Page 2 - Cement Industry

Cheaper cement, lower costs: GST cuts could revive affordable housing

GST Council has cut cement tax to 18% and reduced rates on key building materials, easing costs for developers and homebuyers. Experts say the move could revive affordable housing, fuel jobs

JSW Cement incurs loss of Rs 1,356 cr in Q1 FY26 due to exceptional item

JSW Cement reported a Q1 FY26 loss of Rs 1,356.17 crore due to a one-time CCPS conversion, even as revenue rose 7.77 per cent and operating Ebitda improved 39 per cent YoY

Cement prices rise sharply as fuel, gypsum costs continue to escalate

Cement prices have seen a sharp escalation in the current fiscal, following upward pressure from input fuel costs, particularly petroleum coke (petcoke), industry sources said. The all-India average cement price reached Rs 360 per 50-kg bag in May 2025, about 8 per cent higher year-on-year after a steep decline the previous year. While regional differences persist - with eastern India seeing the sharpest increases (Rs 20 a bag in West Bengal) and western markets rising by a modest Rs 3 - the trend across the country is clearly upward. May is the latest all-India data available. Sources said demand remains robust, growing 9 per cent in May to 39.6 tonnes, underpinned by housing and government-led infrastructure. Analysts forecast 6-7 per cent growth in FY2026 volumes to 480-485 tonnes. The strongest upward pressure is coming from fuel costs, particularly petroleum coke (petcoke), which constitutes over 50 per cent of the cement industry's fuel mix. In the spot market, international

Cement sector prospects on the mend, but valuations may be hurdle

Cement demand is driven by government projects in infrastructure and housing, a rural rebound, and industrial capex

JK Cement board approves ₹4,805 cr investment to add 7 MTPA capacity

JK Cement Ltd on Monday said its board has approved investments worth Rs 4,805 crore for greenfield expansion of a new cement line of 7 million tonnes per annum (MnTPA). This includes a clinkerisation unit of 4 MnTPA and cement grinding of 3 MnTPA at Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, and two split grinding units, each of 2 MnTPA capacity, in Rajasthan and in Punjab, according to a regulatory filing from the JK Organisation group firm. "The total proposed investment for the expansion is estimated at Rs 4,805 crores," it added. Earlier this year, JK Cement had completed the acquisition of majority stake in Jammu & Kashmir-based Saifco Cements. The company's grey cement capacity is 25.2 MTPA. It is also a leading global manufacturer of white cement, with a total white cement capacity of 1.12 MnTPA in India, and a wall putty capacity of 1.33 MnTPA.

UBS bullish on cement: Top picks Ambuja, UltraTech, Dalmia for FY26

UBS stays positive on cement sector, sees price recovery, margin gains, and consolidation ahead. Top stock picks for FY26 include Ambuja, UltraTech, Dalmia Cement

Ramco Cements eyes Rs 16K cr revenue in 5 years, launches Hard Worker brand

Ramco Cements aims for Rs 16,000 crore revenue in the next five years and launches the "Hard Worker" brand in construction chemicals, with a target to generate Rs 2,000 crore revenue in the segment.

Cement demand to benefit from govt's manufacturing, infra push: Birla

UltraTech Cement Chairman Kumar Mangalam Birla says cement demand will grow on the back of government's focus on manufacturing, infrastructure projects, housing, and policy support

Higher sales realisation, volume growth boost cement firms' earnings in Q1

Driven by increased government spending on key infrastructure projects, leading cement manufacturers reported a solid performance in the June quarter with a double-digit volume growth and higher sales realisation. Cement makers expect the trend of an overall improvement to continue in FY26. Moreover, lower input costs, such as a decline in coal and petcoke prices, along with stable diesel costs, also helped in improvement on EBITDA terms, which faced a rough patch in FY25. Leading cement maker UltraTech Cement reported a volume growth of 9.7 per cent to 36.83 million tonnes (MT), helped by acquisitions of India Cements and the cement business of Kesoram Industries. Similarly, Adani Group firm Ambuja Cements also reported its highest-ever cement sales volume of 18.4 MT and its highest-ever quarterly revenue at Rs 10,000 crore. Sales volume of Birla Corporation rose 9.36 per cent to 4.79 MT, and Nirma Group firm Nuvoco Vistas Corp reported a sales volume of 5.1 MMT in Q1. JK Lakshm

Shree Cement Q1: Profit nearly doubles, analysts stay cautiously optimistic

Brokerages offered a mixed yet constructive view on Shree Cement 's Q1 performance, highlighting improved realisations, expanding margins, and long-term growth plans.

