US cement shipments slightly decreased

Total shipments of portland and blended cement in the United States and Puerto Rico in March 2017 were about 7.5 million t, slightly less than sales in March 2016. The leading producing States for portland and blended cement in March 2017 were Texas, California, Missouri, Florida, and Alabama, in descending order. The leading cement-consuming States (Texas, California, Florida, Georgia, and North Carolina, in descending order) received 46% of the March shipments. Shipments for the year through March were nearly 19.0 million t, slightly higher than for the same period in 2016.

Clinker production totalled 6.2 million t in March 2017, up by 3.1% from the output in March 2016. The leading clinker producing States in March were, in descending order, Texas, Missouri, California, Florida, and Alabama. Clinker production for the year through March totalled 15.8 million t, down by 3.5% from that of the same period in 2016. Masonry cement shipments of about 228 000 t in March 2017 were down slightly from those in March 2016.

The leading masonry-cement-consuming States were, in descending order, Florida, Texas, California, North Carolina, and Georgia; these received about 60% of March’s shipments. Masonry cement shipments for the year through March were 587 000 t, up by 4.1% from those of the same period in 2016.

For some time, imports have been increasing at rates generally higher than those for cement sales overall. In part, this reflects the collapse of imports during the recession (hence a low basis for comparison), but also the relatively low cost of imports resulting from a combination of low bunker fuel costs, modest ship chartering rates, increased ship availability, and a strong dollar. In some regions, imports are offsetting domestic production constraints related to difficulties in bringing long-idle extra kilns back online. Also, clinker imports have increased, likely temporarily, ahead of expected disruptions to kiln output at certain plants that are undergoing upgrades.

March 2017 imports of cement and clinker of about 961 000 t were 9.8% higher than those in March 2016. As listed, imports for the year through March totalled 2.45 million t, up by 14.7% from those of the same period in 2016; however, within the 2017 total, the January imports were understated by nearly 28 000 t of gray portland cement imported into the San Francisco Customs district under a tariff code for another commodity.

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/the-americas/07062017/us-cement-shipments-slightly-decreased/