Cement stonewall

Cement exports by country totaled US$13.2 billion in 2024.

Overall, the value of cement exports increased by an average 13.2% for all exporting countries from five years earlier in 2020 when cement shipments were valued at $11.6 billion.

From 2023 to 2024, international sales of exported cement sales fell by -7.4% from $14.2 billion.

The 5 leading cement exporters are Vietnam, Türkiye, Egypt, Germany and Canada. Collectively, that quintet of major suppliers generated over a third (36%) of worldwide shipments of cement during 2024.

From a continental perspective, Asian countries sold the most exported cement during 2024 with shipments valued at $5.5 billion or 41.6% of globally exported cement. In second place were exporters in Europe at 31.1% while 17.8% of worldwide cement shipments originated from Africa, with another 7.1% worth shipped from North America.

Tinier percentages came from Latin America (2.2%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, and Oceania (0.1%) led by New Zealand, Fiji and Australia.

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%) 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 (24.6%) while miscellaneous hydraulic cements and aluminous cements came in at 6.9% and 1.6% respectively.

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

Below are the 25 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of cement during 2024.

1. Vietnam: US$1.4 billion (10.5% of total cement exports)
2. Türkiye: $1.2 billion (9.1%)
3. Egypt: $909.8 million (6.9%)
4. Germany: $684.6 million (5.2%)
5. Canada: $575 million (4.4%)
6. Spain: $447.2 million (3.4%)
7. Indonesia: $374.9 million (2.8%)
8. United Arab Emirates: $369.8 million (2.8%)
9. Algeria: $334.7 million (2.5%)
10. Belgium: $331.9 million (2.5%)
11. mainland China: $311.2 million (2.4%)
12. Slovakia: $307.7 million (2.3%)
13. Pakistan: $298 million (2.3%)
14. Thailand: $292.1 million (2.2%)
15. Japan: $278.2 million (2.1%)
16. Saudi Arabia: $271.2 million (2.1%)
17. Italy: $243.6 million (1.9%)
18. Greece: $233.4 million (1.8%)
19. Croatia: $221.8 million (1.7%)
20. United States: $193.3 million (1.5%)
21. Ireland: $191.2 million (1.5%)
22. Senegal: $179 million (1.4%)
23. Mexico: $171.4 million (1.3%)
24. Zambia: $160.8 million (1.2%)
25. Iran: $151.3 million (1.1%)

Countries Generating Largest Trade Surpluses from Cement

The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for cement during 2024. 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$1.4 billion (net export surplus up 13.2% since 2023)
2. Türkiye: $1.2 billion (down -12%)
3. Egypt: $906.6 million (up 18%)
4. Germany: $525.2 million (up 0.8%)
5. Canada: $412.3 million (up 4.1%)
6. Indonesia: $371.2 million (down -7.5%)
7. United Arab Emirates: $361.4 million (down -41.9%)
8. Spain: $341.8 million (down -11.3%)
9. Algeria: $333.9 million (down -37.3%)
10. mainland China: $295.4 million (up 31.4%)
11. Pakistan: $294.3 million (up 22.4%)
12. Slovakia: $269.6 million (up 30.2%)
13. Saudi Arabia: $258.5 million (down -24.8%)
14. Japan: $247.1 million (down -0.7%)
15. Thailand: $230 million (down -5.6%)

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 2024. 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$2.2 billion (net export deficit down -10.7% since 2023)
2. Philippines: -$516.3 million (down -6%)
3. United Kingdom: -$503.9 million (down -9.1%)
4. France: -$417.1 million (down -19.5%)
5. Netherlands: -$403.9 million (down -3.6%)
6. Bangladesh: -$349.7 million (down -48.8%)
7. Israel: -$345.1 million (down -13.4%)
8. Hungary: -$323.1 million (up 44.8%)
9. Mali: -$250 million (down -17.4%)
10. Singapore: -$236.3 million (down -14.7%)
11. Australia: -$209.2 million (down -20.5%)
12. Ivory Coast: -$207.3 million (down -16.6%)
13. Italy: -$202.9 million (up 72.9%)
14. Hong Kong: -$196.9 million (down -6.5%)
15. Ghana: -$188.6 million (down -44.2%)

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