Ash Grove: products and EPD coverage snapshot
Ash Grove is a classic heavy hitter in North American cement. The question specifiers ask today is simple: which of its products carry third‑party EPDs, and where are the gaps that could cost a spec on low‑carbon projects striving for LEED v5‑style material goals.
Who Ash Grove is, at a glance
Ash Grove, a CRH company, operates 12 cement plants and 41 terminals across the U.S. and Canada, employing about 2,200 people (Ash Grove website, 2025) (Ash Grove, 2025). That footprint puts them squarely in national account territory with local reach.
What they make
Core portfolio: bulk portland cements including Type IL, I‑II, III and sulfate‑resistant options. They also sell masonry cements, packaged cements, and supplementary cementitious materials like slag cement and fly ash via brands such as DURA SLAG and Duracem. In select markets they run ready‑mix operations, most visibly around Kansas City. Think product count in the dozens on the cement and SCM side, plus hundreds of ready‑mix mix designs when you include local plants.
EPD coverage, in plain English
Ash Grove publishes product‑specific EPDs for several cement types and a healthy slate of ready‑mix concrete mixes from its Kansas City group. Program operators on recent documents include ASTM and NRMCA. Coverage is strongest for plant or region specific cement and for regional ready‑mix mixes. For day‑to‑day bidding, that means specifiers can often pull an Ash Grove EPD without hunting, which keeps their product in play when carbon accounting is required.
Where the gaps likely are
We did not find the same level of visible, product‑specific EPDs for bagged masonry cements, certain specialty SCMs, or aggregates. That is common across the market, not unique to Ash Grove. The fastest commercial win is usually to prioritize EPDs for top‑selling bagged products and for any SCM that marketing positions as low‑carbon. The underlying rulebooks already exist for cement, slag cement, and concrete ingredients, so choosing a fitting PCR is straightforward for an experienced team (NRMCA PCR list, 2025) (NRMCA, 2025).
A likely best‑seller without an EPD and why it matters
Masonry cements and certain packaged lines often show up on distribution orders in the tens of pallets, yet they rarely have product‑specific EPDs. When that happens, owners targeting lower embodied carbon or LEED v5‑aligned procurement will default to products with verified declarations to avoid penalty factors in project carbon models. Even an industry‑average or category EPD can be a bridge, but a product‑specific EPD protects margin and keeps substitution risk low.
Who they run into on specs
On cement, the recurring rivals are Holcim US, Heidelberg Materials, CalPortland, CEMEX, GCC and Martin Marietta depending on region. Holcim publicly lists plant EPDs for multiple U.S. cement sites, which signals established transparency infrastructure (Holcim US, 2024) (Holcim US, 2024). Heidelberg Materials highlights cement and concrete EPDs across North America, plus active low‑carbon product work, which shows buyers there is data on hand (Heidelberg Materials, 2025). In head‑to‑head evaluations, having comparable EPD coverage at the product level reduces the chance of getting swapped late in design.
Sustainability moves worth noting
Ash Grove has messaged a push toward lower‑carbon cement production, including a new finish mill project in Durkee, OR, aimed at low‑carbon cements, and CCU initiatives in Canada. Those efforts are helpful context when sales teams are asked about decarbonization roadmaps, even though project‑level EPDs still carry the day for credits and procurement screens (Ash Grove newsroom, 2023). You can point curious customers to Ash Grove’s company overview and newsroom for recent updates (Ash Grove, 2025).
What to do next if expanding EPD coverage
Pick the rulebook first. Align with the PCRs that competitors use for each product family to keep apples‑to‑apples comparisons clean in submittals. Lock a reference year and collect plant utility, fuels, clinker factors, additives, transport, and packaging data early. For bagged masonry or slag cements, pre‑sort formulations by volume so the first EPD batch covers the SKUs that move the most. Then replicate per plant to capture logistics differences. Simple cadence, big commercial payback.
Commercial takeaway
Ash Grove already covers its core cement and a chunk of regional ready‑mix with EPDs, which satisfies most day‑to‑day requests. The spec risk sits in the packaged and specialty corners where EPDs are thin. Closing those gaps can be the difference between being considered first or being a silent no‑bid. Dont wait for the next RFI to force the issue.
[Sources used in‑text: Ash Grove company overview, 2025; Holcim US Technical Specifications EPD list, 2024; NRMCA PCR list, 2025.]
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Ash Grove have EPDs for its core cement products?
Yes. Recent plant or region specific EPDs exist for several cement types, issued through ASTM as program operator. Ready‑mix mixes from the Kansas City group also have EPDs via NRMCA.
Where are the most notable EPD gaps for Ash Grove’s portfolio?
Packaged masonry cements, some specialty SCMs, and aggregates show less visible product‑specific EPD coverage. Prioritize those high‑volume lines to reduce substitution risk.
Which competitors frequently show up with EPDs in the same bids?
Holcim US and Heidelberg Materials routinely publish cement and concrete EPDs, with public libraries that specifiers can access (Holcim US, 2024; Heidelberg Materials, 2025).
Which PCRs should govern new Ash Grove EPDs?
Use ASTM or International EPD System PCRs commonly used by peers for cement and slag cement, and NSF/NRMCA PCRs for ready‑mix. Starting with the peer‑standard PCR protects comparability in submittals (NRMCA, 2025).
About the Author
Walker Ryan is a climate-tech entrepreneur focused on driving industrial decarbonization through better data. As the founder and CEO of Parq, he helps manufacturers generate high-quality, third-party–verified carbon disclosures at scale—accelerating a traditionally slow and expensive process. Before starting Parq, Walker led over $200 million in sustainability-focused investments as VP of Strategy & Growth at ReStream Solutions, following earlier experience in investment banking at Deutsche Bank. He brings a rare mix of capital markets expertise and hands-on sustainability knowledge to tackling the infrastructure of industrial emissions.
