Shipments of Hawai'i finished portland cement fell 15.9 percent in January compared to a year earlier, indicating a slowing of the state's construction industry.

The decline compared with the average 10.7 percent drop for the nation as a whole, according to U.S. Geological Survey data cited by Bloomberg News.

Cement is the basic ingredient in concrete, mortar and stucco, and shipments are an indicator of construction activity.