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Cement Exports by Country

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Cement stonewall
Cement stonewall
Global sales from cement exports by country amounted to US$13.2 billion in 2022.

Overall, the value of cement exports increased by an average 23.9% for all exporting countries since 2018 when cement shipments were valued at $11.5 billion.

From 2021 to 2022, international sales of exported cement sales depreciated by -2.1% from $13.5 billion.

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.

The 5 leading cement exporters are Vietnam, Türkiye, Germany, Egypt and Canada. Collectively, that quintet of major suppliers generated almost four-tenths (39%) of worldwide shipments of cement during 2022.

By category, Portland cement represents over three-fifths (62.9%) 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 approached a third (29.6%) while miscellaneous hydraulic cements and aluminous cements came in at 5.8% and 1.6% respectively.

From a continental perspective, Asian countries sold the most exported cement during 2022 with shipments valued at $6.35 billion or 48.1% of globally exported cement. In second place were exporters in Europe at 26% while 16% of worldwide cement shipments originated from Africa, with another 7.2% worth shipped from North America.

Tinier percentages came from Latin America (2.7%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, and Oceania (0.1%) led by Fiji, New Zealand and Australia.

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 2022.

  1. Vietnam: US$1.8 billion (13.8% of total cement exports)
  2. Türkiye: $1.7 billion (12.6%)
  3. Germany: $588.6 million (4.5%)
  4. Egypt: $570.2 million (4.3%)
  5. Canada: $512.9 million (3.9%)
  6. Algeria: $494 million (3.7%)
  7. Spain: $429.4 million (3.3%)
  8. Thailand: $380.8 million (2.9%)
  9. Indonesia: $376.6 million (2.9%)
  10. Japan: $375.3 million (2.8%)
  11. Belgium: $320.3 million (2.4%)
  12. United Arab Emirates: $282 million (2.1%)
  13. Mexico: $264.4 million (2%)
  14. Greece: $231.9 million (1.8%)
  15. China: $209.5 million (1.6%)
  16. Slovakia: $202 million (1.5%)
  17. Saudi Arabia: $196.5 million (1.5%)
  18. Croatia: $190.1 million (1.4%)
  19. Italy: $181.1 million (1.4%)
  20. Ireland: $178.4 million (1.4%)
  21. United States: $171.4 million (1.3%)
  22. Pakistan: $167.9 million (1.3%)
  23. Malaysia: $160.8 million (1.2%)
  24. South Korea: $128.1 million (1%)
  25. Zambia: $124.8 million (0.9%)

By value, the listed countries shipped more than three-quarters (77.4%) of global cement exports in 2022.

Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing cement exporters since 2021 were: Algeria (up 94%), Mexico (up 47.8%), Egypt (up 44.8%) and Malaysia (up 21.7%).

Major providers that posted declines in their exported cement sales were led by: United Arab Emirates (down -55.9% from 2021), Pakistan (down -38.1%), South Korea (down -32.8%), Thailand (down -24.1%) and Saudi Arabia (down -20%).

Countries Generating Largest Trade Surpluses from Cement

The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for cement during 2022. 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$1.8 billion (net export surplus up 9.6% since 2021)
  2. Türkiye: $1.7 billion (up 21.6%)
  3. Egypt: $566.6 million (up 44.8%)
  4. Algeria: $493.3 million (up 95.7%)
  5. Germany: $408.2 million (down -2.9%)
  6. Indonesia: $372.7 million (down -7.1%)
  7. Japan: $342.5 million (down -1.3%)
  8. Thailand: $313.3 million (down -28.2%)
  9. Canada: $306.5 million (down -15.3%)
  10. Spain: $304.8 million (down -7%)
  11. United Arab Emirates: $266.3 million (down -57.9%)
  12. Mexico: $248.2 million (up 53%)
  13. Greece: $196.5 million (up 11.7%)
  14. Saudi Arabia: $191.1 million (down -17.1%)
  15. Pakistan: $164.4 million (down -38.3%)

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 2022. 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 up 51.5% since 2021)
  2. Philippines: -$635.8 million (up 5%)
  3. United Kingdom: -$523.5 million (up 63.1%)
  4. France: -$468.1 million (down -10.4%)
  5. Netherlands: -$452.3 million (up 56.9%)
  6. Israel: -$439.4 million (up 28.7%)
  7. mainland China: -$391.5 million (down -72.8%)
  8. Bangladesh: -$327.5 million (down -55.2%)
  9. Ivory Coast: -$274.5 million (up 6.2%)
  10. Singapore: -$270.3 million (up 17.1%)
  11. Australia: -$236.2 million (up 13.2%)
  12. Hong Kong: -$222.7 million (up 6.5%)
  13. Chile: -$198 million (up 22.7%)
  14. Sri Lanka: -$192.2 million (down -34.1%)
  15. Ghana: -$174 million (down -3.3%)

The United States of America and the Philippines 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 19, 2023

Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on September 19, 2023

International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 19, 2023

Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on September 19, 2023