World demand for cement to reach 4.7 billion tonnes in 2017

Worldwide sales of cement are forecast to expand more than 5%/year through 2017 to over 4.7 billion tonnes, a slight deceleration from the 2007-2012 pace. Following severe declines from 2008 to 2011 and stagnating demand in 2012, cement consumption is expected to rebound sharply in North America and Western Europe. Eastern Europe will perform much better as well. While growth in China is expected to decelerate noticeably between 2012 and 2017 after more than a decade of rapid gains, demand for cement in

Worldwide sales of cement are forecast to expand more than 5%/year through 2017 to over 4.7 billion tonnes, a slight deceleration from the 2007-2012 pace.

Following severe declines from 2008 to 2011 and stagnating demand in 2012, cement consumption is expected to rebound sharply in North America and Western Europe. Eastern Europe will perform much better as well. While growth in China is expected to decelerate noticeably between 2012 and 2017 after more than a decade of rapid gains, demand for cement in the rest of the Asia/Pacific region will accelerate.

The non-building segment of the global cement market is expected to outperform its counterparts, as governments in both developed and industrializing countries invest heavily in their public infrastructures. Blended cement is projected to account for over 75% of all new product demand generated between 2012 and 2017.

Despite losing market share, portland cement will still be used extensively in higher-end applications.

These and other trends are presented in World Cement, a new study from The Freedonia Group, a Cleveland, USA-based industry market research firm.

More than 50% of all additional cement demand generated between 2012 and 2017 will be attributable to China, the world’s leading consumer of cement. Product sales in China are projected to rise nearly 5%/year during this period. As the Chinese cement market matures, growth is expected to decelerate from the double-digit pace of the last decade. However, in absolute terms, cement consumption will still increase substantially through 2017, as massive gains in building and non-building construction activity in the country will stimulate product demand.

Following several years of losses during the recession-plagued 2007-2012 period, the cement markets of Eastern Europe, North America, and Western Europe are projected to expand between 4-6%/year through 2017.

As these regions recover from the global financial crises, residential, commercial, and public works construction activity will rebound, generating additional demand for cement. Eastern Europe and North America will record somewhat faster growth than Western Europe. Spain, Ukraine, the United States, Russia, and Italy are expected to perform particularly well, as there is considerable pent-up cement demand in each of these markets.

© 2013 by The Freedonia Group, Inc.
World Cement (published 10/2013, 480 pages) is available for US$6,400 from The Freedonia Group. Contact Corinne Gangloff: Tel: +1 440 684 9600 or Email . .