Continental Cement: products and EPD coverage
Continental Cement is a focused, Midwest‑centric cement maker with two plants and a string of river terminals. The core question for specifiers is simple: do their cements come with current, credible EPDs that unlock low‑carbon bids without paperwork drag. Short answer: largely yes, with a couple of places to tighten the net.
Who they are and where they play
Continental Cement manufactures in Hannibal, Missouri and Davenport, Iowa, and ships through nine Mississippi River terminals. They state they are a wholly‑owned subsidiary of The QUIKRETE Companies and highlight more than a century in cement production (Continental Cement, 2025; Continental Cement, 2025). Their sustainability hub points to alternative fuels via Green America Recycling and links to plant EPDs (Continental Cement Sustainability, 2025).
What they sell
This is a pure play in one category. The portfolio centers on bulk portland and blended cements used by ready‑mix and precast producers. Expect a handful of core formulations across Type I/II, Type IL, and at Davenport also Type IS. SKU count looks to be in the dozens rather than hundreds, which fits a bulk binder business.
EPD coverage at a glance
Continental publishes facility EPDs for its main cements. The Hannibal plant EPD covers Type I/II and Type IL with a five‑year validity from August 23, 2022, verified under the ASTM program (Continental Cement Hannibal EPD, 2022). The Davenport plant EPD covers Type IL(10) and Type IS(20) with the same five‑year window from August 23, 2022 (Continental Cement Davenport EPD, 2022). That means current declarations are in market today, but they do come up for renewal in 2027. Refreshing ahead of the date keeps bids smooth for projects aligning to LEED v5 procurement norms.
Strengths and the short list of gaps
Coverage is strong on the highest volume binders. If a spec calls for Type I/II or PLC Type IL, Continental has plant‑specific EPDs in hand. Two places to watch: 1) if Hannibal sells a slag‑blended IS grade at volume, consider mirroring Davenport’s IS coverage with its own product‑specific EPD, and 2) if bagged or masonry cements are in the mix regionally, those often benefit from a dedicated declaration when they influence CMU or site‑mix submittals. None of this is exotic. It is routine housekeeping that keeps submittals fast and uncontroversial.
Why it matters commercially
On many owner and campus programs, a product without a product‑specific EPD forces modelers to apply conservative default factors. That can push a material out of contention even when performance is fine. Having the right EPD removes that penalty and shortens the back‑and‑forth in bid reviews. Industry references are easy to benchmark against, including the PCA’s industry‑wide EPDs for Portland and Portland‑limestone cement, which many teams use as a floor for comparisons (PCA via GreenerCement, 2024).
Competitors you’ll see on the same spec
Continental will most often line up against Holcim US, Ash Grove, St. Marys, Titan, Buzzi/Alamo and regional independents. Competitor EPDs are broadly available, and some publish both industry‑wide and plant‑specific sets. For example, St. Marys lists plant‑specific Type III EPDs alongside industry EPDs on its site (St. Marys Cement, 2024). The spec contest is rarely about whether an EPD exists. It is about whether the exact binder on the ticket matches an active declaration for that plant and that formulation.
Practical playbook for manufacturers in this slot
- Keep facility EPDs synchronized with actual product streams, not historical blends. If a plant pivots from I/II to IL in more mixes, update the declaration before sales notices the friction.
- Publish links in one evergreen place. Continental’s sustainability page is a good model because it routes directly to PDFs that specifiers can attach to submittals (Continental Cement Sustainability, 2025).
- Watch the renewal window. With five‑year validity on current plant EPDs, a 2026 data pull keeps a 2027 reissue painless and avoids a gap that slows quoting.
Bottom line for specability
Continental Cement is a focused player with credible, plant‑specific EPDs covering the binders most often requested. The fastest way to win more specs is to make sure every high‑volume formulation sold from each plant has an active, easy‑to‑download declaration and that renewal work starts early. It sounds simple, but thier rivals do trip on it, and that is where projects are won.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Continental Cement have plant‑specific EPDs for its main cements?
Yes. Hannibal covers Type I/II and Type IL and Davenport covers Type IL(10) and Type IS(20), both issued August 23, 2022 with five‑year validity under ASTM’s program. See the company‑hosted PDFs for details (Continental Cement Hannibal EPD, 2022; Continental Cement Davenport EPD, 2022).
How many facilities and terminals does Continental operate and where can I verify this?
They operate two cement plants and nine river terminals across the Midwest. The site lists locations and staffed hours for each terminal (Continental Cement, 2025).
What baseline EPDs do specifiers use if a plant EPD is missing?
Teams often fall back to industry‑wide EPDs such as Portland and PLC from the Portland Cement Association, which set a conservative floor for comparisons (PCA via GreenerCement, 2024).
About the Author
With a passion for sustainability and a love for complex data, Toby helps manufacturers efficiently collect data from across their organization and get their EPDs done right. He’s especially interested in how AI can support human expertise, helping R&D and factory teams work faster, smarter, and with less friction.
