# Cement: Movement

Why so little of this bulk powder crosses borders

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cement/movement/

What this tab covers How it flows between countries: the largest bilateral trade routes drawn on a world map, 2024 UN Comtrade export and import values with the top exporters and importers by share, plus shipping routes, chokepoints and trade restrictions.

Comtrade valued world exports of cement and clinker (HS 2523) at about $9.9 billion in 2024, tiny next to output. Turkey led exporters with 12%, then Egypt (9.1%), Germany (6.7%), Canada (5.8%) and Spain (4.5%). No exporter dominates. The United States was by far the largest importer, at 24.1% of import value, ahead of France, the Philippines and the Netherlands at about 5% each. Most cement still moves short distances by truck. USGS shows US imports of 23 million t in 2025, 21% of consumption, from Turkey (32%), Canada (20%) and Vietnam (13%) over 2021-24.

#### Main trade routes, 2024

Chart: World map of the largest trade flows
 Exporter (size = share of world exports) Importer (share of world imports) Largest bilateral flows (width = value) Shipping chokepoint UN Comtrade 2024, reported exports by the top four exporters of each traded form to their partners (US$). Bubbles: shares of reported world exports and imports for the main traded form. Hover a line or circle for values.

#### Cement · HS 2523
 World exports 2024 $9.95 bn sum of 40 reporting countries World imports 2024 $10.1 bn sum of 40 reporting countries Top exporters, share of value Turkey 12% Egypt 9.1% Germany 6.7% Canada 5.8% Spain 4.5% Indonesia 3.8% Top importers, share of value United States 24.1% France 5.3% Philippines 5.1% Netherlands 4.9% Italy 4.1% Ghana 3.8% UN Comtrade, reporter declarations to the world, US$. Exports and imports are reported separately, so totals differ. Re-exporting hubs (Netherlands, Singapore, Switzerland, UAE) can appear large.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cement/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cement/overview/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cement/correlation/index.md)
- [Extraction](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cement/extraction/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cement/production/index.md)
- [Stocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cement/stocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cement/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cement/trading/index.md)
- [Criticality](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cement/criticality/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cement/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cement/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cement/links/index.md)