Heidelberg Materials
A German multinational producer of cement, aggregates, ready-mixed concrete and other construction materials.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Heidelberg Materials is a German multinational building-materials group headquartered in Heidelberg. Its principal businesses are cement, aggregates and ready-mixed concrete, supplemented by asphalt, precast products, building products and related construction-materials activities. The company serves construction and infrastructure markets through a network of cement plants, grinding facilities, quarries, concrete plants and distribution operations across more than 50 countries. The business began on 5 June 1874, when Johann Philipp Schifferdecker established a Portland-cement operation in Heidelberg. It expanded gradually in Germany and began acquiring smaller companies during the early twentieth century. By 1936, annual cement production had reached approximately one million tonnes. The company's history during the Nazi period is part of the historical record of the German cement industry: production benefited from state construction and armaments programs, and forced laborers and prisoners of war were used at a number of plants. The company has estimated that roughly 1,000 people were affected. International expansion accelerated after the Second World War. Heidelberg entered France through an investment in Vicat Cement, expanded into North America through Lehigh Cement, and later developed a broad presence in Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Africa and Asia. Important transactions included the acquisition of interests in Belgian cement group CBR, the 1999 purchase of Scancem, the 2001 acquisition of a stake in Indonesia's Indocement, and the 2007 takeover of Hanson. Hanson substantially increased HeidelbergCement's aggregates, cement and ready-mixed-concrete operations, particularly in the United Kingdom, North America and Australia. The acquisition of 45% of Italcementi, completed on 1 July 2016, was another decisive transformation. It added operations in countries including France, Italy, Egypt, Morocco, Thailand, Canada, India and Kazakhstan, and made the enlarged group one of the world's leading suppliers of aggregates, cement and ready-mixed concrete. Certain assets in the United States were sold to satisfy competition requirements. The company traded for most of its history under the HeidelbergCement name. In September 2022, it adopted Heidelberg Materials as its group brand, a change intended to present cement as one part of a wider materials portfolio and to support a more international, less cement-specific identity. The legal and stock-market identity remains connected to HeidelbergCement AG, while the Heidelberg Materials name is used for the corporate group and operating businesses. Heidelberg Materials is also one of the construction-materials industry's major decarbonization participants. Cement production generates substantial process and energy emissions, especially from the chemical conversion of limestone into clinker. The company has announced targets to substantially reduce its carbon footprint by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. Its strategy includes lower-clinker products, alternative fuels, renewable electricity, material efficiency and carbon capture, utilization and storage. In 2025, its Brevik cement plant in Norway became the site of the company's first operational industrial carbon-capture-and-storage facility. The company remains exposed to the cyclical nature of construction, energy and raw-material costs, carbon regulation, permitting disputes and local opposition to quarrying and cement production. Heidelberg Materials reported revenue of EUR 21.2 billion and 51,129 employees for its 2024 financial year, according to the cited reference material. Its current identity combines a long-established German industrial heritage with a global infrastructure-supply business and a stated transition toward lower-carbon construction materials.
