CEMENT

Portland, blended and masonry cements are construction materials that, when mixed with water, serve as the binder in concrete and most mortars. Cement contributes all of concrete’s compressional strength, despite only comprising about 13 percent of its content by weight. Cements are made from a material called clinker, which is finely ground into a powder and mixed with a small amount of gypsum and potentially supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). Clinker is produced from a precise combination of calcareous, aluminous, ferrous and siliceous materials, which are transformed through pyroprocessing of the requisite materials in a rotary kiln. Production and consumption In 2023, production of cement in the United States, excluding Puerto Rico, was estimated to be 91 Mt, a slight decrease from 93 Mt in 2022. Production in 2023 was 8 percent lower than the record of 99.3 Mt set in 2005 (Fig. 1). Total world cement production in 2023 was estimated to be 4.1 Gt, unchanged from 2022. China (2,100 Mt), India (410 Mt), Vietnam (110 Mt), the United States (91 Mt) and Turkey (79 Mt) continued to be the leading producers in 2023. The United States manufactured about 2 percent of cement produced worldwide. Domestic cement consumption in 2023, as measured by sales to final customers, was estimated to have decreased slightly to 109 Mt from 111 Mt in 2022 but was 15 percent lower than the 2005 record consumption of 127.9 Mt. The difference between consumption and domestic production in 2023 was met, in part, by imports, although total imports of hydraulic cement and clinker in 2023 were unchanged from 2022. Over the past 10 years, imports increased from 7.2 Mt in 2013 to 26.5 Mt in 2023, but imports in 2023 were still well below the record of 35.9 Mt set in 2006. The leading cement-consuming states continued to be Texas, California and Florida, in descending order by tonnage. The major end uses for cement in the United States are, in descending order by estimated market share, ready-mixed concrete, concrete product manufacturers, contractors and other customer types (such as building-material dealers, government, mining, oil-well drilling, waste stabilization and unspecified uses). Foreign trade According to the U.S. Census Bureau, imports of cement and clinker by the United States, including Puerto Rico, in 2023 were 26.5 Mt, compared with 26.6 Mt in 2022. In 2023, Turkey (30 percent), Canada (19 percent), Vietnam (15 percent), Greece (8 percent) and Mexico (8 percent) supplied the majority of U.S. cement imports, with the remainder coming from several other countries. Exports of cement were 918 kt, essentially unchanged compared with 926 kt in 2022. Canada (84 percent), Mexico (6 percent) and the Bahamas (4 percent) received the majority of U.S. cement exports, with the remainder going to several other countries and localities. Prices The average mill net value (“price”) of cement depends on application, quality, quantity purchased, source and type, and therefore encompasses a wide range of prices and was estimated to be $150/t in 2023. In recent years, increased prices have been partially attributed to increased costs of production, having increased from $127/t in 2021. During 2023, the overall estimated value of sales increased to a record-high $16.4 billion. Environmental issues Large quantities of raw materials (mainly carbonate rocks, especially limestone) and fuels are burned at high temperatures to make clinker, resulting in emissions of large quantities of carbon dioxide (CO2) and potentially significant emissions of nitrogen oxides, sulfur oxides, mercury and some other metals, volatile organic compounds and particulates. Increasingly, these emissions are being stringently regulated. The cement industry is one of the leading industrial emitters of CO2, an important greenhouse gas. Figure 1 U.S. clinker production, cement production and cement consumption, 1960–2023. Outlook The slight decrease in reported consumption of cement in 2023 likely resulted from decreased construction starts of new housing units, monetary policy actions focused on reducing inflation, as well as increased costs for energy, material and service inputs; labor and production shortages; and supply-chain disruptions. Regulators continued to implement new measures designed to aid industry decarbonization efforts, such as green procurement strategies and research investments. Additionally, funding from the November 2021 passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law continued to be allocated. In 2022, several cement plants transitioned to portland-limestone blended cement (PLC) following its widespread acceptance by various authorities. In 2023, total blended shipments increased significantly, and 97 percent of the blended shipments were estimated to be PLC (Type IL). Additional company announcements that focused on sustainability and decarbonization efforts included the increased use of alternative fuels and alternative materials, carbon capture utilization and storage projects, increased energy efficiency and digitalization, and shifting to renewable energy sources. Development of other low-carbon and/or new blended cement product lines utilizing various SCMs, and innovative techniques, also progressed. Imports are likely to continue to augment domestic cement supply to counteract reduced domestic production capacity resulting from kilns being idled owing to environmental concerns. In 2023, an upgrade and capacity expansion of a cement plant in Indiana was completed in June and work progressed on plans to increase the capacity of a cement plant in Texas. However, in 2022 and 2023, cement plant closures were announced at cement plants in California, Maine and New York. References U.S. Geological Survey, 2024, Mineral Commodity Summaries 2024—Cement: U.S. Geological Survey, p. 54–55, https://doi.org/10.3133/mcs2024. Hatfield, A. K., 2024, Cement in December 2023: U.S. Geological Survey Mineral Industry Surveys, February, 1 p. (Accessed March 11, 2024, at https://d9-wret.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/assets/palladium/production/s3fs-public/media/files/mis-202312-cemen.pdf).

CEMENT

Authored by:
A.K. Hatfield

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From sessions to strategy: Revealing long-term and emerging innovation trends in data analytics, intelligent systems and automation

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To view the past issues of the UCA magazine you must be a member of SME/UCA.

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