Brazil: Cement sales in December 2025 reached 4.9Mt, up by 5% year-on-year, according to data from the National Cement Industry Union (SNIC). Total cement sales for 2025 amounted to 67Mt, a year-on-year increase of 4%, equivalent to an additional 2.4Mt compared to 2024.

The performance consolidated the recovery that began in 2024, when sales rose by 4%. Despite the improvement, volumes remain below the historical peak of 73Mt recorded in 2014. All regions showed cumulative growth during the year, led by the Northeast at 7%, followed by the North at 4%, South at 3%, Southeast at 3% and Midwest at 2%.

SNIC said that a strong labour market supported demand, with unemployment falling to 5% in November 2025, the lowest level on record, while 103 million people were employed and average income hit a historic high. These factors expanded the wage bill, which has a strong correlation with cement consumption. However, the year was also marked by slowing GDP growth and tight monetary policy. The Selic interest rate (set by the Central Bank of Brazil) stood at 15% from June 2025 onwards, its highest level since July 2006, constraining mortgage lending. High household indebtedness, affecting 49% of income, and record defaults of 80.4 million people in October further pressured household budgets.

In housing, the Minha Casa, Minha Vida (MCMV) programme remained a key driver for cement demand. By September 2025, housing launches under the programme rose by 7.9% year-on-year, while sales increased by 16%. The North stood out, with MCMV accounting for 60% of new launches, while the Southeast recorded the highest number of units launched, at 34,000 properties in the third quarter of 2025.

On sustainability, SNIC said that Brazil continues to have one of the lowest cement carbon intensities globally, at 580kg CO₂/t. Co-processing reached 30% of the sector’s energy mix in 2025, equivalent to 3Mt of waste and biomass, avoiding 2.8Mt of CO₂ emissions.

“The performance of the Brazilian cement industry in 2025 was in line with SNIC's projections, supported by the MCMV programme and the advancement in infrastructure, strengthening concrete pavement as a strategic and sustainable solution. We also celebrate the success of our environmental agenda, with a record in co-processing and the launch of the Net Zero Roadmap during COP 30. We closed the year consolidating the recovery, but attentive to the economic situation, especially the Selic rate and the impact of indebtedness on family income,” said Paulo Camillo Penna, president of SNIC.

US: Titan has announced that its subsidiary Titan America has entered into an agreement to acquire Keystone Cement, a Pennsylvania-based cement manufacturer and aggregates producer. The transaction includes an integrated cement plant with a clinker production capacity of 0.9Mt/yr, positioned to serve an addressable market of 5.6Mt/yr across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware and Ohio. Titan says that the acquisition is expected to accelerate top-line growth, enhance geographic diversification and improve operating margins through ‘integration synergies’. The deal will reportedly generate ‘substantial’ operational and commercial benefits through integration with its existing US assets, including Essex Cement in New Jersey and Roanoke Cement in Virginia, as well as Titan America’s fly ash processing and marketing facilities operated by subsidiary Separation Technologies across Pennsylvania and Ohio.

The transaction price is US$310m, equivalent to approximately US$344/t of current clinker production capacity. Completion of the acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions.

Marcel Cobuz, chair of the group executive committee, said the transaction aligns with Titan’s ‘Titan Forward 2029’ strategic priorities, focusing on expanding cement capacity and accelerating inorganic growth. “This acquisition in the US complements the recent acquisitions of an integrated cement plant in the Greater Istanbul Market with US export potential, a cement grinding plant in France, aggregates bolt-ons in Greece, along with investment partnerships in pozzolan in Greece and Türkiye as well as in fly ash facilities in the UK and in India,” he said.

Bangladesh: Production at Chhatak Cement is expected to resume soon following a modernisation of the plant by converting it from a wet process to a dry process manufacturing system, according to Adilur Rahman Khan, adviser for industries and local government, rural development and cooperatives. Khan said the revival of the facility would improve efficiency and sustainability, according to local press.

Cambodia: The Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC) has issued a licence for a new cement plant project in Kratie province with a registered investment capital of US$286m, according to the Khmer Times. In its annual report released in January 2026, the CDC said that the project was approved under the qualified investment project framework. Ung Dipola, director-general for Mineral Resources at the Ministry of Mines and Energy, confirmed that the cement capacity of the plant is 1Mt/yr and would bring the total number of cement plants in the country to seven. It is expected to be operational by the end of 2026 or 2027.

Cambodia currently has six operational cement plants - Kampot Cement, Battambang Conch Cement, Chip Mong Insee Cement, Cambodia Cement, Thai Boon Roong Cement and Conch KT Cement - which together produce around 14Mt/yr. Domestic cement demand is estimated at 9-10Mt/yr.

Dipola said that the sector has demonstrated resilient supply capacity, allowing Cambodia to meet domestic demand and even export cement. Since 2023, the country has imported only small volumes of cement, having transitioned from full reliance on imports to self-sufficiency and export capability. Cambodia approved 3503 construction projects in 2025 with a total investment value of US$7.32bn, up 69% year-on-year, according to the Ministry of Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction. Meanwhile, data from the Ministry of Commerce showed imports of construction materials reached US$2.36bn between January and November 2025, a 31% increase compared to the same period a year earlier.