Cement manufacturers are attempting to raise prices to offset cost pressure but have so far had mixed results. In the first half of April, there were some favourable price revisions on the back of hardening demand. However, competition for market share remains intense as the industry continues to add new manufacturing capacity, the company said in a statement.
FY25-26 was marked by sluggish pricing though cement demand in India expanded by an estimated 8-9 per cent to reach 500 million tonnes or thereabouts. With at least 43 million tonnes of new capacity having been commissioned during the year, and leaders opting to consolidate market share, cement prices remained subdued almost all through the year, it added.
Birla Corporation fourth-quarter net profit increased 15 per cent to Rs 295 crore when compared to the same period a year ago. Its cement sales by volume in the quarter grew 4 per cent to 5.45 million tonnes—the highest ever for a quarter—even as realizations remained subdued, despite strong demand.
Revenue for the March quarter at Rs 2,875 crore, however, remained flat compared to Rs 2,863 crore in the same period last year, owing to poor realization from the cement business and external shocks affecting the performance of Birla Jute Mills, it said.
The Company’s net profit for FY2026 grew 89 per cent to Rs 558 crore from previous year.
Backed by substantial volume growth in sales of blended as well as premium cement, the company’s full-year consolidated cement sales at 18.72 million tonnes were at a record high. The Company achieved a capacity utilization of 95 per cent for the full year, against an estimated industry average of around 70 per cent. Revenue grew 5 per cent to Rs 9,773 crore.
Birla Corporation realization per ton from cement sales in the March quarter was marginally lower at Rs 4,986 compared to Rs 5,103 in the same period last year, while for the full year, realization per ton remained unchanged from the previous year at Rs 4,869. Though EBITDA per ton for the March quarter at Rs 971 was slightly lower than the same period last year, EBITDA per ton for the full year was up 15 per cent year-on-year at Rs 786, the company said.
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