost sold as low-standard cement. After purchasing these cements, the allocation station allocates 42.5 cement "in line with national standards", which actually increases the market supply under the existing market conditions and directly enlarges the pressure of excess supply at the finished end.
2. Lower the price of low-grade cement and reduce the cost of raw materials in the industry's profit margin
allocation station. It does not burn clinker, avoids coal consumption, carbon emissions, all inputs of clinker production line, even labor costs are very small, only a few people can operate, only do the "batching" process. Therefore, it can mainly focus on low-end products such as P. C cement and masonry cement, and seize the market with lower quotations.
In the same area and with the same grade, the cement of the allocation station is significantly lower than that of the large factory, which is enough to put the regular clinker factory and the independent grinding station in a dilemma: either follow the price reduction and gross profit contraction, or abandon the low-end civil market.
3. Weakening the market price effect
of peak-staggering production, clinker enterprises rely on peak-staggering kiln shutdown to reduce clinker supply to support cement prices. In recent years, the implementation of peak-staggering production has become more and more strict. For example, in June, July and September-October 2026, the cement clinker enterprises in Shandong Province will arrange 20 days of kiln shutdown, and the clinker production lines in the whole province will stop many times, and those that have not stopped production in full will have to make up for it. The logic of this mechanism is clear: only when supply is reduced can prices be repaired.
However, the allocation station does not produce clinker, so it is not on the list of peak staggering. During the period of peak staggering, clinker enterprises shut down kilns for maintenance and have high storage capacity, but they can continue to purchase large quantities of cement or rely on the previous reserves of high-standard cement, processing and shipment. The supply contraction brought about by the reduction of clinker production was made up by it in another channel. The essence of consignment is to reduce supply and stabilize expectations. Once the other half of the supply is not entrusted, the effect will naturally be discounted.
Fourth, divert the stock demand and squeeze the living space
of small and medium-sized grinding stations. The target market of the station is very clear: rural infrastructure, small prefabricated components, civil masonry, small and sporadic projects. The common characteristics of these demands are small single, many batches, high price sensitivity and low regulatory attention, which are just the core customer groups of traditional grinding stations.
In contrast, independent grinding stations need to purchase clinker to grind cement, which has a high cost and is at an obvious disadvantage in the low-end market competition. In April 2026, 15 small and medium-sized independent grinding stations across the country stopped production and went bankrupt, most of which were small stations with an annual production capacity of less than 300,000 tons; during the same period, the average price of clinker purchased by independent grinding stations increased by 5.2% year-on-year. The cost advantage has already stood on the side of the configuration station, and the configuration station has come to grab its customers, and the loss of share will only accelerate.
Fifth, aggravate the cross-regional fleeing goods, destroy the price order
of the regional market, allocate the flexible purchase and sales of the station, which is not within the control of the sales channels of large cement enterprises, aggravate the problem of regional fleeing goods, and make the market order more chaotic.
Cement is a typical "short-leg" product, the reasonable transportation radius on land is usually only about 200 kilometers, and the natural boundary of the regional market is drawn by transportation costs. The entry of allocation stations has disrupted these boundaries: enterprises that originally sold in different areas according to the agreement have been forced to face the impact of cross-regional low-price goods; the price order that was originally maintained by tacit agreement has been torn open by layers of price differences. Once fleeing goods form a climate, it is easy to trigger a regional price war.
6. Raising the price of admixture raw materials and pushing up the cost
of raw materials in the whole industry, large-scale consumption of slag powder, fly ash, limestone and various industrial solid wastes by allocation stations, such materials that were originally difficult to absorb were eaten up in large quantities, and the demand rose rapidly, pushing up the market purchase price. It is all grinding stations and cement plants in the industry that
ultimately bear the cost. They not only have to lose gross profit with the price reduction, but also have to pay more for raw materials at the purchasing end, and suffer losses at both ends. The price pushed up by the allocation station in the raw material market is finally paid by others.
Seventh, the stratification of market trust weakens the emergence of premium
allocation stations for low-end products of large factories, which means that there is a huge price difference between the same grade cement. Downstream customers will soon find: the same grade of cement, some can be cheaper than thirty or forty yuan/ton, and all the indicators on the test report are qualified. Once this perception is formed, the pricing of formal brands will lose its persuasion. The brand premium of the
leading enterprises in the civil market has been cut off little by little, and the customer's price comparison behavior has spread from the construction site to the dealers, which ultimately bites back the pricing power of the whole industry. What is more troublesome is that trust is stratified-people who buy authentic goods begin to doubt whether they have spent more money unjustly, while those who buy low-priced goods acquiesce that "the label is the same anyway". Brand no longer automatically equals quality, nor does price automatically equal value.
When the market demand is relatively good, the allocation station plays a role of leak detection and vacancy filling, and also enriches the choice of the market side. When the market demand is poor, the existence of allocation stations will also impact the fragile market situation.
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