The American Cement Association’s (ACA) Market Intelligence team expects inflation and interest rates to remain elevated throughout 2026 – not helping construction in the short-term. The prediction is included in ACA’s Summer Economic Forecast. Continuing uncertainty around the Iran war’s timeline is largely to blame.
According to ACA’s report, higher costs will continue to weigh on construction projects, but they are not expected to cause another negative year in 2027. ACA forecasts slight growth of 0.4% in 2027, led by a nascent rebound in single-family construction. In 2028, a more substantial gain of 2.6% is expected as all three construction sectors will contribute to growth.
Construction-materials Economist Ed Sullivan, author of The Sullivan Report, suggests perhaps another year and a half of decline in cement consumption volume, sagging utilization rates and soft pricing conditions.
The publicly traded companies kept their chin up. Amrize posted second-quarter results, reporting revenue of $3.494 billion versus $3.218 billion in the second quarter of 2025, an 8.6% increase.
Eagle Materials Inc. announced financial results for the first quarter of fiscal year 2026 ended June 30, reporting record revenue of $651 million, up 3%. Revenue in the Heavy Materials sector, which includes Cement, Concrete and Aggregates, Joint Venture and intersegment Cement revenue, increased 8% to $454.1 million, primarily driven by higher Cement sales volume.
Titan America SA announced its second-quarter 2026 financial results, including its wholly owned operating subsidiary, Titan America LLC. Revenue for the three months ended June 30 was $470.6 million, an increase of 9.6% compared to $429.2 million in the prior-year quarter, of which approximately $20 million was attributable to the acquired Keystone Cement operations.
In North America, Votorantim Cimentos’ net revenue totaled R$2.3 billion in the quarter, up 6% in local currency, reflecting positive evolutions in prices and volumes, as well as the appreciation of the real against the dollar in the period, which impacted monetary conversions.
Buzzi Unicem reported that in the United States, the economy continued to expand in the first half of 2026, albeit at a more moderate pace than in previous periods. Domestic demand showed signs of slowing, particularly in household consumption, while investment, especially in the technology sector, continued to be a major driver of economic activity, the company stated.
The November elections could throw a huge wrench into everything. Hang on to your hard hat.
Mark S. Kuhar, editor
mkuhar@semcopublishing.com
(330) 722‐4081
