Global Cement Newsletter

Issue: GCW743 / 21 January 2026

Headlines


Following a medium-term lull since the Covid-19 outbreak at the start of the decade, 2025 brought increased cement shipments across multiple regions. Local associations have been publishing their data for the year, or the latest complete period, over the past three weeks. Here is a selected summary of markets that have released data from around the world. Note that this does not include the largest cement markets such as China, India or the US. Table 1 (below) lists them in order of recorded shipments.

Country

Shipments, 2025

Year-on-year change

Vietnam

112Mt

+16%

Türkiye

90.2Mt (estimated)

+7%

Brazil

67Mt

+4%

Morocco

14.8Mt

+8%

Kazakhstan

14.2Mt

+17%

Peru

12.8Mt

+7%

Argentina

10.1Mt

+6%

Switzerland

3.7Mt

+4%

Table 1: Cement shipment volumes for select countries in 2025 (Türkiye estimate based on nine month figures). Source: Global Cement News and local associations.

The most pronounced growth was in Asia, and no reporting country despatched more cement than Vietnam. The industry maintains a tight grip on its 75Mt domestic market, which rebounded in 2025, up by 13% year-on-year amidst new, increased infrastructure spending, following multiple years at 57-63Mt/yr. Exports underwent a similar surge, up by 28% to 37Mt, after years of 29-31Mt/yr. The government helped the industry to carve out a space in its target markets by halving the export tax on clinker down to 5% from May 2025 to December 2026. A major challenge for producers in 2026 is their own high energy costs. These are prompting increased investments in efficiency, as well as price rises.

Exports were the faster-growing portion of Türkiye’s cement shipments in 2025, contributing growth of 13%, to 11.5Mt. Production increased in line with shipments – up by 7%, to 68.2Mt. In Kazakhstan, meanwhile, an ongoing residential construction boom increased domestic cement consumption by 22%, to 14.5Mt. Imports filled the supply gap, increasing by 43% to 1Mt, while exports dropped by 22%, to 700,000t.

Kyrgyzstan lifted a temporary cement import ban in May 2025 and received 28,700t of cement from China throughout 2025, more than five times its Chinese cement imports in 2024. The construction of a new China-Uzbekistan railway through Kyrgyzstan continued throughout 2025, for scheduled commissioning in 2029. Tunnelling for the line, which is expected to ‘supercharge’ Kyrgyz industry, commenced in April 2025. Neighbouring Uzbekistan’s National Statistics Committee previously reported that Kyrgyzstan imported 489,000t of Uzbek cement in the first nine months of 2025.

Growth in cement shipments was single-figure across reporting South American countries, with the sharpest increase recorded in Peru. Argentinian national cement shipments signalled ‘recovery,’ according to its Association of Portland Cement Manufacturers: following declines of 3% and 24% in 2023 and 2024, shipments increased by 6%. Monthly despatches throughout 2025 ‘generally’ exceeded those in 2024, including during a ‘usual seasonal slowdown’ in late 2025. Despatches eventually dropped ‘slightly’ year-on-year in December 2024. Argentinian national cement consumption also grew by 6% year-on-year in 2025, to 10Mt.

Brazil’s 4% increase in shipments in 2025 was in line with the previous year’s growth, though 8% below historical peak shipments of 73Mt in 2014. In 2025, regional despatches grew by 7% from Northeast Brazil, by 4% from North Brazil, by 3% from both South Brazil and Southeast Brazil and by 2% from Midwest Brazil. National Cement Industry Union (SNIC) president Paulo Camillo Penna noted that historically low unemployment and historically high average incomes helped to offset the effects of slowing GDP growth and ‘tight’ monetary conditions, with interest rates also at a two-decade high. Household indebtedness affected 49% of disposable income, and an historic 80.6m Brazilians had defaulted on debts in December 2025.

The Swiss cement association Cemsuisse welcomed a return to growth in 2025, following a decline in cement shipments in 2024. Growth was most pronounced in the fourth quarter of 2025 – up by 6% year-on-year. A favourable interest rate reportedly buoyed residential construction, offsetting a ‘challenging’ environment in the infrastructure segment, characterised by ‘downsizing and delays’ to projects.

