About the Cement Industry

The cement industry is a relatively small but significant component of the U.S. economy, with annual shipments valued at around $8.6 billion.

In the United States, 39 companies operate 118 cement plants in 38 states. Worldwide, the United States ranks third in cement production, behind China—the world’s leading producer—and India. Read more.

Cement History

In 1824, Joseph Aspdin, a British stone mason,heated a mixture of finely ground limestone and clay in his kitchen stove and ground the mixture into a powder to create a hydraulic cement—one that hardens with the addition of water. Read more.

How Cement is Made

Take a virtual plant tour of the cement making process. Check out a Flash animation of the cement plant operations. Click here for the tour.

Virtual Plant Tour

Learn the basics about proportioning concrete mixtures and get an
overview of concrete construction procedures. Construction, protection,
and repair of concrete floors are featured.
Click for more.

Contact Us

For more information about MTC or cement manufacturing, please email us.

Manufacturing Technical Committee

PCA's Manufacturing Technical Committee, represents the technical interests of portland cement producers and manufacturers of cement process equipment, material suppliers, and cement industry consultants.


Click here for past meeting webcasts and minutes.

Read more about the MTC.

Technical Information

• Mill Session/IEEE-PCA Database
• Cement Manufacturing Literature Database
• Keys to Combustion Efficiency
• The Problems with Pack Set
• Kiln Cycling Produces that Dam Ring
• Fans, Flows, and Dust Collection
• Fueling the Inferno
• Separators and Classifiers
• Vertical Roller Mills for Finish Grinding
• Percent Calcination Formula
• Putting Bogue Back in Vogue

2006 Critical Trends in the North American Cement Industry

Welcome to the first Critical Trends in the North American Cement Industry report, an exhaustive survey intended to gauge the major issues of the day in the industry. The 2006 survey was a collaborative research project between the Portland Cement Association and Cement Americas magazine. An interesting aspect of this research is that many of the topics and questions in this survey were generated by representatives of the cement industry. In case you were wondering, 40 companies responded to the survey, an impressive number considering the size of the industry and the fact that this is a first-time project. We believe you will find the information interesting as you consider the state of the cement industry and useful as you plan for the coming year. Read article.

51th IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Industry Technical Conference

The 2009 IEEE-IAS/PCA Cement Industry Technical Conference will be held May 31-June 4 in Palm Springs, California. The host hotel is the Desert Springs JW Marriott Resort and Spa. Participants will tour the brand new TXI Oro Grande Cement Plant. More information and registration.

Recap of the 2008 conference.

For past years conference proceedings, click here (and type IEEE in the search box).