Global demand for cement is forecast to grow 4.7 percent annually to 2.8 billion metric tons in 2010. China, which is already by far the largest market for cement in the world, will register the biggest gains in terms of the total amount of cement sold. Other developing parts of the Asia/Pacific region and Eastern Europe, as well as a number of nations in the Africa/Mideast and Latin America regions, will also record above-average cement market gains, fueled by a robust construction outlook. Vietnam, Thailand, the Ukraine, Turkey and Indonesia will record some of the strongest increases in percentage terms. Market advances will be less robust in the developed areas of the US, Japan and Western Europe, with maintenance and repair construction accounting for much of the growth in cement demand through 2010. However, a pickup a construction spending in Germany and Japan following an extended period of decline will help bolster overall developed world market growth.
 
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Non-blended pozzolanic, masonry cements among best prospects
 
Demand for non-blended pozzolanic cements, masonry cement and other cement types will record the strongest gains through 2010. Sales of these products will be stimulated by the cost, environmental and performance benefits they offer. Demand for blended cements will also climb at an above-average pace, driven by their superior performance in selected applications. These types of cement are also less costly to manufacture and are generally considered to be more environmentally friendly than portland cement, attributes that will contribute to future market gains as well. Sales of straight portland cement, which currently accounts for more than three-quarters of all cement demand worldwide, will be less robust but still healthy, benefitting from continued growth in construction spending worldwide and further advances in manufacturing technology.
 
Ready-mix concrete to be fastest growing end use
The ready-mix concrete market is expected to be the fastest growing end-use segment. Ready-mix concrete companies account for a comparatively small but increasing share of total cement demand in a number of fast-growing developing countries, and suppliers will benefit from an extremely favorable market outlook in China, where large-scale construction projects will require significant amounts of ready-mix concrete through 2010. Consumer demand for cement will also climb at an above-average pace, stimulated by rising personal income levels in developing parts of the world, where consumer sales can account for half or more of total cement demand, and by new product introductions in mature developed world markets.