Pakistan’s cement sales jump 12.5% in January as exports surge

Cement sales in Pakistan witnessed a double-digit growth of 12.54% in January, driven largely by a massive recovery in export volumes.

According to data released by the All Pakistan Cement Manufacturers Association, total cement despatches during January were recorded at 4.54 million tons against 4.03 million tons despatched during the same month of the last fiscal year.

Local sales and exports

The breakdown of data shows that local cement uptake by the industry during January was 3.601 million tons compared to 3.45 million tons in January 2025, showing an increase of 4.36%.

However, exports showed noticeable growth, increasing by a massive 61.1% as volumes jumped to 937,097 tons in January from 581,691 tons in the same month last year.

Regional Performance

North-based cement mills — in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — despatched 2.95 million tons of cement in January, showing an increase of 4.67% against 2.818 million tons in January 2025.

In the domestic market, North-based mills despatched 2.95 million tons, showing an increase of 6.93% against 2.76 million tons in the previous year. However, there were no exports from North-based mills during January.

Cement mills in Pakistan’s southern Sindh and Balochistan provinces despatched 1.59 million tons of cement during January, which was 30.82% higher compared to the despatches of 1.21 million tons during January 2025.

Unlike the North, the South struggled in the local market. South-based mills despatched 651,089 tons of cement in local markets during January, which was 5.87% less compared to the despatches of 691,727 tons during January 2025.

However, exports from the South increased by 79.41% to 937,097 tons in January from 522,336 tons during the same month last year, offsetting the domestic decline.

During the first seven months of the current fiscal year (July 2025–January 2026), total cement despatches (domestic and exports) were 30.58 million tons, which is 10.58% higher than the 27.66 million tons despatched during the corresponding period of the last fiscal year.

Domestic despatches during this period were 25.01 million tons against 22.26 million tons during the same period last year, showing an increase of 12.36%. Export despatches were 3.26% higher as volumes increased to 5.57 million tons during the first seven months of the current fiscal year, compared to 5.39 million tons exported during the same period of the last fiscal year.