Slag cement shipments still on the rise

Slag cement shipments in 2003 exceeded 3 million metric tons, a 5.4% increase over 2002 shipments. The figures represent slag cement shipped as a separate product and as a component of blended cement. The increase is in contrast to shipment of portland cement, which according to the Portland Cement Association increased only 3.7% in 2003. Slag cement use has nearly tripled since 1996, growing faster than any other product in the cementitious materials industry.

"Since the mid-1990s, slag cement use has grown at an average rate of 16% per year," said Francois Perrin, Slag Cement Association (SCA) president.

Jan Prusinski, executive director of SCA, attributes the material's continued growth to increased availability in markets across the country, as well as stepped-up efforts by the association to educate the construction industry on its benefits, chief among them its application in sustainable design and construction.