U.S. apparent cement consumption 2004-2019

Cement consumption is often heavily linked to the demand from the construction industry. The consumption of cement in the United States has steadily increased since the 2008 Recession, reaching approximately 102 million metric tons in 2019. Similarly, cement prices in the U.S. have also increased in recent years, reaching 123.5 U.S. dollars per metric ton in the same year.

Cement production

Cement production has not reached peak levels since the mid 2000’s which could indicate that some cement plants are still idle or there is underutilized capacity at other plants. Disruptions from plant upgrades, closures, as well as inexpensive imports have also led to lower levels of domestic production.

What is cement?

Cement is a binder that can bind other materials together, most often sand and gravel, and is then used for construction. When cement is mixed with fine aggregate or with sand and gravel, it produces concrete. Cement can be characterized as hydraulic or non-hydraulic, where non-hydraulic does not set when there is water present, while hydraulic cements, like Portland cement, requires a chemical reaction between dry materials and water. It is one of the most commonly used types of material in the world.