Definition
Clinker is the intermediate product of cement manufacture: grey nodules that come out of the kiln when limestone and clay are fired at about 1,450 degrees. Ground with gypsum and other additions, it becomes cement.
It is carried in bulk on bulk carriers, and is easier to move and store than cement, which is spoiled by moisture. That is why a good part of the sector’s seaborne trade is in clinker, which is ground close to where it is consumed.
Clinker production is the stage that emits the most carbon dioxide in the whole cement chain. Since 2026 its import into the European Union has been subject to the carbon border adjustment mechanism, which affects flows through ports. Port statistics group it with cement.
The figure · August 2026
Year to date · January–August 2026
5.6 million tonnes
August 2026 only
681,437 tonnes
Full year 2025
9.3 million tonnes
Share of all cargo
1.5%
Cement and clinker traffic in Spanish ports in 2026
Spanish ports handled 5.6 million tonnes of cement and clinker in the year to August 2026, 8.5% less than in the same period of 2025. In August alone, the figure was 681,437 tonnes, 12.6% less than in August 2025.
The full ranking, the trend and the table are in the indicator Cement and clinker traffic in Spanish ports. To explore the data in detail, see PortStats · cargo by commodity, annual series.