Petroleum coke
Overview
Used in the manufacturing of metals, for power generation and in the production of numerous other products including glass, paint and fertilizers, petcoke is widely used. As the energy transition drives markets around the world to search for ways to reduce carbon emissions, the outlook for Petroleum coke remains uncertain.
Gain transparency into the evolving international petcoke markets with weekly and monthly prices, expert analysis and global market-moving news for fuel-grade and anode-grade petroleum coke.
Latest petroleum coke news
Browse the latest market moving news on the global petcoke industry.
Unimetal acquires Germany’s CS Additive
Unimetal acquires Germany’s CS Additive
Houston, 6 May (Argus) — Sao Paulo-based coke marketer and calciner Unimetal purchased German carbon products producer CS Additive at the end of April, a company that uses petroleum coke as a raw material for its product called Carbolux. CS Additive produces carburizing products for the iron and steel industries. Its Carbolux products are used for steel and casting production, brake linings and other specialty carbon products such as graphite lubricant. The company said it uses graphitized and calcined petroleum coke from European, South American and Chinese sources to produce these products. The acquisition will help to increase its market coverage in Europe, Turkey, the Middle East and India, Unimetal said, as well as "strengthen its commitment to environmentally friendly, energy-efficient processes and state-of-the-art thermal cleaning technology." "CS Additive's location in the industrial heart of Germany will play an important role to process and distribute our entire product portfolio," Unimetal chief executive Alan Yung said. By Hadley Medlock Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Cemex may increase cement prices on tariffs
Cemex may increase cement prices on tariffs
Houston, 28 April (Argus) — Mexico-based multinational cement maker Cemex says it is in a "good position" to avoid any potential negative effects from US import tariffs, as the company plans to increase product prices should Washington escalate its global trade war. Cemex's cement imports from countries such as Vietnam, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Greece could be hit with high tariffs in July if US president Donald Trump decides to follow through on a plan he announced early this month, but quickly put on a 90-day pause after financial markets roiled. Cemex is prepared to increase prices on cement products to help offset additional costs brought on by these tariffs, the company said today. "We have already communicated to our customers that, should those tariffs be implemented, we would be introducing a surcharge immediately to pass along to consumers that cost increase," said chief executive Jaime Muguiro. The company did not detail how much these price increases would be. Cemex noted that the company imposed similar measures in 2022 to account for high energy price inflation, when its incremental costs suddenly increased by $60/t. "We were able to increase prices to more than offset that cost, preserving margins," Muguiro said. But the company also plans to increase domestic production in the US to reduce its need for seaborne imports. "We're producing more cement locally, and we do plan to replace imports," Muguiro said. "I think that we are in a good position to navigate current uncertainty on tariffs," he continued. Part of the company's plan to deal with potential high tariffs on suppliers like Vietnam is to supply more from its Mexican plants, shipping by rail from a plant in Torreon in central Mexico and by sea from east Mexican plants. Mexican imports are currently exempt from tariffs under the US-Mexico-Canada (USMCA) free trade agreement. But the administration had previously sought to hit Mexico with a 25pc tariff, which US cement makers said "could adversely affect energy and national security". Cemex's consolidated domestic grey cement sales volume totalled 10.2mn t in the first quarter, down by 2pc on the year. In the US, domestic grey cement sales volumes were down by 3pc on the year, while prices fell by 1pc. Cemex attributed this decline to unusually cold winter weather in key markets during the quarter that hindered construction activity. But lower demand allowed the company to complete half of its scheduled annual maintenance, and Cemex expects sales volumes to be supported by higher infrastructure spending in the near future. Sales volumes in Mexico fell by 9pc, while prices fell by 14pc on a US dollar basis, as a new administration in the country contributed to an expected slowdown in construction activity during the quarter. Cemex expects a pickup in sales volumes in the second half of the year, when the new government executes its budget for rural roads and social housing. Declines in these regions offset gains in cement sales volumes and pricing in Europe, the Middle East and Africa and South, Central America and the Caribbean during the quarter. Cemex also said that its energy cost per tonne of cement produced in the first quarter fell by 17pc on the year. This was because of lower power and fuel prices, as well as improvement in clinker factor and thermal efficiency, the company said. Cemex posted $3.6bn in revenue in the first quarter, down by 1pc from the same quarter the prior year. The company also reported a record profit of $734mn during the quarter, driven primarily by the sale of its operations in the Dominican Republic. By Hadley Medlock Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Cement sales at India’s Dalmia fall on year in Jan-Mar
