Imported Portland cement for Hawaii

Why Hawaii buyers look at imported cement

Hawaii's last cement kiln shut down in 1995, and its last clinker grinding plant closed in 2001. ASCE Hawaii's history of the industry calls the result a return to total dependence on the global cement market. We know of no cement made in the Islands today.

That makes three questions matter more than the ex-works price: how the cement is shipped, where it is stored, and whether you have a second qualified source if the first one slips. Vietnam ships roughly 30 million tonnes of cement and clinker a year, more than any other country exports.

What we offer from Honolulu

• One US counterparty. Soku USA is the exclusive North America agent for Phuc Loi of Hai Phong. You get a US contract in US dollars, with a company in Honolulu accountable for it.
• Landed-cost quotes. FOB, CFR or CIF, with the current duty layer included. Delivered terms depend on freight being available for your route. On CFR and CIF the vessel is booked on the supply side, and we coordinate the schedule and the documents.
• Documents you can check. Mill test reports with every shipment, independent SGS inspection available, and payment against a documentary Letter of Credit with Soku as beneficiary.

How big does a Hawaii shipment need to be?

A geared Supramax lifts roughly 50,000 tonnes in a single call and is usually the lowest cost per ton at that scale. Charter hire is priced on vessel days rather than cargo weight, so a part cargo pays for space it does not use. Below about 25,000 tonnes, breakbulk or containerized shipping is generally the better fit.

The format follows how you receive and store the cement:

• Bulk needs a terminal or silo, a discharge method (grab or pneumatic) and truck load-out. It suits large, steady demand.
• Lined bulk bags (super sacks) at 1.0, 1.5 or 2.0 MT need a forklift or crane and storage that keeps the liner intact.
• Bagged cement in 60 lb or 50 kg bags, palletized for container loading, needs covered, dry storage and little else.

Cement is hygroscopic and plain woven polypropylene is not a moisture barrier. If product will sit in open or humid storage, we specify a polyethylene liner and quote it as a separate line.

What duty applies to Vietnamese cement entering the US?

Cement clinker (HTS 2523.10.00.00) and grey Portland cement (HTS 2523.29.00.00) carry a Column 1 general NTR rate of Free. A Section 301 action addressing forced labor, published at 91 FR 47318 (FR Doc 2026-15181, dockets USTR-2026-0265 and USTR-2026-0266), applies an additional 12.5 percent to products of Vietnam entered on or after 24 July 2026 under Chapter 99 heading 9903.05.84.

Cement is not among the exempted categories, so we price it in rather than around it. No US antidumping or countervailing duty order on Vietnamese cement or clinker is in effect; the historic US cement AD orders are against Japan and Mexico. Soku quotes are landed-cost with the current duty layer included, and classification is confirmed with a licensed customs broker before contract.

Buy America and federal work in Hawaii

On federal-aid work such as highways, harbors and airports, cement and cementitious materials are excluded materials under the Build America, Buy America rules (IIJA §70917(c), 2 CFR 184.3, applied by FHWA at 23 CFR 635.410), so imported cement does not need a federal waiver. That treatment does not override a state domestic-preference law, an owner's specification, or grant conditions, and a manufactured product containing the cement, such as precast, is assessed on its own.

Direct federal construction is a different rule. The Buy American Act clause at FAR 52.225-9 applies to construction material brought to a federal construction site, and its text does not carve cement out. On our reading, cement made in Vietnam is a foreign construction material under that clause. Check whether the clause is in your contract before you order, and ask the contracting officer how it treats cement on your job.

State, county and private work follows the owner's specification and the procurement law that applies to it. Get the owner's position on imported cement in writing before you order. We provide a citation packet with every quote for your counsel to review.

Qualify the source before you need it

Cement approval attaches to a specific plant, not to a specification. A mix design approved with one named source cannot simply switch to another to protect a delivery date, because the second plant goes through its own qualification with its own material. Expect a full vetting cycle to run many months.

So we put several plants through qualification at the start, with samples for your lab, so the alternate is one your laboratory has already seen. Any substitution still depends on your approval and on capacity being available.

How to ask for a Hawaii quote

1. Name the product and the specification, for example ASTM C150 Type I/II or Type IL.
2. Give the volume and the format you can receive.
3. Tell us the island and the port or city where the cement will land.
4. Say whether you have a terminal or silo, and when you need the first delivery.

We reply within one business day with a landed-cost number. Your broker still confirms classification before contract.