Serbia’s cement sector reportedly failed to capture its intended share of the domestic market in 2025. The government responded with temporary quotas on imported cement, above which imports will be subject to a 50% tariff. The quotas allow for a total 250,350t of regular cement imports, apportioned to export partners based on their volumes over the past five years, with the largest quotas going to the EU, Türkiye, Bosnia & Herzegovina and Albania. The government hopes that the move will help to ‘stabilise’ domestic production.

In Russia, market leader Cemros suspended operations at its Belgorod and Ulyanovsk cement plants and reduced production at its Lipetsk cement plant on 20 January 2026 in response to a local market contraction. The producer reported that cement imports from neighbouring Belarus and across the Caspian Sea from Iran rose in 2025.

Morocco’s cement shipments grew by 8% in 2025, with data from the Ministry of National Territorial Development showing that 8.02Mt (54%) of cement went into retail distribution, 3.78Mt (26%) into ready-mix concrete production and 1.53Mt (10%) into precast concrete production. December 2025 reversed the growth trend of the year, with a decline of 15% from December 2024 levels.

As to what the foregoing retrospective means for cement in 2026, Switzerland’s Cemsuisse director Stefan Vannoni predicted a ‘positive year ahead,’ based on the ‘favourable trend right up to the end of 2025.’ Other markets from Argentina to Morocco, however, failed to end on a high, or even went into reverse gear. As noted in Paulo Camillo Penna’s comments on the Brazilian market, there are also currency considerations. This is especially pertinent with regard to the weakening US Dollar, which threatens the cement trade’s supply of hard currency. Should a financial crisis ensue, the public infrastructure and private residential expenditure driving 2025’s boom markets may rapidly evaporate in 2026.


Chile: Yura has appointed Tiago Nogueira as general manager of its operations in Chile. The Revista Economía newspaper has reported that Nogueira will lead the Peru-based producer’s expansion strategy in the country.

Nogueira brings 20 years’ experience as a metallurgical engineer in the materials industry. He has previously spearheaded strategies aimed at driving business scalability in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay.


UK: Holcim UK has appointed Krish Patel as plant manager of its upcoming cement facility at Tilbury in Essex. When commissioned in mid-2026, the facility will consist of a terminal on the River Thames, equipped with six loading heads and five weighbridges, and production facilities for ground granulated blast furnace slag (GGBFS) and EcoPlanet 30% reduced-CO2 sulphate-resistant cement. Civil engineering work is already complete and structural and mechanical installation is underway. Holcim UK described the upcoming Tilbury facility as a ‘key hub’ in its future supply of cement to the South of England.

Krish Patel said "Tilbury will be a flagship terminal not only for Holcim, but for the wider industry."

Patel rejoined Holcim UK in March 2025 from Heidelberg Materials UK, where he managed the Purfleet grinding plant in Essex. He originally trained as a manager in Holcim UK’s asphalt operations in Greenwich, London, before which time he was an international sales representative at specialist electronics provider Advanced Power Components. Patel holds a bachelor’s degree in Mineral Products from the University of Derby.


Egypt: Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport Kamel El-Wazir chaired the 37th meeting of the Ministerial Group for Industrial Development on 20 January 2026. During the meeting, the group reviewed and approved the Ministry of Industry’s plan to issue three new licences for cement plants, each with a single production line, alongside expansion projects for existing cement plants. The initiatives were endorsed in line with the government’s strategy to strengthen cement production capacity, meet domestic demand and ensure reasonable pricing. El-Wazir said that the new licences are intended to proactively address any potential increase in demand, particularly in connection with anticipated reconstruction activity in the Gaza Strip. He added that the licensed projects are expected to be completed and enter production within one year.


UK: Nuada and MLC have signed an agreement to deploy Nuada’s demonstration carbon capture unit at MLC’s Singleton Birch site in Melton Ross, North Lincolnshire. The project will assess next-generation carbon capture technology designed to address process emissions from lime production. Performance data from the demonstration will be used to inform the potential rollout of large-scale carbon capture solutions across MLC’s wider operations. Nuada says that its carbon capture system is intended for industrial sites where conventional CO₂ capture is often limited by high energy demand and integration challenges, offering lower energy consumption and a compact footprint suited to lime manufacturing.

