EU Building Concrete Block Exports Peak at 4M Tons

IndexBox has just published a new report: 'EU - Building Blocks And Bricks Of Cement, Concrete Or Artificial Stone - Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends And Insights'. Here is a summary of the report's key findings.

The EU market for building blocks and bricks of cement, concrete or artificial stone was estimated at approx. $3.8B in 2021. This figure reflects the total revenues of producers and importers (excluding logistics costs and intermediaries' margins, which will be included in the final consumer price). France, Germany and Poland constituted the countries with the highest levels of market value in 2021, together comprising 48% of the total market. 

Consumption by Country

Total volume of cement building blocks consumed in the European Union totaled approx. 50M tons in 2021. The countries with the highest consumption volumes were France, Poland and Germany, together comprising 50% of total consumption. The Netherlands, Ireland, Romania, Spain, Italy, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Slovakia and Hungary lagged somewhat behind, together accounting for a further 42%. 

EU Concrete Block Production 

Production of building blocks and bricks of cement, concrete or artificial stone was estimated at approx. 50M tons in 2021. The countries with the highest outputs were France, Poland and Germany, with a combined 52% share of total production. These countries were followed by the Netherlands, Ireland, Romania, Italy, Spain, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Portugal, Hungary and Slovakia, which together accounted for a further 42%. 

EU Concrete Block Exports 

In 2021, after two years of decline, there was significant growth in overseas shipments of building blocks and bricks of cement, concrete or artificial stone, when their volume increased by 13% to 4M tons. This figure includes trade volumes between the EU countries and shipped outside the EU. The total export volume increased at an average annual rate of +2.6% from 2011 to 2021.

In value terms, exports surged to $534M in 2021. This figure includes trade between EU member countries. The total export value increased at an average annual rate of +3.0% from 2011 to 2021.

Exports by Country

In 2021, Germany (1.3M tons) and the Netherlands (1M tons) were the main exporters of building blocks and bricks of cement, concrete or artificial stone in the European Union, together resulting at near 59% of total supplies. It was distantly followed by Belgium (319K tons), achieving an 8.1% share of total exports. Poland (142K tons), Estonia (139K tons), Hungary (131K tons), Ireland (127K tons), Slovakia (125K tons), Italy (121K tons), the Czech Republic (117K tons), France (77K tons), Latvia (62K tons) and Bulgaria (61K tons) followed a long way behind the leaders.

In value terms, the largest building blocks and bricks of cement, concrete or artificial stone supplying countries in the European Union were Germany ($156M), the Netherlands ($122M) and Belgium ($46M), with a combined 61% share of total exports. Italy, Estonia, Poland, Ireland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, Hungary, Bulgaria and Latvia lagged somewhat behind, together comprising a further 31%.

Ireland, with a CAGR of +66.6%, saw the highest growth rate of the value of exports, among the main exporting countries over the past decade. Shipments for the other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

Export Prices by Country

In 2021, the average export price for building blocks and bricks of cement, concrete or artificial stone in the European Union amounted to $135 per ton, rising by 6.4% against the previous year. Prices varied noticeably by the country of origin: the country with the highest price was Italy ($339 per ton), while Hungary ($66 per ton) was amongst the lowest. From 2011 to 2021, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by Belgium (+4.6%), while the other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

EU Concrete Block Imports

In 2021, the amount of building blocks and bricks of cement, concrete or artificial stone imported in the European Union rose rapidly to 3.6M tons, with an increase of 10% compared with the previous year's figure. This figure includes trade volumes between the EU countries and shipped outside the EU. Total imports indicated a temperate expansion from 2011 to 2021: its volume increased at an average annual rate of +3.8%.

In value terms, imports surged to $454M in 2021. This figure includes trade between EU member countries. Total imports indicated a temperate increase over the past decade: its value increased at an average annual rate of +3.8%.

Imports by Country

In 2021, the Netherlands (838K tons), distantly followed by Belgium (516K tons), Lithuania (413K tons), Poland (220K tons), Denmark (219K tons) and Romania (182K tons) represented the main importers of building blocks and bricks of cement, concrete or artificial stone, together achieving 66% of total purchases. France (158K tons), Luxembourg (152K tons), Slovakia (139K tons), Latvia (110K tons), Germany (108K tons), Austria (105K tons) and the Czech Republic (94K tons) occupied a relatively small share of total imports.

In value terms, the Netherlands ($113M) constitutes the largest market for imported building blocks and bricks of cement, concrete or artificial stone in the European Union, comprising 25% of total supplies. The second position in the ranking was occupied by Belgium ($33M), with a 7.4% share of total imports. It was followed by France, with a 7.3% share.

In the Netherlands, imports of building blocks and bricks of cement, concrete or artificial stone increased at an average annual rate of +5.0% over the period from 2011-2021. The remaining importing countries recorded the following average annual rates of imports growth: Belgium (+0.7% per year) and France (-1.2% per year).

Import Prices by Country

The average import price for building blocks and bricks of cement, concrete or artificial stone in the European Union stood at $125 per ton in 2021, increasing by 7.4% against the previous year. There were significant differences in the average prices amongst the major importing countries. In 2021, the country with the highest price was France ($211 per ton), while Lithuania ($60 per ton) was amongst the lowest.

From 2011 to 2021, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by Slovakia (+4.3%). The other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

Source: IndexBox Market Intelligence Platform