Florida Cement Market

Strategic Entry Analysis & Market Intelligence
Tampa Bay Region Focus | December 2025
$95B Construction Market 20M MT Annual Demand 9M MT Imports #2 US State by Consumption
01

Market Opportunity

20M
MT Annual Demand
Florida State
45%
Import Dependency
Demand vs Production Gap
2.8%
Annual Growth
5-Year CAGR
$4.8B
Tampa Bay Construction
2024 Permitted Value

Why Florida Now?

+

Population Boom

1,000+ new residents daily; #1 state for domestic migration

$

Infrastructure Investment

$12B FDOT 5-year plan; port expansions; Brightline rail

!

Supply-Demand Gap

10.4 MT production vs 20 MT demand = 9.6 MT import opportunity

Tampa Bay Advantages

  • Market Size 6.8 MT/yr
  • Share of Florida Imports 75%
  • Deep Water Ports 3 Active
  • Building Permits (2024) 34,000+
  • Construction Value $9.5B
  • Population Growth 2.1%/yr
02

Supply Landscape

Florida Cement Plants (7 Total)

Plant Owner Capacity Region
Pennusco Titan America 2.1 MT Miami
Tampa Port Argos USA 1.9 MT Tampa
Newberry Argos USA 1.6 MT Gainesville
Brooksville South CEMEX 1.5 MT Tampa Area
Sumterville CRH (Ash Grove) 1.2 MT Central
Miami CEMEX 1.1 MT Miami
Branford CRH (Ash Grove) 1.0 MT North FL

Total Florida Production: 10.4 MT/year | Utilization: ~92%

Import Terminals

Terminal Port Volume
Port Tampa Bay Tampa 3.45 MT
Tampa City Tampa 2.42 MT
JAXPORT Jacksonville 1.61 MT
Port Manatee Tampa Bay 0.95 MT
Port Everglades Ft. Lauderdale 0.45 MT
West Palm Beach Palm Beach 0.19 MT
Port Redwing (NEW) Gibsonton Under Construction
"Tampa Bay receives 75% of all Florida cement imports, making it the strategic hub for market entry."
03

Demand Analysis

20M MT
Florida Annual Demand
6.8M MT
Tampa Bay Region
34%
Tampa Share of FL

Top Demand Counties (Tampa Bay)

County Permits $ Value Growth
Hillsborough 14,200 $3.65B +2.1%
Pinellas 6,800 $1.85B +0.8%
Pasco 6,500 $1.42B +3.2%
Manatee 4,800 $1.05B +2.6%
Polk 7,800 $1.65B +2.5%

Demand by Segment

Ready-Mix Concrete 70-75%
Precast/Concrete Products 12-15%
Masonry/Block 5-8%
Other (Soil Stabilization, etc.) 5-7%
04

Import Strategy

US Import Origins (2024)

Country Volume Share Tariff
Turkey 7.16 MT 36% 10%
Canada 4.85 MT 24% 25%
Vietnam 4.17 MT 21% 46%
Greece 1.82 MT 9% 10%
Mexico 1.32 MT 7% 25%
Egypt 0.50 MT 3% 10%

Freight Economics (Dec 2025)

Route Vessel Rate/MT
Turkey to Tampa Supramax $5.50-6.00
Egypt to Tampa Handysize $7.00-8.00
Greece to Tampa Supramax $5.50-6.50
Mexico to Tampa Handysize $3.00-4.00
Colombia to Tampa Handysize $4.00-5.00

Tariff Advantage

Turkey, Egypt, and Greece enjoy 10% tariff vs 25-46% for Canada, Mexico, Vietnam. This creates a $8-15/MT landed cost advantage for Mediterranean sources.

