Cement is a finely milled mineral powder, usually grey in colour. The most important raw materials for the production of cement are limestone, clay, and marl. Mixed with water, cement serves as an adhesive to bind sand, gravel, and hard rock in concrete. Cement hardens both in the air and under water, and remains in its hardened state once reached.

Cement is usually available in the form of a homogeneous bulk dry good. It’s characteristics are standardised in order to ensure the required stability, reliability, and processability in the application.

Cements are classified according to their early and final strength as well as their composition. In addition to cements that consist of 100% clinker, there are so-called composite cements, in which a portion of the clinker is replaced by alternative raw materials, such as fly ash, ground slag, or limestone. As the production of clinker is energy-intensive and releases large amounts of CO2, the use of alternative raw materials can conserve natural resources and reduce CO2 emissions.

Depending on the desired application, different types of cement – each with a specific composition – are necessary. Cement characteristics can also be modified through the use of additives. We offer our customers a broad range of cement products, including quality cements, special cements with targeted characteristics, special geotechnical building materials and an expanded range of binders. Our product portfolio varies from country to country.

Join us for a short tour to experience how cement is made: starting with the extraction of raw materials and ending with the finished product.

How Cement Is Made

Development of sales volumes

In 2021, cement and clinker sales volumes rose by 3.7 % to 126.5 million tonnes (previous year: 122.0). With the exception of Africa-Eastern Mediterranean Basin, where deliveries remained at the previous year’s level, all Group areas recorded growth in sales volumes. The strongest increase was recorded by Western and Southern Europe, followed by Asia-Pacific. Excluding changes to the scope of consolidation, cement and clinker sales volumes in 2021 were 4.6 % above the previous year.