“This demonstration at Singleton Birch builds on our relationship with MLC and is an important step towards commercially viable net zero lime production,” said Jose Casaban, co-CEO of Nuada. “Our collaboration with MLC shows how cutting-edge materials and engineering can support deep emissions reduction in one of the industrial sectors with the most untapped carbon capture potential.”


India: Dalmia Bharat has announced that its subsidiary Dalmia Cement (North East) has commenced commercial production on a new clinker line with a capacity of 3.6Mt/yr at Umrangso, in Dima Hasao district, Assam. Following the start-up, Dalmia Bharat’s total clinker manufacturing capacity has increased to 27.1Mt/yr. The group’s total cement grinding capacity currently stands at 49.5Mt/yr.


Vietnam: Vietnam Cement Corporation (Vicem) has set a target of achieving average annual growth of around 10% in domestic cement consumption over the 2026-2030 period, as part of a wider strategy to improve efficiency and strengthen competitiveness. Vicem aims to maintain its ‘core position’ in the national cement sector in line with the building materials development strategy for 2021–2030, with a vision to 2050. Based on its consumption growth targets, the group expects its domestic market share to reach 28%-30% by 2030.

During the 2021–2025 period, Vicem recorded combined cement and clinker consumption of 129Mt and revenues of US$6.28bn. For 2026, the corporation expects domestic cement consumption to reach 22.7Mt, supported by ‘stronger’ public investment, particularly in major infrastructure projects.


Philippines: Philcement Corporation, which is 51% owned by Phinma Corporation, has announced that Japan’s Sumitomo Osaka Cement has bought a 15% stake in Philcement. The remittance was received on 16 January 2026 following the signing of a share subscription agreement in September 2025.

Phinma said the transaction was aligned with Philcement's strategy and commitment to grow its manufacturing operations and provide Filipino consumers with reliable, high-quality supply of cement products under its legacy brand, Union Cement.

Philcement was established in 2017 by Phinma as its re-entry vehicle into the cement business. The unit operates cement manufacturing facilities across Bataan, Pampanga, Zamboanga del Norte and Davao. Sumitomo Osaka Cement’s investment is expected to strengthen Philcement's manufacturing operations and expand its footprint in the Philippine cement market.


India: Traffic on the Rourkela-Sambalpur Biju Expressway in Odisha, was disrupted for 12hr on 19 January 2026 as protestors staged a series of blockades. Organised under the aegis of the Forum for Gram Sabha Committee, Rajgangpur (FGSCR), protestors said that they were protesting the acquisition of tribal lands by Dalmia Cement, which will form part of a quarry expansion permitted in December 2025. FGSCR president Bibol Toppo alleged that the land acquisition was carried out illegally.

106 hectares of land belonging to around 450 families in Rajgangpur and Kutra blocks were transferred to the company. Dalmia Cement reportedly began to extract overburden from 15 hectares of land, but intense protests had halted works.


Kenya: The Treasury has granted the East African Portland Cement Company (EAPCC) a four-year moratorium on the repayment of a US$15m loan borrowed in 1990, laying bare the firm’s financial difficulties. EAPCC borrowed the money in Japanese Yen from the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund (JICA) in March 1990 but defaulted in 2016 after making only partial payments. This forced the government to step in and clear the loan on its behalf. The government cleared the company’s loan with JICA in March 2020.

New details now reveal that Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi entered an agreement with the company in July 2025, pushing forward repayment dates for the outstanding loan to start in September 2029. The government, through the National Treasury, has since entered into an agreement with the company setting out the terms and conditions for the loan repayment.

The agreements were entered into when the government was the controlling shareholder of EAPCC. However, the company got a new majority owner in December 2025 when Kalahari Cement, part of Tanzania’s Amsons Group, acquired a 68.7% stake after multiple transactions.


US: Authorities in the US have reported that a man died in an industrial accident at the National Cement plant in Lebec, California, on 6 January 2026. The Department of Industrial Relations said that an employee of MZP Kiln Services was killed when he was caught by a slide gate motor that shifted as he attempted to remove it.

The Kern County coroner's office identified the worker as 50-year-old Oswaldo Alejandro Rodas Hernandez from Jacksonville, Florida. It said he was found unresponsive and pronounced dead at the scene. It determined the cause of death to be multiple blunt force injuries and stated the manner of death is accident.

