Turkish Cement industry produces below the current capacity

Cement production in Turkey decreased by 6.6 percent compared to the previous year and decreased to 73 million 708 thousand tons. The Turkish Cement industry, whose current capacity utilization rate is 65%, started to produce below its capacity.

TÜRKÇİMENTO, started 2022 with a decline in the domestic market and an increase in exports, after 2021, when its grew by about 6 percent. In 2022, the total cement production of the members decreased to 73 million 708 thousand tons with a decrease of 6.6 percent compared to the previous year. Domestic sales, on the other hand, decreased by 9.3 percent in 2022 to 54 million 610 thousand tons.

Evaluating the production, sales and export figures for 2022, Fatih Yücelik, Chairman of the Board of the Turkish Cement Industrialists' Association (TÜRKÇİMENTO), said, “About 25.1% of the cement produced in the 12-month period of 2022 was exported. In 2022, our total exports as the cement industry decreased by 12 percent to 27.2 million tons. Cement accounted for 18.7 million tons and clinker for 8.5 million tons of this export. The downward trend in exports continues in 2023 as well.

Capacity utilization rate 65%

Stating that the cement sector, which operates with 77 factories, reached a capacity of 119 million tons in 2022 with the investments made, Yücelik said that the capacity utilization rate is 65 percent.

Yücelik said, “When we look at our capacity utilization rate in 2022, we continue production under the installed capacity. Although we see that the developments in both the domestic and foreign markets still do not reflect our real potential; I believe that our industry will achieve greater success in the coming period.”

Half of the exports go to the USA

Saying that the industry mostly exports cement to the USA and the Middle East, Fatih Yücelik said, “I would like to open a parenthesis here, especially for the US market. Cement exports of Turkey to the USA increased by 35 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year and reached 9.8 million tons. 50 percent of our country's cement exports were made to the USA. As you know, in the USA, aging infrastructures are being renewed recently. With our quality products and our success in logistics, we are also laying our signature on the foundation of the USA as Turkish cement.”