Global clinker production capacity 2023, by country

The global production capacity of clinker amounted to an estimated 3.8 billion metric tons in 2023. Of that amount, China accounted for the vast majority of the capacity, at two billion metric tons. Indeed, China has accounted for over half of the world’s cement production in recent years.

What is the difference between clinker and cement?

Cement is a binding material that hardens to connect building units like stones and brick; it is most often used in construction. Clinker, on the other hand, acts primarily as a building block to produce cement. This is achieved through the grinding of clinker along with the addition of other active ingredients. Clinker is a granular substance with spherical pellets, whereas cement is a fine powdery substance. Cement is then further processed to make concrete and mortar and can be used for waterproofing, filling or sealing gaps, and even as decoration.

Clinker in the United States

The United States' clinker imports for consumption amounted to one million metric tons in 2023; however, domestic production of clinker in the U.S. exceeded imports by a large volume. In recent years, updates to U.S. cement plants have been undertaken in order to improve the plants’ ability to comply with emissions limits imposed by the National Emissions Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP). However, under NESHAP, some cement kilns may also be shut down or used less and thus, decrease clinker production capacity.