05

Tampa Bay Focus

6.8M
MT Import Volume
75%
FL Import Share
3.4M
Population Metro
$9.5B
Construction Value

Key Import Sources to Tampa

  • Turkey 33%
  • Greece 28%
  • Colombia 15%
  • Mexico 12%
  • Egypt 8%
  • Other 4%

Major Development Projects

  • Water Street Tampa Active
  • Port Tampa Bay Expansion Active
  • I-275/Howard Frankland $865M
  • Westshore Marina District Active
  • Tampa General Hospital $500M
  • Midtown Tampa Phase 2 Active

Port Redwing Opportunity

New terminal at Gibsonton offers strategic advantages: direct Gulf access, modern infrastructure, rail connectivity potential, and proximity to Tampa Bay's fastest-growing counties (Hillsborough, Pasco, Polk).

06

Caribbean Export Opportunity

68.8%
US Exports to Caribbean/LatAm
73,886 MT annually
95%
Import Dependency
Caribbean Islands Average
$4-6
Freight Rate/MT
Tampa to Caribbean

Top Export Markets

Destination Volume Score
Honduras 18,500 MT HIGH
Bahamas 12,800 MT HIGH
Costa Rica 8,200 MT HIGH
Jamaica 7,500 MT MEDIUM
Trinidad & Tobago 6,800 MT HIGH
USVI 5,200 MT HIGH
Curacao 4,100 MT MEDIUM

White Cement Opportunity

Caribbean markets have high white cement demand for:

1

Tourism Construction

Resorts, hotels, villas with decorative concrete

2

Hurricane Rebuilding

Stucco/EIFS systems for storm-resistant construction

3

Premium Residential

High-end homes with architectural concrete finishes

07

Competitive Landscape

Major Players - Florida

Company Type Est. Share
Argos USA Producer + Importer ~25%
CEMEX Producer + Importer ~20%
Titan America Producer + Importer ~18%
CRH (Ash Grove) Producer ~12%
Martin Marietta Importer ~10%
Others/Independent Mixed ~15%

Competitive Advantages

1

Favorable Tariffs

10% for Turkey/Egypt vs 25%+ for competitors' sources

2

New Terminal Asset

Modern infrastructure at Port Redwing vs aging competitors

3

White Cement Focus

Limited competition in specialty white cement segment

4

Supply Relationships

Established Egypt/Turkey suppliers with quality track record

Market Entry Window

Current market conditions favor new entrants: high utilization at existing plants (~92%), strong demand growth, and tariff advantages for Mediterranean sources. Independent ready-mix producers seeking alternative suppliers represent immediate opportunity.

08

Strategic Recommendations

Phase 1: Market Entry

  • Complete Port Redwing terminal infrastructure
  • Establish initial inventory (50-75K MT)
  • Target 3-5 independent ready-mix customers
  • Launch white cement specialty positioning

Phase 2: Growth

  • Expand to 150K MT annual throughput
  • Add Central Florida distribution
  • Develop Caribbean export channel
  • Build contractor/developer relationships

Phase 3: Scale

  • Target 300K+ MT annual volume
  • Evaluate Jacksonville/SE FL expansion
  • Establish bagging/repackaging capability
  • Consider rail siding development

Key Success Factors

  • Reliable supply chain from Turkey/Egypt
  • Competitive pricing vs incumbent producers
  • Service excellence for ready-mix customers
  • White cement differentiation strategy
  • Caribbean export diversification

Target Metrics (Year 1)

  • Import Volume 75-100K MT
  • Customer Count 5-8
  • White Cement Share 15-20%
  • Caribbean Exports 10-15K MT
  • Market Share (Tampa) 1-2%
09

Data Sources & Methodology

Trade Data

  • Panjiva Import Manifests (2,706 records)
  • Panjiva Export Manifests (340 records)
  • US Census Foreign Trade Data
  • USITC Tariff Database

Industry Data

  • USGS Mineral Commodity Summary 2025
  • Global Energy Monitor Cement Tracker
  • Portland Cement Association
  • USACE Waterborne Commerce Statistics

Market Data

  • US Census Building Permits
  • Florida DEO Construction Data
  • Clarksons Freight Analysis (337 emails)
  • Port Authority Statistics

Analysis Summary

50+
Data Sources
3,000+
Trade Records
337
Freight Emails
5 Years
Time Series

Report Generated: December 2025 | Data through Q4 2025