Kazakhstan's Steppe Cement boosts Q1 2026 sales 25% on year

Kazakhstan-based Steppe Cement increased first-quarter sales volumes by 25% year over year while raising prices, as the Central Asian producer captured a larger slice of the domestic market and advanced plans to expand production capacity by 500,000 tons, the company said.

The company sold 344,058 tons of cement in the three months ended March 31, up from 276,217 tons in the same period of 2025, Steppe Cement said in a trading update on April 10.

Average delivered prices rose 20% to Tenge 28,181/ton ($57/t) from Tenge 23,404/t ($47/t), while ex-factory prices climbed 27% to Tenge 24,939/t ($50/t) from Tenge 19,625/t ($39/t), the company said.

Steppe Cement's market share expanded to 16% in Q1 from 13.5% in the same period of 2025. Total cement sales in Kazakhstan reached 2.03 million tons in the quarter, up 2% year over year, despite the seasonal winter slowdown.

Kazakhstan's cement exports fell 48% year over year in Q1 2026, while imports declined to 6.3% of total consumption from 8.6% in the prior-year period.

Steppe Cement expects total cement consumption in Kazakhstan to remain stable at approximately 14.5 million tons for the full year 2026, matching 2025 levels. Clinker production in Q1 was similar to year-earlier output.

The company has begun implementing a $35 million expansion project announced in January to increase total production capacity to 2.5 million tons. The additional 500,000 tons of capacity is targeted for completion by summer 2027 and is expected to reduce energy consumption per ton and improve emissions performance.

Platts, part of S&P Global Energy, last assessed Platts CEMDEX Turkey at $54/metric ton FOB on April 9.