Content about Cement

An intelligent analysis of 2013 forecasts for the hardware and building material industries must begin with the recognition of a term that has entered the lexicon of economic forecasting and business predicting.

The term is "head fake."

Eagle Materials, producer of basic building products including cement and gypsum wallboard, reported sales of $154.0 million in the quarter ended June 30, up 29% from the same quarter last year.

The sales increase was driven primarily by increased wallboard average net sales prices and increased sales volumes for all of the company’s diversified businesses.

Net earnings for the quarter were $13.98 million, up from $807,000 in the prior-year quarter.

A new forecast from the Portland Cement Association (PCA) nearly doubles the expected increase in cement consumption for the year, attributing the boost to both changes in construction activity and the projected amount of cement used in future projects. Favorable weather conditions during the first half of 2012 was also a key contributor.

PCA revised its spring forecast upward, anticipating a 6.9% increase in 2012 from 2011 levels, followed by a 5.8% jump in 2013 and a double-digit increase of 10.9% increase in 2014.

CertainTeed Corp. has announced a partnership with Custom Builders USA, a national industry buying consortium with more than 220 custom and independent builder members in 15 cities across the U.S.T he 12-month agreement provides CB/USA members with special programs and incentives for the entire line of CertainTeed WeatherBoards fiber cement siding products, including access to sales and business support.

KB Home is being sued by a group of homeowners in Cary, N.C., because it installed weather barriers behind fiber cement siding in some residential developments but not others, according to a case summary provided by North Carolina Lawyers Weekly. 

A Business Court judge certified the lawsuit, describing the class as "all persons in the state of North Carolina who own a home that was constructed by KB Homes without a weather-restrictive barrier behind the exterior veneer of Hardiplank cement fiber lap siding."

The Siam Cement Group (SCG), the second largest company in Thailand and the country’s largest cement supplier, is planning to begin exporting building materials once again to the United States, according to an article in the Bangkok Post.

CalPortland Company (CPC), a major producer of Portland cement and building materials in the United States, has agreed to pay a $1.425 million penalty to resolve alleged violations of the Clean Air Act at its cement plant in Mojave, Calif.

As announced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), CPC will spend an additional $1.3 million on pollution controls that will reduce harmful emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2), pollutants that can lead to childhood asthma and smog.

After a failed attempt at a merger, Martin Marietta Materials has launched a hostile $4.8 billion offer for its rival Vulcan Materials Co., according to the Wall Street Journal. The deal combines the two largest suppliers of construction aggregates -- one of the chief ingredients of concrete -- in the nation.

Sluggish demand for cement from housing construction dented the supply-demand matrix of the cement industry in the last several years, according to a report from Research and Markets. Now it's time to recover.

Weyerhaeuser’s iLevel division will begin distributing James Hardie fiber cement siding and trim products through its Pacific Northwest service centers, the company has announced, making the products available to iLevel customers in western Washington, Oregon and Hawaii.

James Hardie products are currently sold through iLevel’s network of distribution centers into 20 markets.

In today’s market, the products that go into a home are more important than ever. Buyers are demanding better quality, greener design and more features for less money, and so are builders. On the following pages is a collection of new, innovative and design-oriented products to help builders save time — or keep up with the times.

Mission Stone Fireplace Surrounds