The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health is investigating the accident. National Cement said "Our thoughts are with those impacted. We are cooperating fully with authorities and regulatory agencies, and we have no further comment at this time."


Russia: Cemros, the largest cement producer in Russia by installed capacity, has suspended the operation of its plants in the Belgorod and Ulyanovsk regions and switched to a limited production mode at the enterprise in the Lipetsk region, according to Forbes. The decision was made against the background of a reduction in cement consumption for housing construction in the country and a simultaneous increase in imports from Belarus and Iran.


North Korea: State-owned press has announced that the Sunchon Cement Complex in North Korea produced ‘hundreds of thousands of tonnes more cement than planned’ in 2025, although it did not provide exact figures. It also reported that the plant’s limestone quarry built its own maintenance base and secured enough accessories and spare parts for normal operation of excavators, thus boosting production.

Miners at the Jikdong Gypsum Mine and the Stathe Clay Mine were reported to have ‘made innovations in production by increasing the operation rate of mining equipment’ and ‘shortening the turnaround time of wagons.’ The workers in the pyroprocessing section were reported to have ‘overfulfilled their daily clinker production plan’ by applying a ‘rational method of kiln operation during winter weather conditions.’


Japan: Mitsubishi UBE Cement has announced that it will cease cement production at its Kyushu Plant in Kanda No. 2 District, Kanda-cho, Fukuoka Prefecture by the end of March 2027, according to Nikkei Business Trends. The company said that its decision was made in an increasingly challenging business environment including declining domestic cement demand and worsening profitability in the export market.

Cement production at the plant's Kanda No. 2 District will be consolidated into the Kanda No. 1 District in the same area to improve efficiency. The Kanda No. 2 District plant will be converted into a waste processing and alternative fuel production site to supply the remaining plant. The company aims to reach carbon neutrality by 2050.


Brazil: CSN has announced a US$3.4bn debt reduction plan including the sale of its cement production assets, according to Business News Americas. These have a combined capacity of 16.3Mt/yr. It also intends to sell a significant stake in its infrastructure segment, including rail, port and multimodal assets, but will continue to invest in its mining arm CSN Mineração.

According to the chair of the CSN group, Benjamin Steinbruch, the decision to sell some of the conglomerate’s assets comes amid a challenging environment, with high interest rates in Brazil, which put pressure on the company’s indebtedness.

“We believe that all our assets are quite profitable, and although we believe in an improvement in all our lines of business in 2026, we decided that waiting longer for a scenario of interest rate cuts does not make sense,” said Steinbruch. “That is why we embraced this strategy to reduce debt. This sale of assets of US$3.4bn would be equivalent to about half of our debt.”


India: Nuvoco Vistas, the cement arm of the Nirma Group, 'bounced back' from losses to record a consolidated net profit of US$5.4m for the quarter ending 31 December 2025, the third quarter of India’s 2026 Fiscal Year (FY2026). It made a US$6.7m loss. Despite this it reported the company’s highest-ever cement sales volume for a third fiscal quarter at 5Mt, a 7% increase year-on-year. Consolidated revenue from operations rose by 12% to US$297m, while earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBIDTA) rose by 50% to US$42.5m.

Jayakumar Krishnaswamy, Managing Director, said, “December 2025 saw healthy double-digit growth after early demand softness from monsoons and festivities. We delivered our highest third-quarter volume and a 50% rise in EBITDA. Our Vadraj cement plant refurbishment is progressing steadily, and our focus on premium products and operational efficiency will strengthen our long-term competitive advantage.”
The company is also advancing its strategic capacity expansion in eastern India and at its Vadraj plant in Gujarat. The clinker and grinding units at Vadraj are planned to start operations in phases from the third quarter of FY2027, which will increase Nuvoco’s total cement capacity to 35Mt/yr.


US: Heidelberg Materials North America says it has autonomously hauled more than 2Mt of limestone at its Lake Bridgeport Quarry in Texas over the course of the past eight months. It used an autonomous haulage system (AHS) supplied by Pronto. The building materials company said that this achievement reflects a significant milestone in the its journey to lead the building materials industry in digitalisation.