Cement sales at India’s Dalmia fall on year in Jan-Mar
Singapore, 28 April (Argus) — Indian cement maker Dalmia Bharat reported a 2.8pc decline on the year in January-March sales, although sales increased by a sharp 28pc on the quarter because of an uptick in demand. Bombay Stock Exchange-listed Dalmia sold 8.6mn t of cement over January-March, down from 8.8mn t a year earlier but well above the 6.7mn t sold in October-December 2024. Sales rose by 2pc to 29.4mn t in the 2024-25 fiscal year ending 31 March. Cement demand was "relatively slow" in the first three quarters of the last fiscal year at 3-3.5pc growth, while the industry's full-year growth is estimated at 4-5pc, the company said. It expects cement demand to grow by 7-8pc in the current year. The year-on-year decline in sales in January-March was because of a higher base in the year-earlier period, when the company sold 0.6mn tthrough a tolling arrangement in January-March 2024, Dalmia told investors on 24 April. This arrangement was discontinued in July 2024. Power and fuel costs fell by 7.2pc from a year earlier to 945 rupees/t ($11.10/t) of cement in January-March. This was primarily because average fuel consumption costs fell by $19/t on the year to $95/t in the latest quarter. Cement plants use petroleum coke and thermal coal as fuel in cement kilns. The Argus -assessed delivered India price of 6.5pc coke averaged $98.38/t for October-December, down by almost 25pc from the average of $131.04/t a year earlier. Most of the US high-sulphur coke that Indian cement makers consumed in January-March would typically have been booked in the previous quarter, considering a voyage time of approximately six weeks. Revenue from sales fell by 5pc on the year to Rs40.91bn in January-March, a sharper decline compared with the 2.8pc drop in sales volume because of lower cement prices. The fiscal year's revenue also slipped by almost 5pc to Rs139.8bn. The company reported higher cement prices this quarter, and it is reasonably optimistic about the sustainability of recent hikes. It expects the rising industry consolidation in cement industry to eventually give producers a higher pricing. Dalmia's profits increased by 37pc on the year to Rs4.4bn over January-March, but the annual profit declined by 18pc to Rs7bn from the year earlier. Dalmia Bharat added approximately 5mn t/yr of cement capacity in 2024-25 to 49.4mn t/yr. It had earlier announced an aspiration to raise cement capacity to 75mn t/yr by 2027-28, but details have not yet been made public. By Ajay Modi Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
Water levels delay Tennessee River lock reopening
Water levels delay Tennessee River lock reopening
Houston, 24 April (Argus) — The US Army Corps of Engineers (Corps) will delay the reopening of the Tennessee River's Wilson Lock by three weeks after high floodwater disrupted repair plans. The Wilson Lock is now planned to reopen in mid-June or July, the Corps said this week. The lock's main chamber has been closed since September after severe cracks were found in the structure. The Corps initiated evacuation procedures so personnel and equipment could be removed before any water entered the dewatered lock and ruined repairs after high water appeared too close to the lock's edge. The water did not crest above the temporary barrier the Corps installed to keep water out. Delays at the lock averaged around 10 days as of 24 April, according to the Corps. Barge carriers fees have been in place for each barge that must pass through the auxiliary chamber of the lock since 25 September, when the lock first closed. Restricted barge movement placed upward pressure on fertilizer prices in surrounding areas as well. The lock still requires structural repairs to the main chamber gates, including the replacement of the pintle components, the Corps said. This is the fourth opening delay the Corps have issued for the Wilson Lock, with the prior opening dates being in November , then April and then in June . The Wilson Lock will enter its eighth month of repairs next month. By Meghan Yoyotte and Sneha Kumar Send comments and request more information at feedback@argusmedia.com Copyright © 2025. Argus Media group . All rights reserved.
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