Florida Cement Market Analysis

Executive Summary

Florida represents the second-largest cement consuming state in the US and the fourth-largest producing state, making it a critical market for cement distributors. SESCO Cement Corp's new Port Redwing terminal in Gibsonton positions the company to capture significant market share in the Tampa Bay region, which receives approximately 75% of Florida's cement imports.

9.06M MT

Florida Cement Imports/Year

6.8M MT

Tampa Area Imports (75%)

10.4M MT

Florida Production Capacity

$79/ton

Avg Import Price (down 6.4%)

PART 1: SUPPLY SIDE ANALYSIS

1.1 Tampa Area Supply Infrastructure

Cement Plants

Argos USA - Tampa Port Plant

Location: Tampa, Hillsborough County
Capacity: 1.9 million tons/year
Products: Portland cement, masonry cement
Parent: Cementos Argos (Colombia)

CEMEX - Brooksville South

Location: Brooksville, Hernando County
Capacity: 1.5 million tons/year
Products: Portland cement, blended cement
Parent: CEMEX (Mexico)

Import Terminals - Tampa Bay Area

Terminal	Operator	Volume (2023-2025)	Primary Source
Tampa Bay	Multiple	3.45M MT	Turkey, Greece
Tampa Port	Martin Marietta	2.42M MT	Various
Port Manatee	Various	946K MT	Turkey, Egypt

Port Redwing (Under Construction)

Location: Gibsonton, FL (South Tampa Bay)
Operator: SESCO Cement Corp
Capacity: 150,000 MT storage
Focus: Gray and white cement imports
Sources: Egypt (Royal, Cleopatra), Turkey (Nuh Cement)

Port Redwing Market Reach (Trucking Radius)

Zone	Drive Time	Radius	Population	Key Markets
Primary	1 hour	55 mi	3.4 million	Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, Brandon, Lakeland
Same-Day	3 hours	165 mi	12.8 million	Orlando, Sarasota, Fort Myers, Ocala, Gainesville
Extended	5 hours	275 mi	22.5 million	Jacksonville, Miami, Tallahassee, South Georgia, Mobile AL

1.2 All Florida Cement Plants (7 Total)

Plant	Owner	Location	Capacity (MT/yr)
Pennusco	Titan America	Miami	2.1M
Tampa Port	Argos USA	Tampa	1.9M
Newberry	Argos USA	Newberry	1.6M
Brooksville South	CEMEX	Brooksville	1.5M
Sumterville	Ash Grove (CRH)	Sumterville	1.2M
Miami	CEMEX	Miami	1.1M
Branford	Ash Grove (CRH)	Branford	1.0M

Total Florida Production Capacity: ~10.4 million tons/year

1.3 Import Data Analysis

US Cement Imports by Origin (2024)

Country	Volume (MT)	Tariff	Notes
Turkey	7.16M	10%	Largest supplier
Canada	4.85M	25%	Border trade
Vietnam	4.17M	46%	AD/CVD duties
Greece	1.82M	10%	Titan supply
Mexico	1.32M	25%	Gulf ports

                Growing Import Sources (2023-2024): Thailand +542%, Spain +116%, Egypt +71%, Saudi Arabia +34%
            

Tampa Area Import Origins

Origin	Share	Volume Estimate
Turkey	33%	2.2M MT
Greece	28%	1.9M MT
Colombia	15%	1.0M MT
Mexico	12%	0.8M MT
Egypt	8%	0.5M MT
Other	4%	0.3M MT

PART 2: DEMAND SIDE ANALYSIS

2.1 Florida Demand Profile

US Consumption Rank

Masonry Cement State

22%

US Import Share

72%

Capacity Utilization

Florida Demand Drivers

Population Growth

Florida: 3rd most populous state
Tampa Bay: Fastest-growing metro areas
Net migration continues post-pandemic

Construction Activity

Residential construction (single/multi-family)
Commercial development
Infrastructure (FDOT projects, ports)
Hurricane repair and hardening

2.2 Customer Segments

Segment	Market Share	Customer Type	Opportunity
Ready-Mix Producers	70-75%	Integrated & Independent	Target independents
Concrete Products	12%	Precast, Block, Pipe, Pavers	White cement, specialty
Contractors	8-10%	Infrastructure, Commercial	Project-based
Other	5-10%	Specialty, Export	Caribbean re-export

2.3 White Cement Customer Segments (Florida-Wide)

                Market Driver: Florida hurricane codes favor stucco/EIFS exteriors, driving significant white cement demand for wall systems.
            

