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Cement Exports by Country

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Cement exports by country amounted to US$13.9 billion in 2023.

Overall, the value of cement exports increased by an average 17.8% for all exporting countries from five years earlier in 2019 when cement shipments were valued at $11.8 billion.

From 2022 to 2023, international sales of exported cement sales flatlined via a 0.4% rise from $13.8 billion.

The 5 leading cement exporters are Vietnam, Türkiye, Egypt, Germany and Canada. Collectively, that quintet of major suppliers generated over a third (35.9%) of worldwide shipments of cement during 2023.

From a continental perspective, Asian countries sold the most exported cement during 2023 with shipments valued at $6 billion or 43.1% of globally exported cement. In second place were exporters in Europe at 28.8% while 18.5% of worldwide cement shipments originated from Africa, with another 7.3% worth shipped from North America.

Tinier percentages came from Latin America (2.3%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, and Oceania (0.1%) led by Fiji, Australia and New Zealand.

An essential construction material, cement is typically sold in the form of grey or white powder or “clinker” lumps and modules fused together with limestone and alumino-silicates like clay.

By category, Portland cement represents roughly two-thirds (67.3%) of exported global cement supplies. That metric should come as no surprise given that Portland is the cement type used for making concrete, mortar, stucco and grout. Cement clinkers exceeded one quarter (26.1%) while miscellaneous hydraulic cements and aluminous cements came in at 5.4% and 1.5% respectively.

For research purposes, the four-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 2523 for cement materials.

Cement Exports by Country

Below are the 25 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of cement during 2023.

  1. Vietnam: US$1.6 billion (11.5% of total cement exports)
  2. Türkiye: $1.4 billion (9.8%)
  3. Egypt: $773.6 million (5.6%)
  4. Germany: $689.4 million (5%)
  5. Canada: $566.5 million (4.1%)
  6. Algeria: $507.7 million (3.7%)
  7. Spain: $482.4 million (3.5%)
  8. Indonesia: $405.4 million (2.9%)
  9. United Arab Emirates: $385.2 million (2.8%)
  10. Belgium: $364.7 million (2.6%)
  11. Saudi Arabia: $336.3 million (2.4%)
  12. Thailand: $323.7 million (2.3%)
  13. mainland China: $288.5 million (2.1%)
  14. Japan: $278.4 million (2%)
  15. Greece: $263 million (1.9%)
  16. Slovakia: $258.2 million (1.9%)
  17. Italy: $245.8 million (1.8%)
  18. Pakistan: $243.1 million (1.8%)
  19. Mexico: $241.8 million (1.7%)
  20. Croatia: $227.9 million (1.6%)
  21. Ireland: $209.2 million (1.5%)
  22. United States: $198.8 million (1.4%)
  23. Senegal: $175.6 million (1.3%)
  24. Tunisia: $159.3 million (1.1%)
  25. Kenya: $158.7 million (1.1%)

By value, the listed countries shipped more than three-quarters (77.3%) of global cement exports in 2023.

Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing cement exporters since 2022 were: Kenya (up 48.7%), Pakistan (up 44.8%), Senegal (up 44.3%) and Italy (up 38.3%).

Those countries that posted double-digit declines in their exported cement sales were: United Arab Emirates (down -34.2% from 2022), Japan (down -25.8%), Türkiye (down -18.1%), Algeria (down -17.1%) and Thailand (down -15%).

Countries Generating Largest Trade Surpluses from Cement

The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for cement during 2023. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s cement exports and its import purchases for that same commodity.

  1. Vietnam: US$1.6 billion (net export surplus up 26% since 2022)
  2. Türkiye: $1.4 billion (down -18.2%)
  3. Egypt: $768.5 million (up 14%)
  4. Germany: $521.2 million (up 27%)
  5. Algeria: $507.3 million (down -17.1%)
  6. Indonesia: $401.5 million (up 7.7%)
  7. Canada: $396.2 million (up 29.2%)
  8. Spain: $385.4 million (up 26.4%)
  9. United Arab Emirates: $376.4 million (down -34.4%)
  10. Saudi Arabia: $332.8 million (down -4%)
  11. Japan: $248.9 million (down -27.3%)
  12. Thailand: $243.7 million (down -22.2%)
  13. Pakistan: $240.5 million (up 46.3%)
  14. mainland China: $224.8 million (reversing a -$391.5 million deficit)
  15. Greece: $222.9 million (up 13.4%)

Vietnam generated the highest surplus in the international trade of cement. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms Vietnam’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.

Countries Causing Largest Trade Deficits from Cement

The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for cement during 2023. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s cement import purchases and its exports for that same commodity.

  1. United States: -US$2.5 billion (net export deficit down -0.6% since 2022)
  2. United Kingdom: -$554.4 million (up 5.9%)
  3. Philippines: -$549.2 million (down -13.6%)
  4. France: -$516.6 million (up 10%)
  5. Netherlands: -$420.9 million (down -6.1%)
  6. Israel: -$398.4 million (down -9.3%)
  7. Bangladesh: -$353.3 million (down -50.7%)
  8. Ghana: -$338.1 million (down -24.7%)
  9. Singapore: -$277 million (up 2.5%)
  10. Australia: -$263.2 million (up 11.4%)
  11. Mali: -$256.5 million (up 22.1%)
  12. Ivory Coast: -$248.7 million (down -9.4%)
  13. Hungary: -$223.1 million (up 50%)
  14. Hong Kong: -$210.6 million (down -5.4%)
  15. Libya: -$165.9 million (up 36.1%)

The United States of America and the United Kingdom posted the highest deficits in the international trade of cement. In turn, these negative cashflows highlight both economic powerhouses’ strong competitive disadvantages for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for cement-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand.

Top Cement Exporting Companies

According to the Global Cement Directory, the following cement exporting companies lead the world in cement production capacity.

  1. Anhui Conch (China)
  2. Lafarge (France)
  3. Holcim (Switzerland)
  4. CNBM (China)
  5. HeidelbergCement (Germany)
  6. Italcementi (Italy)
  7. Cemex (Mexico)
  8. Taiwan Cement Corp (Taiwan)
  9. China Resources (China)
  10. Sinoma (China)

The above corporations are presented in the same order as they appear in Global Cement’s listing, which shows that the People’s Republic is home to four of the 10 largest cement-producing companies.
 

See also Aerospace Exports by Country, Aircraft Parts Exports by Country, Top Industrial Robots Exporters and China’s Top Trading Partners

Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on September 6, 2024

Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on September 6, 2024

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 6, 2024

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on September 6, 2024