10/09/2026 05:38 AST
Saudi Arabia's cement sector saw sales remain broadly stable year-on-year in August, but monthly volumes edged lower as weaker exports offset modest growth in the domestic market, according to an Al Rajhi Capital sector update.
Total cement sales stood at 4.58 million tonnes in August 2026, down 1% from July but almost unchanged from the 4.59 million tonnes recorded a year earlier. Official industry data showed domestic sales rose 0.5% year-on-year to about 4.49 million tonnes, while exports fell nearly 18% to 92,000 tonnes.
Al Rajhi Capital said the month-on-month decline was mainly driven by weak export volumes, particularly from Saudi Cement, although this was partially offset by a 0.5% increase in domestic sales.
The August figures point to continued resilience in the Saudi domestic cement market despite softer external demand. Nine of the country's 17 cement producers recorded year-on-year increases in local sales, led by Eastern Cement, Arabian Cement and Najran Cement.
Yamama Cement recorded local sales of 835,000 tonnes in August, up 12.1% year-on-year, giving it the largest share of the domestic market at around 18.6%. Saudi Cement followed with 546,000 tonnes, while Arabian Cement and Yanbu Cement each recorded 331,000 tonnes.
On the production side, Al Rajhi Capital noted that Yamama's clinker production remained broadly stable year-on-year at 572,000 tonnes, but was significantly below its year-to-date monthly average of around 735,000 tonnes.
The broader industry, however, produced around 5.02 million tonnes of clinker in August, up 8.5% from 4.62 million tonnes a year earlier, other reports said.
At the same time, clinker inventories continued to build. Al Rajhi Capital said inventories increased 1% month-on-month to 45.9 million tonnes, with the rise mainly driven by producers in the Eastern region. Official data put inventories at 45.88 million tonnes at the end of August, up about 3% year-on-year from 44.56 million tonnes.
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