History
Heidelberg Materials traces its origins to 5 June 1874, when Johann Philipp Schifferdecker founded a Portland-cement business in Heidelberg, in what was then the Grand Duchy of Baden. The company expanded through organic growth and acquisitions. It produced about 80,000 tonnes annually by 1896 and reached approximately one million tonnes per year by 1936. The company's activities during the Nazi period form a difficult part of its history. The German cement sector benefited from government construction and armaments programs after 1933. Heidelberg's general director Otto Heuer joined the NSDAP in 1933 and was associated with the Freundeskreis Reichsführer SS. During the Second World War, cement production was treated as strategically important, while forced laborers and prisoners of war were used at numerous sites. The company has estimated that approximately 1,000 people were affected across its operations. Internationalization began in the post-war decades. Heidelberg acquired an interest in Vicat Cement in France and increased its shipment volumes. A major North American expansion began in 1977 with the acquisition of Lehigh Cement. The group entered Eastern Europe during the political and economic opening of the region in the early 1990s. In 1993 it acquired part of Belgian group CBR and subsequently expanded that relationship into full ownership. The 1999 acquisition of Scancem added businesses in Northern Europe and Africa, while the 2001 investment in Indocement strengthened the company's position in Indonesia. Heidelberg also entered India through the acquisition of Mysore Cement in 2006 and expanded in other emerging markets. In 2007, HeidelbergCement agreed to acquire Hanson plc for approximately 11 pounds per share, a transaction valued in the reference material at about 8 billion pounds. Completed on 22 August 2007 through the subsidiary Lehigh UK, the acquisition transformed HeidelbergCement into one of the world's largest integrated suppliers of cement, aggregates and ready-mixed concrete. The company sold selected assets, including Maxit and its stake in Vicat Cement, to help finance the transaction. The global financial crisis placed pressure on the heavily leveraged group. A capital increase in September 2009, together with sales of shares by the Merckle family, broadened the shareholder base and increased trading liquidity. Heidelberg continued to make targeted acquisitions, including a cement company in Bashkortostan in 2013, while maintaining a geographically diversified portfolio. The purchase of a 45% stake in Italcementi was completed on 1 July 2016. It brought major operations in France, Italy, North Africa, Thailand, Canada, India and Kazakhstan into the enlarged group. The combination made HeidelbergCement the world's leading producer of aggregates and one of the largest producers of cement and ready-mixed concrete, although competition authorities required the disposal of certain United States assets. The company invested in a new headquarters building in Heidelberg after demolishing its 1963 office complex in 2017. In September 2022, it changed its corporate brand from HeidelbergCement to Heidelberg Materials. The rebrand emphasized the broader materials portfolio and the company's intention to support construction with more than cement alone. Local operations have subsequently adopted the new identity, including the Kakanj cement business in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which announced a name change in December 2023. Climate policy has become a central strategic issue. Cement requires high-temperature clinker production and releases carbon dioxide both from fuel use and from the chemical calcination of limestone. Heidelberg Materials has therefore pursued alternative fuels, lower-carbon binders, recycling, renewable energy and carbon capture. It has stated an ambition to nearly halve its carbon footprint from 1990 levels by 2030 and reach net-zero emissions by 2050. The Brevik plant in Norway became the group's first operating carbon-capture-and-storage facility in 2025. The group continues to face criticism over the environmental footprint of cement and quarrying, local land-use conflicts, operations in the West Bank and Indonesia, and its presence in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. These controversies coexist with Heidelberg Materials' role as a major supplier to housing, commercial construction, roads, ports and other infrastructure. The group reported 2024 revenue of EUR 21.2 billion and 51,129 employees in the reference material.
- 2025
First operational CCS facility
[1]The Brevik plant in Norway became the group's first operational carbon-capture-and-storage site.
- 2022
Heidelberg Materials brand introduced
[1]HeidelbergCement adopted Heidelberg Materials as its corporate brand.
- 2016
Italcementi transaction completed
[1]The company completed the acquisition of a 45% stake in Italcementi.
- 2007
Hanson acquisition completed
[1]The Hanson takeover substantially increased the group's global aggregates and concrete operations.
- 2001
Indocement investment
[1]HeidelbergCement strengthened its position in Indonesia through Indocement.
- 1999
Scancem acquired
[1]The acquisition expanded the group in Northern Europe and Africa.
- 1977
North American expansion begins
[1]The acquisition of Lehigh Cement marked a major expansion into North America.
- 1936
Production reaches one million tonnes
[1]The company was producing approximately one million tonnes of cement annually.
- 1896
Early production expansion
[1]Annual Portland-cement production reached approximately 80,000 tonnes.
- 1874
Company founded in Heidelberg
[1]Johann Philipp Schifferdecker established the Portland-cement business that became Heidelberg Materials.
Products and positioning
Global-scale, integrated construction-materials supplier with a strong emphasis on infrastructure, circularity and decarbonization.
