Top 10: Largest Cement Companies

By Kitty Wheeler
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Cement giants worldwide are innovating, adapting and contributing vital services to the construction industry
The world’s biggest cement companies include Cement Roadstone Holding, Holcim Group, UltraTech Cement, Ambuja Cements and Heidelberg Materials
Key definitions:
  • Grey cement: is the common, less expensive type used in general construction
  • White cement: is pricier, finer and used for decorative purposes
  • Ready-mixed concrete: is a pre-mixed blend of cement, water, and aggregates delivered ready to use
  • Clinker: is a key ingredient ground to make cement, produced by heating limestone and clay at high temperatures
  • Ordinary Portland Cement: is a standard cement
  • Pozzolana Portland Cement: includes additives for improved durability in specific applications

The global cement industry forms the bedrock for many modern construction across the world.

The cement industry is changing, as it faces challenges from slashing carbon emissions, to embracing sustainability, to navigating global digital transformation.

With high capital costs and complex regulations, firms are having to innovate to survive and with market pressures and geopolitical uncertainties added to the mix, resilience and agility is needed from this traditionally conservative sector.

Yet the industry is adapting, exploring fascinating innovation such as cement that can self-heal or even trap CO2

Digitalisation is also revolutionising operations, enhancing efficiency and quality control. The sector is looking to meet burgeoning demand from rapid urbanisation whilst achieving ambitious sustainability goals

Considering that cement is the world's second-most consumed substance after water, cement industry leaders have the power to improve global infrastructures, and promote sustainable development.

10: Siam Cement Group

Headquarters: Thailand
Employees: 54,000
Market cap: US$7.44bn

Siam Cement Group (SCG), founded in 1913 and headquartered in Bangkok, is Thailand's largest cement producer. 
Manufacturing grey cement, white cement and ready-mixed concrete, the company utilises advanced cement technologies, offering services including distribution and real estate development. 
SCG's cement business serves construction projects and supplies building materials and exports to the US, Europe and Southeast Asia. 
The company also produces mortar products and operates cement plants in multiple Southeast Asian countries.

9: Buzzi Unicem

Headquarters: Italy
Employees: 10,000
Market cap: US$7.52bn

This Italian multinational cement producer was founded in 1907 and operates 37 cement plants globally, with a total production capacity of 39.6 million tonnes. 
Like SCG, Buzzi Unicem manufactures grey cement, white cement and ready-mix concrete, also producing aggregates as well as offering cement distribution services. 
The firm utilises advanced production technologies and has expanded internationally, with significant operations in the United States and Germany and primarily, Buzzi Unicem is led by the Buzzi family, who hold approximately 59% of ordinary shares.

8: Taiwan Cement Corporation

Headquarters: Taiwan
Employees: 19,278
Market cap: US$7.97bn

Taiwan Cement utilises advanced production technologies and has expanded internationally, recently forming a joint venture with Turkey's OYAK Cement. 
From its birth in 1946, the company is now a major cement producer headquartered in Taipei. 
The firm offers cement distribution and product testing services and serves the construction industry across Asia and is expanding into the Mediterranean market and manufactures grey cement, clinker and ready-mix concrete, with a production capacity of 75 million tonnes annually in the Greater China region. 

7: Cemex

Headquarters: Mexico
Employees: 46,134 
Market cap: US$9.95bn

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​​​​​​​Cemex is a Mexican multinational building materials company with 65 million metric tons of annual production capacity, manufacturing cement, ready-mix concrete, and aggregates across 50 countries. 
The firm operates 64 cement plants and 1,348 ready-mix facilities, also utilising advanced production technologies and offering distribution services.
Cemex also serves the construction industry globally, contributing to infrastructure projects across its markets with reported sales of US$14.5bn in 2021 and was founded in 1906.

6: Anhui Conch Cement

Headquarters: China
Employees: 50,769
Market cap: US$18.22bn

Anhui Conch employs advanced production technologies, focusing on energy efficiency and automation and operates 160 subsidiaries and serves the construction industry.
The company manufactures cement, clinker, and aggregates across 18 Chinese provinces and several Southeast Asian countries and is also expanding its presence along China's Belt and Road Initiative countries.
Founded in 1997, the company is China's largest cement producer with a capacity of 369 million tonnes.

5: Heidelberg Materials

Headquarters: Germany 
Employees: 51,000
Market cap: US$20.20bn

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​​​​​​​Formerly known as HeidelbergCement, Heidelberg Materials is one of the world's largest building materials companies. 
Founded in 1873, the company operates in around 50 countries, producing cement, aggregates, ready-mixed concrete, and asphalt. 
The firm employs advanced technologies, including carbon capture and utilisation and is constructing the world's first large-scale carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) facility in a cement plant. Partnering with Linde, the company contributed to the new Nobel Centre project using its evoZero carbon-captured cement. 
Heidelberg Materials also offers digital solutions for concrete monitoring and focuses on sustainability initiatives. 

4: Ambuja Cements

Headquarters: India
Employees: 4,361 
Market cap: US$20.1bn

Now part of the Adani Group, the company operates five integrated cement plants and eight grinding units, with a total capacity of 29.65 million tonnes. 
Ambuja pioneered bulk cement transportation by sea in India and is a leading Indian cement manufacturer that produces Ordinary and Pozzolana Portland Cement, focusing on sustainability and innovation whilst offering home-building solutions and knowledge sharing through its Ambuja Knowledge Centre. 
The company serves the construction industry across India and was founded in 1983.

3: UltraTech Cement 

Headquarters: India
Employees: 22,916
Market cap: US$40.30bn

UltraTech Cement, founded in 1983, is India's largest cement producer and a key player globally. 
It manufactures grey cement, white cement, and ready-mix concrete, utilising advanced technologies like carbon capture and operates 24 integrated plants and 33 grinding units and sells products like Portland cement and specialty concrete. 
The company has contributed to major infrastructure projects and partners with big construction firms, offering services including technical assistance and building solutions. 

2: Holcim Group

Headquarters: Switzerland
Employees: 60,000
Market cap: US$52.75bn

Holcim operates in 70 countries, contributing to major infrastructure projects such as roads, ports and wind farms. 
Founded in 1912, it produces cement, aggregates, ready-mix concrete, and asphalt, using advanced technologies like carbon capture. 
The company partners with others, such as Mercedes-Benz Trucks, for sustainability initiatives and offers consulting, R&D, and waste management services. 

1: Cement Roadstone Holding

Headquarters: Ireland
Employees: 78,500
Market cap: US$56.45bn

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​​​​​​​The largest cement company in the world is Cement Roadstone Holding (CRH).
​​​​​​​Founded in 1970 through the merger of Cement Limited and Roadstone Limited, CRH is a global building materials company, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland. 
CRH manufactures cement, aggregates, and concrete products across its operations in multiple countries and has expanded through acquisitions, including Van Neerbos in the Netherlands and Amcor in the United States. 
​​​​​​​CRH also operates under various brand names, including Oldcastle in the US, yet serves the construction industry globally. 

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