Following a pilot project at its Bridgeport Quarry in 2023, Heidelberg Materials North America deployed a mixed fleet of OEM haul trucks with Pronto’s AHS at its neighbouring Lake Bridgeport Quarry. The Lake Bridgeport site transported more than 2Mt of stone from the pit to the crusher over the course of eight months.

Heidelberg Materials says that the deployment shows how digital technology can improve efficiency, safety, environmental performance and increase productivity. The switch also helped local management cope with the challenge of recruiting skilled haul truck operators at the site.

“We are excited to mark this important milestone at our Lake Bridgeport Quarry,” said Chris Ward, President and CEO of Heidlberg Materials North America. “The successful deployment of Pronto’s AHS technology at Lake Bridgeport showcases our strong commitment to leveraging innovative and scalable solutions at our operations that contribute to enhancing efficiency and safety while also addressing the recruiting challenges we face at many of our operations across North America.”


Pakistan: Cement producers in Pakistan are expected to have recorded a 9% year-on-year decline in profitability for the second quarter of the 2026 fiscal year (FY2026), which ended on 31 December 2025. The sector’s profit is projected at US$68.8m compared to US$75.6m in the same quarter of FY2025. The decrease was primarily attributed to lower domestic retention prices, according to analyst firm JS Global, which also says that the sector's profitability will drop by 25% compared to the first quarter of FY2025.

Despite a rise in domestic despatches and a modest recovery in retention prices, increased fuel costs, driven by the unavailability of Afghan coal, have impacted the industry's financial performance. Net sales for the sector are expected to rise by 4% quarter-on-quarter, reaching US$384m, mainly due to a 12% increase in domestic despatches. Capacity utilisation rose to 63% in the second quarter of FY2026, up from 61% in the same period of FY2025 and 59% in the first quarter of FY2026. Regional dynamics contributed to the challenges faced by the industry. Cement manufacturers in the south of Pakistan relied on Richards Bay coal, while those in the north shifted towards Richards Bay coal due to disruptions in Afghan coal supply.

The report from JS Global also highlighted varied performances among leading cement companies. Lucky Cement is anticipated to see a 9% year-on-year increase in earnings for the second quarter of FY2026, buoyed by its diversified business operations. Meanwhile, Kohat Cement and Maple Leaf Cement are expected to report earnings declines of 17% year-on-year, affected by lower prices and elevated fuel costs. DG Khan Cement’s earnings are projected to remain flat on a year-on-year basis.


Türkiye: Türkçimento reports that the Turkish cement industry produced 68.2Mt of cement in the first nine months of 2025, a rise of 7.4% year-on-year compared to the first nine months of 2024, when it produced 63.5Mt. Domestic sales in the first nine months of 2025 were 56.2Mt, a 6.3% rise from 52.9Mt in the first nine months of 2024. Cement exports reached 11.5Mt, a 12.7% year-on-year rise from 10.2Mt a year earlier.


Tajikistan: The Huaxin Gayur JV cement plant, a joint venture between China with Tajikistan, has reported that it aims to achieve an output valued at over US$80m in 2026, its first full year of operation. According to local press in the Sughd region, the 3300t/day (1Mt/yr) plant aims to sufficiently meet domestic market demand for cement, reducing reliance on imports, while creating new jobs. It makes 400, 500 and 600 grades of cement in compliance with international standards, making the products competitive in global markets.


Kazakhstan: Steppe Cement has announced unaudited results for the year to 31 December 2025. It reported a revenue of US$100m, which was 33% higher in local currency terms than the US$84m recorded in 2024. The company sold 2.07Mt of cement, all of it to the domestic market. This was 21% more than the 1.71Mt sold in 2024. The company said that this had been achieved due to several incremental process improvements over the past two years. The plant is reported to be operating at maximum capacity.

The Kazakh market consumed 14.5Mt of cement in 2025, a 22% rise compared to 11.9Mt in 2024. The rise was mostly due to strong housing construction. Steppe Cement's share of the domestic market was 14.3%, versus 14.5% in the prior year.

Total cement imports into Kazakhstan were estimated at 1.0Mt in 2025, a 43% increase compared with 0.7Mt in 2024. Cement exports amounted to 0.7Mt/yr, a 22% fall compared to 0.9Mt in 2024.