Cement
Cement and clinker
Cement and clinker are the group's core products. They are supplied for housing, commercial buildings, roads, bridges, ports and other infrastructure. The portfolio includes conventional cement as well as lower-carbon formulations intended to reduce clinker content, energy use and lifecycle emissions. Production is supported by a large international network of integrated cement plants and grinding facilities.
Aggregates
Aggregates
Aggregates include crushed stone, gravel and sand used in concrete, asphalt, road foundations, rail infrastructure and general construction. Heidelberg Materials operates quarries and other extraction sites in multiple markets. Aggregates provide a strategically important complement to cement because they connect the group to infrastructure contractors and local construction supply chains.
Concrete
Ready-mixed concrete
Ready-mixed concrete is produced at local batching plants and delivered to construction sites in a controlled, usable form. The business serves residential, commercial and civil-engineering projects. Product development increasingly focuses on durability, recycled inputs, lower embodied carbon and mixtures tailored to demanding structural or infrastructure applications.
Road materials
Asphalt
Asphalt and related road-building materials support road construction, maintenance and surfacing. These activities are often integrated with the group's aggregates and concrete operations, allowing Heidelberg Materials to supply several major inputs required by transport-infrastructure projects.
Decarbonization technology · 2025
Carbon-capture solutions
Heidelberg Materials is developing carbon-capture-and-storage systems for cement plants. The Brevik project in Norway is intended to capture process emissions from clinker production and transport the captured carbon for permanent storage. The technology is part of a broader strategy that also includes alternative fuels, lower-carbon binders and efficiency improvements.
Controversies
2024
Cement emissions and quarrying impacts
Environmental groups and communities have criticized Heidelberg Materials because cement manufacturing is highly carbon-intensive and quarrying can affect landscapes, habitats and nearby residents.
2022
Criticism of Russian operations after invasion of Ukraine
The company faced criticism for retaining operations in Russia after the invasion of Ukraine. The reference material says Heidelberg froze new investment but had not fully exited the country.
2017
Pension-fund exclusions over human-rights concerns
Danish pension funds reportedly divested from or blacklisted HeidelbergCement over alleged breaches of basic human-rights principles connected with its West Bank activities.
2017
Kendeng mountains cement dispute
Indocement's involvement in proposed cement and mining activity in Java was opposed by local communities and activists concerned about water, ecosystems, livelihoods and Indigenous Samin cultural sites.
2010
West Bank quarry controversy
Human-rights organizations challenged quarrying by the company's Hanson Israel subsidiary in the occupied West Bank, arguing that extraction and the use of the resulting materials raised land, resource and community-rights concerns. The Israeli Supreme Court rejected the petition in 2011.
1933
Company conduct during the Nazi period
The company's management and the wider cement industry benefited from Nazi state construction and armaments programs. The reference material also records the political affiliation of senior manager Otto Heuer and the use of forced laborers and prisoners of war during the Second World War.
Marketing campaigns
- 2024Glyncoch quarry expansion protests
United Kingdom · Wales
Residents near Pontypridd protested an approval allowing additional rock extraction at a quarry, citing proximity to homes and schools and the loss of green space and wildlife habitat.
Outcome. The approval allowed extraction to continue until 2047.
- 2021Extinction Rebellion action at Heidelberg plant
Germany
Extinction Rebellion activists obstructed access to a Heidelberg-area cement plant in a protest focused on cement emissions and climate change.
Outcome. The action formed part of continuing environmental scrutiny of the German cement industry.
- 2020Climate and emissions protests in Germany
Germany
Groups including Fridays for Future, Extinction Rebellion and Greenpeace criticized the carbon intensity of cement production. A local group blocked the company's Heidelberg headquarters entrance in August 2020.
Outcome. The protests increased public pressure around emissions reduction and the company's decarbonization commitments.
Brand decisions
2025
Operate carbon-capture-and-storage facility at BrevikOtherBackground
Cement emissions include process emissions that cannot be eliminated solely through fuel switching or renewable electricity.