Stucco/EIFS Manufacturers (Primary Targets)

Company	Products	Annual Need (Est.)
BASF Wall Systems	EIFS, stucco	5,000+ MT
Dryvit Systems	EIFS	3,000+ MT
Sto Corporation	EIFS, coatings	2,500+ MT
Parex USA / LaHabra	Stucco, EIFS	7,000+ MT
Finestone	EIFS	2,000+ MT
El Rey Stucco	Stucco	2,000+ MT

Tile Adhesive/Mortar Producers

Company	Products	Location	Priority
Mapei Americas	Thin-set, grout	Deerfield Beach, FL	High
Laticrete	Setting materials	National	High
Custom Building Products	Mortars, grouts	National	Medium
TEC (H.B. Fuller)	Flooring adhesives	National	Medium

PART 3: EXPORT OPPORTUNITY

68.8% of US cement exports go to Caribbean/Central America. Florida ports are ideally positioned for re-export operations.

3.1 Priority Export Markets

Market	Priority	Opportunity	Notes
Bahamas	Tier 1	High	100% import-dependent, active buyer
Trinidad & Tobago	Tier 1	High	Zero duty (2025), government encouraging
USVI	Tier 1	High	US territory, 100% import-dependent
Aruba/Curacao	Tier 2	Medium	Tourism construction
Nicaragua	Tier 2	Medium	1.0M ton import dependency

White Cement Export Advantage

Luxury resort construction: 151 projects, 31,300 rooms (2024-2028)
Heat-reflective properties for tropical architecture
Premium pricing justified by quality/speed
Tampa transit advantage: 5-8 days vs. 30+ from Asia

PART 4: SUPPORTING DATA

4.1 Ocean Freight Analysis

Route	Rate/MT	Notes
Turkey → Tampa	$5.50-6.00	Supramax
Egypt → Tampa	$7.00-8.00	Handysize
Mexico → Tampa	$3.00-4.00	Handysize
Tampa → Caribbean	$4.00-6.00	Small vessels

4.2 Tariff Structure

Origin	Tariff Rate	Status
Turkey	10%	MFN rate
Egypt	10%	MFN rate
Greece	10%	MFN rate
Canada	25%	Section 232
Mexico	25%	Section 232
Vietnam	46%	AD/CVD duties

SESCO Advantage: Egypt and Turkey sourcing at 10% tariff vs. 25-46% for major competitors sourcing from Canada, Mexico, or Vietnam.

STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS

1. Product Strategy

White cement focus: Highest margins, least competition, growing demand
Gray cement: Volume builder, competitive pricing required
Specialty products: Masonry cement, blended cement

2. Customer Strategy

Priority	Segment	Product	Approach
#1	Stucco/EIFS manufacturers	White	Long-term supply agreements
#2	Independent ready-mix	Gray	Volume pricing, reliability
#3	Tile adhesive producers	White	Quality positioning
#4	Precast producers	Both	Technical support

3. Volume Targets

Segment	Year 1	Year 2	Year 3
Gray Cement	25-50K MT	75-100K MT	150K+ MT
White Cement	5-10K MT	15-25K MT	40-50K MT

SOURCES & METHODOLOGY

Primary Data Sources

Source	Data Type	Coverage
USGS Mineral Commodity Summaries 2025	Production, consumption, trade	US national
Global Energy Monitor - Cement Tracker	Plant locations, capacities	Global (July 2025)
Panjiva Trade Intelligence	Bill of lading manifests	2,706 records (2023-2025)
Clarksons Shipping Intelligence	Freight rates	Dec 16, 2025
US Census Bureau	Trade statistics, demographics	2024-2025
USACE Navigation Data Center	Waterborne commerce	2023 data

Methodology

Trade Flow Analysis: Aggregated 2,706 import manifests by consignee, shipper, port, and origin country
Market Sizing: Florida capacity from GEM database + import volumes from Panjiva
Trucking Radius: Calculated from Port Redwing at 50-55 mph average speed
Customer Identification: Industry associations, trade publications, Panjiva consignee data

Data Limitations

White cement volumes not separately reported in most sources
Terminal capacities not publicly disclosed by all operators
Market share by company estimated from import/production data
Customer volumes are proprietary; ranges estimated
Trucking zones are approximate; actual times vary by route