SIC 3241 Cement, Hydraulic

Contenidos

• NAICS CODE(S).
• FURTHER READING.

SIC 3241

Establishments primarily engaged in manufacturing hydraulic cement, including portland, natural, masonry, and pozzolana cements.

NAICS CODE(S)

327310

Cement Manufacturing

Cement is manufactured by grinding minerals, typically a controlled mix of limestone and clay, in either a wet or a dry environment. The ground material is then heated in a kiln, chemically changing it into a substance called "clinker" that is cooled and reground with additional minerals such as gypsum. This leaves a finished powder—the cement itself—that reacts with water and can be mixed with gravel or sand to create concrete. Cement is used in a variety of construction-related industries, particularly in building and roadway construction.

U.S. cement makers shipped more than $8.3 billion worth of cement in 2004. The industry, which runs an annual trade deficit, significantly reduced its reliance on imports as a proportion of consumption in the mid-1980s, when import volume was as much as 20 times greater than export volume. In the following decade imports declined and exports increased, bringing the deficit down to less than a factor of 10. However, in 2005 the U.S. Commerce Department reported that imports of building materials such as stone, sand, and cement, had jumped 29 percent compared to the year before, reflecting record levels of construction and slow growth of domestic production. Part of the increase in demand for cement was due to the damages caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita of 2005. According to the Portland Cement Association (PCA), rebuilding New Orleans, which suffered major damage, could consume up to 1.8 million tons of cement each year over a five -year span. PCA predicted that U.S. companies could meet this demand without a need for increased imports in the mid- to late 2000s.

Industry employment dropped steadily since the 1970s due to automation and a decline of small producers. Between 2000 and 2004, total industry employment decreased from 17,175 to 16,162. The number of production workers, however, remained fairly stable over the same time period: 12,726 in 2000 and 12,248 in 2004. The average hourly pay for a production worker in the cement industry was $23.07.

In the mid-2000s approximately 246 establishments manufactured cement throughout the United States. Plants were typically located near the regional market they served to minimize transportation costs. In 2002 California had the most...