Action taken
Heidelberg Materials began operating its first industrial carbon-capture-and-storage facility at Brevik in Norway.
Aftermath
The facility became a flagship demonstration of the group's strategy to reduce cement-sector emissions and pursue net-zero production.
2022
Rebrand as Heidelberg MaterialsStrategyBackground
Management sought to represent a portfolio broader than cement and to use a more internationally adaptable corporate identity.
Action taken
The group replaced HeidelbergCement with Heidelberg Materials as its corporate brand.
Aftermath
The new identity was progressively adopted across group businesses, including the Kakanj cement operation.
2016
Acquire a 45% stake in ItalcementiM&ABackground
The transaction was intended to create a broader geographic footprint and strengthen the group's position across cement, aggregates and concrete.
Action taken
HeidelbergCement completed the purchase of 45% of Italcementi on 1 July 2016.
Aftermath
The enlarged group became a leading global aggregates producer and one of the largest cement and ready-mixed-concrete suppliers. Some U.S. assets were sold to address antitrust requirements.
2007
Acquire HansonM&ABackground
HeidelbergCement sought to increase its scale and broaden its aggregates, cement and ready-mixed-concrete operations.
Action taken
The group acquired Hanson through its Lehigh UK subsidiary.
Aftermath
The transaction made the combined group one of the largest global construction-materials companies and required selected asset disposals for financing and competition reasons.
Recent events
HeidelbergCement signs agreement to sell southern Spain assets[3]
Reported:
HeidelbergCement signed a contract to sell its southern Spain business to Votorantim Cimentos. The assets include a cement plant in Malaga, three aggregate sites and 11 ready-mixed concrete sites in Andalusia. The transaction remains subject to customary closing conditions, including approval by Spanish regulatory authorities.
HeidelbergCement agrees to sell Spanish assets[4]
Reported:
HeidelbergCement signed agreements to sell regional aggregates and ready-mixed concrete businesses in several Spanish regions, and its ready-mixed concrete business in the Balearic Islands, to different buyers. Cemex is identified as acquiring a limestone quarry with a waste management operation serving Madrid and three concrete plants in the Balearic Islands. The transactions remained subject to conditions precedent before final closing.
HeidelbergCement invests in Command Alkon and partners with Thoma Bravo[5]
Reported:
HeidelbergCement announced an investment in Command Alkon and a partnership with Command Alkon and its owner Thoma Bravo. The purchase agreement is subject to customary regulatory approvals expected by the end of 2021.
HeidelbergCement announces sale of U.S. West region activities[6]
Reported:
HeidelbergCement described the sale of Lehigh Hanson's U.S. West region activities, covering cement, aggregates, ready-mixed concrete and asphalt businesses, with closing expected in the second half of 2021 subject to regulatory approvals. The excerpt does not identify the buyer.
HeidelbergCement agrees to sell US West assets to Martin Marietta[7]
Reported:
HeidelbergCement signed an agreement to sell its US West business activities to Martin Marietta Materials for US$2.3 billion in cash. The transaction was expected to close in the second half of 2021, subject to regulatory approvals.
- Unconfirmed
HeidelbergCement’s Lengfurt plant receives Platinum CSC certification[8]
Reported:
HeidelbergCement’s Lengfurt cement plant received the Concrete Sustainability Council’s Platinum certification following recertification.
Sources8 sources
- 1Heidelberg Materialsen.wikipedia.org
- 2Heidelberg Materials official websiteheidelbergmaterials.com
- 3海德堡材料签署出售西班牙南部资产的协议cemnet.com
- 4海德堡水泥同意出售西班牙资产cemnet.com
- 5HeidelbergCement投资Command Alkon并与Thoma Bravo合作worldcement.com
- 6海德堡水泥宣布出售美国西部业务worldcement.com
- 7海德堡水泥同意将美国西部资产出售给马丁·玛丽埃塔cemnet.com
- 8海德堡水泥Lengfurt工厂获得CSC白金认证worldcement.com
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