Cement sales in October totaled 6.3 million tons, representing a 7.1% increase compared to the same month in 2024, according to the National Cement Industry Union (SNIC).

In the accumulated year (January to October), the numbers reached 56.6 million tons, a 3.5% increase compared to the same period last year. Cement shipments per working day reached 252,300 tons, a 5.0% increase compared to October 2024.

The sector's result reflected the contradictory macroeconomic scenario, which combined, on the one hand, a heated labor market and, on the other, high interest rates, defaults, and high indebtedness.

The unemployment rate was the lowest in the historical series (5.6% in September) and with records in the employed population (102.4 million), in jobs with formal contracts, and in total wages. The positive result boosted consumer confidence1 for the second consecutive month.

However, the same optimism was not reflected in business confidence. Industrial confidence2 worsened for the seventh time this year, and construction confidence3 also fell in October, with concerns about insufficient demand, the cost of credit, and labor shortages.

The main challenges for the sector come from the cost of credit and household budgets. Population indebtedness (48.91%) and default rates (78.8 million individuals) remain at high levels, limiting consumption. In addition, with the Selic rate maintained at 15% and inflation expectations above the target, the real estate market, the main driver of cement consumption, is feeling the effects.

The most significant impact is seen in construction financing, where the number of transactions recorded by SBPE has accumulated a 55.4% drop through August. Real estate launches, although they rose 6.8% through June, fell 6.8% in the second quarter (Apr-Jun). The Minha Casa, Minha Vida (MCMV) program followed the same trend: despite growing 7.8% in the first half of the year, it experienced a 15.5% drop in the second quarter.

Faced with this scenario of uncertainty, the announcement of the new mortgage credit model by the federal government, with changes in the rules for the use of savings and the new credit line aimed at renovation, has the potential to boost demand in the construction industry and for the input.

In line with sector projections, the Brazilian cement industry maintains its growth expectation of between 2.0% and 3.0% for 2025. This perspective is anchored in two main fronts: the strength of the MCMV, which should generate an additional demand of 2.5 to 3 million tons of cement per year, and continuous investments in infrastructure, especially in housing and the strong expansion of road and urban concrete pavement.

"The Brazilian cement industry has a long history of acting with environmental, social, and economic responsibility. Shortly after implementing the sector's mitigation roadmap in 2019, we renewed our commitment to decarbonization, launching our proposal to neutralize emissions by 2050. The new roadmap is based on the entire life cycle of the cement supply chain, supported by the development of alternative fuels and raw materials, energy efficiency, carbon capture, storage and use, as well as Nature-based Solutions (NbS). This entire roadmap strongly incorporates technology and innovation, with the active participation of academia, funding agencies, and the various members of the construction supply chain." Paulo Camillo Penna, President of SNIC