Kenya: The latest data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that production of and demand for cement both rose significantly in the first 11 months of 2025. Production for the 11 months reached 9.49Mt, a 17% increase compared to 8.09Mt in the first 11 months of 2024. Demand rose by 20% year-on-year over the same time period, from 7.79Mt in the first 11 months of 2024 to 9.34Mt in the first 11 months of 2025.

The parallel rise in both production and consumption of cement reflects strong construction sector growth supported by ongoing public infrastructure projects, private real estate developments and a gradual recovery in housing activity. Record monthly production levels in several months of 2025 suggest that manufacturers have ramped up output to meet sustained demand.


Serbia: Titan Group has signed a new long-term agreement with Electric Power of Serbia (EPS) to accelerate the expansion of its alternative cementitious materials (ACM) platform. Under the 10-year contract, Titan will secure access to approximately 5Mt of fly ash from the TENT B Obrenovac B power plant. The material will be used as a lower-carbon substitute for clinker in cement and concrete production to enable reductions in embodied CO₂ emissions.


US: Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies has announced a further extension of its licensing agreement in the US with its partner Hoffmann Green USA, originally signed in July 2024, following the exercise of an option involving an additional €10m entry fee. The latest extension expands Hoffmann Green USA’s exclusive licensing rights to cover 25 states in the western US. In return for the industrial and technological transfer and the exclusivity granted in these new territories, Hoffmann Green Cement Technologies will receive an additional €10m entry fee. This is in addition to the €10m already paid for earlier option exercises covering eastern states.

Under the terms of the licence agreement, Hoffmann Green USA is also required to pay fixed and variable annual royalties, calculated on the basis of revenues generated from the sale of Hoffmann Green cement in the licensed territories. The agreement further allows Hoffmann Green USA to sublicense Hoffmann Green production units in the newly covered states, creating an additional potential growth driver. Discussions are reportedly underway with several potential sublicensees.


Switzerland: The Swiss cement industry supplied 946,465t of cement in the fourth quarter of 2025, contributing to a full-year total of 3.7Mt, up by around 4% compared to 2024, according to the Swiss cement association Cemsuisse. After a slight decline in 2024, cement deliveries stabilised during 2025, with the final quarter ending on a particularly positive note, showing an increase of almost 6% year-on-year.

The recovery was supported by a modest rise in construction activity. Residential construction played a key role, benefiting from a favourable interest rate environment. In contrast, civil engineering remained challenging for cement producers, as downsizing and delays in infrastructure projects constrained delivery volumes.

Stefan Vannoni, director of Cemsuisse, said “The cement industry has a positive year ahead. The favourable trend was clearly confirmed right up to the end of 2025. The quantities of Swiss cement delivered have been stable for decades and vary only by a small, single-digit percentage. Cement is and remains essential to the Swiss construction industry.”

However, the share of cement transported by rail fell again in 2025, extending a negative trend. Vannoni added “SBB Cargo’s price increases, coupled with a drastic reduction in services, are forcing cement manufacturers to turn to road transport. This undermines our decarbonisation strategy and overloads an already strained road network."


Fiji: Pacific Cement has temporarily halted cement production following another equipment failure, according to The Fiji Times. Parent company Fijian Holdings said in a statement to the South Pacific Stock Exchange on 14 January 2026 that the mill ceased production in mid-December 2025 due to a problem with the cement mill motor.

The company said “The works to address the motor issue have been completed, with full commissioning works currently underway this week before we can recommence production. Based on the technical evaluation, the estimated time-frame for completion is approximately one week. Normal supply will resume by next week [19 January 2026].”

Mill breakdowns at Pacific Cement have become a recurring issue, largely attributed to the age of the plant and its machinery. The facility began operations in 1962 and has faced frequent mechanical failures in recent years. Plans to replace the existing factory with a new plant ‘over the next two to three years’ were outlined by Fijian Holdings management at the company’s annual general meeting in 2024, but the project has yet to materialise. The plant had only just resumed production in July 2025 due to a mill breakdown in March 2025. At that time, the company said that it was ‘fast-tracking’ an upgrade of the mill to improve reliability.