EU import figures show the bloc received 14.24 million tonnes of cement and clinker under Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) product codes in 2025, worth about 1.08 billion euros. Türkiye supplied 6.12 million tonnes, Ukraine 1.89 million tonnes and Algeria 1.70 million tonnes. The value was modest compared with steel or aluminium, but the physical flow was large for a relatively low-value commodity.
For cement buyers, commercial importance depends on tonnes, plant technology and transport economics, not border value alone. CBAM adds a variable linked to production emissions and the EU carbon price to EU importers’ procurement calculations. The emissions evidence required depends on the applicable product code and production process.
Clinker is produced in high-temperature kilns and then ground with other components to make cement. An EU grinding plant importing clinker may be the direct importer and first industrial beneficiary, while its customers may include concrete companies, precast producers and contractors. In another supply chain, an integrated group may import finished cement through a terminal and distribute it to construction markets.
Cementir Holding provides a documented example of cross-border trade: its 2025 annual report describes increased white-cement exports from Egypt, including shipments to France, and also notes French operations within its European business. That disclosure establishes a production-to-market corridor but does not identify the legal declarant or the construction project receiving any particular consignment. Claims about specific CBAM certificates would require the relevant customs and emissions record.
Port costs, inland freight, grinding capacity, seasonal demand and the competitive position of domestic kilns also shape procurement. Suppliers offering traceable lower-emissions clinker or efficient manufacturing processes may gain a commercial advantage, although the effect can vary across the market and over time.
An assessment for investors and construction groups could connect origin-country production with EU port terminals, grinding plants and concrete customers. It would track quantities, plant-specific fuel and process emissions, product specifications and whether the importer can allocate any additional expense through supply contracts. The most competitive supply chain may not be the one with the cheapest ex-works clinker, but the one offering the most competitive delivered and verified product.