JSW Cement sets price band of ₹139-147/share for ₹3,600 crore IPO

JSW Cement sets a price band of Rs 130-147 for its Rs 3,600 crore IPO, which will open on August 7. The IPO includes a fresh issue and an offer for sale by selling shareholders

UltraTech lines up ₹10,000 cr capex for FY26 to bolster capacity

Cement maker UltraTech, which expects around 7 per cent growth in FY26, has allocated up to Rs 10,000 crore as capex to bolster its capacity as well as energy and efficiency initiatives, according to the company's latest annual report. The Aditya Birla group firm recently acquired South-based India Cements and the cement business of Kesoram Industries, and added 26.3 MTPA of grey cement capacity to its portfolio. It has planned an organic capacity addition of 28.8 MTPA by FY27. UltraTech, which crossed the Rs 75,000 crore revenue mark in FY25 and is now very close to 200 MTPA (million tonnes per annum) capacity, anticipate a reduction in "net debt to EBITDA ratio", helped by a higher volume growth and improving margins. "Although our net debt to EBITDA (pre-tax profit) ratio rose to 1.33x in March 2025, we anticipate higher volume growth and an improving EBITDA profile to reduce this rapidly," its Managing Director K C Jhanwar said while addressing the shareholders. Like other ceme

ACC Q1FY26 results: Net profit grows 4% amid increased sales volumes

ACC reports a 4% growth in Q1 FY26 profit despite a dip in operating margins, as cement sales volumes rise and revenue grows 17.3% YoY

ACC Q1 results: PAT climbs 4.35% to ₹375 cr; revenue up 18% at ₹6,035 cr

Cement maker ACC Ltd on Thursday reported a 4.35 per cent increase in its consolidated net profit to Rs 375.42 crore for the June 2025 quarter, helped by volume gains and operational efficiencies. The company had posted a profit of Rs 359.74 crore in the April-June quarter a year ago, according to a regulatory filing by ACC, now a part of Adani Cement. Its revenue from operations rose 18 per cent to Rs 6,035.11 crore. It was Rs 5,113.05 crore in the corresponding period a year ago. ACC's total expenses in the June quarter surged 16.84 per cent to Rs 5,594.25 crore. In the June quarter, it reported "highest-ever volume in Q1 series" to 11.5 million tonnes, up 12 per cent year-on-year, the company said in an earnings statement. During the quarter, revenue from the cement business rose 16.7 per cent to Rs 5,714.95 crore. Similarly, its revenue from ready mix concrete jumped 26.67 per cent to Rs 416.28 crore in the June quarter. It has reported a "healthy upticks in volumes, operati

ArisInfra Solutions bags Rs 350 crore contract from Transcon Group

The said contract is expected to be completed around a period of 45-50 months

NCLT approves merger of AEL's Adani Cementation with Ambuja Cements

Strap: The scheme is set to take effect from April 1, 2024, once all steps in the merger agreement are completed, as stated in the 70-page NCLT order

Nuvoco Vistas Q1 profit surges to Rs 133 cr on trade, premium sales

Nuvoco Vistas posts multi-fold profit growth to Rs 133 cr in Q1 FY26 on low base, premium products and trade sales; eyes Western expansion after Vadraj deal

Muted coal, cement movement drags rail freight growth to 2% in Q1

In rare instance, coal freight earnings dropped in Q1; experts cite import drop

Cement industry grows 9% in May; margins rise on stable input costs: Icra

The cement industry has registered a 9 per cent volume growth in May this year at 39.6 million metric tonnes (MT), while the average cement prices also increased by 8 per cent, says a report. According to the latest report by rating agency ICRA, the cement industry, which is facing a lower sales realisation, also reported a price growth of 8 per cent to Rs 360 per 50 kg bag in May 2025. Moreover, there is also improvement in operating margins, led by stable input costs as energy prices of coal and petcoke, are lower and diesel prices are stable, the report added. "In the first two months (April and May) of FY'26, the prices were up 7 per cent year-on-year (YoY) at Rs 360/bag (of 50 kg). In FY2025, cement prices declined by 7 per cent YoY to Rs 340/bag," it said. Moreover, in the months of April and May this fiscal, volumes increased by 8 per cent YoY to 78.7 million MT. "In FY2025, volumes rose by 6.3 per cent to 453.0 million MT," it said. Based on this, ICRA expects cement volum

Cement makers struggle despite robust growth of construction sector in GDP

The cement industry combined net sales declined to Rs 2.1 trillion in FY25 from Rs 2.22 trillion in the previous year