NCMA

What NCMA does

CMHA (Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association), historically known as NCMA (National Concrete Masonry Association), is a US-based nonprofit trade association founded in 1918 that serves the concrete masonry, hardscapes, and manufactured stone veneer industries across North America. CMHA was formed through the merger of NCMA and the Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI), consolidating industry representation, codes and standards development, and education under a single organization. Headquartered in the Washington DC metro area with 11-50 employees, the association operates from Herndon, Virginia and runs a parallel program in Canada including the Canadian Hardscapes Activities Meeting.

The association's core offerings are organized around four primary pillars: membership-based engagement (Producer Members and Affiliate Members, plus Design Professionals), education and certification through the CMHA Edge platform, technical resources including the CMHA Lab testing service and codes/standards documentation, and major industry events such as Hardscape North America, the Annual Meeting, the Midyear Meeting, and The Precast Show. Supporting entities include the NCMA Foundation and ICPI Foundation, which fund scholarships, research, and the annual Concrete Masonry Student Design Competition run in partnership with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. Strategic initiatives span government affairs, sustainability, workforce development, women-in-the-industry programs, and the Concrete Masonry Checkoff effort.

Revenue is generated through four streams: recurring membership dues (annual, undisclosed pricing), fees from education and certification programs including AEC Daily-integrated continuing education, event registrations, and e-news advertising. Engagement is event-driven and community-led; the member portal (membersuite.com) and online learning platform serve as primary digital distribution channels, while in-person conferences and trade shows anchor the field motion. Named member companies include RCP Block & Brick, Oldcastle APG (Amerimix), Outdoor Living Supply, and CornerStone Wall Solutions.

Name

NCMA

Legal name

Concrete Masonry and Hardscapes Association

Website

https://ncma.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1918

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CMHA (formerly NCMA) is a US-based nonprofit trade association, founded 1918, that serves concrete masonry, hardscapes, and manufactured stone veneer producers, contractors, distributors, and design professionals across North America through membership, education, technical resources, and major industry events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trade Association Services

NAICS

Business Associations (813910), Professional Organizations (81392)

akta.pro primary industry

Concrete Masonry Units (CMU) & Concrete Blocks (IMADABAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Concrete Masonry Units (CMU) & Segmental Concrete Products (IMADAAAC)

Keywords

• Concrete masonry association
• Industry trade association
• Construction standards development
• Hardscape industry education
• Building materials certification

Headquarters

HQ city

Herndon

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Membership dues: CMHA generates revenue through membership fees, providing access to technical resources, networking, certification programs, and industry committees. The organization positions membership as offering 'best in class opportunities, access to technical resources, networking and professional development opportunities'.
2. Education and certification programs: Revenue generated from course fees, certification programs, webinars, on-demand learning, and continuing education. Programs include in-person education, online learning, and AEC Daily courses.
3. Events and conferences: Revenue from event registrations for Midyear Meeting, Annual Meeting, Hardscape North America, Canadian Hardscapes Activities Meeting, and The Precast Show.
4. E-News advertising: Advertising opportunities through CMHA's electronic newsletter and communications channels.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CMHA is a nonprofit trade association serving the concrete masonry, hardscapes, and manufactured stone veneer industries. It provides membership-based services including industry education and certification (CMHA Edge), technical resources and lab testing, codes and standards development, market research, advocacy, and major industry events such as Hardscape North America.

Product overview

The Concrete Masonry & Hardscapes Association (CMHA) operates as a trade association offering a portfolio of membership-based services and programs rather than a traditional product company. The core offerings center on education and certification through CMHA Edge, technical resources including lab testing services, industry research via market reports, and major events such as Hardscape North America. Additional services include building solutions guidance, student design competitions, member directories, and foundation-supported research initiatives. The association serves as the unified voice for the concrete masonry, hardscapes, and manufactured stone veneer industries, providing governance, advocacy, sustainability programs, and workforce development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CMHA Edge: Education and certification division of CMHA offering courses, certifications, webinars, and workforce development programs.

Products and services

• CMHA Edge: Education & Certification A comprehensive education and certification platform offering in-person training, online learning, professional certifications, and continuing education courses for industry professionals in concrete masonry and hardscapes.
• Technical Resources Technical support services including CMHA Lab testing services, concrete masonry tech resources, hardscapes tech resources, and codes & standards documentation for the industry.
• Market Reports Industry research and market intelligence reports providing data and analysis on market trends, contractor challenges, and industry forecasts for the concrete masonry and hardscapes sector.
• Hardscape North America A major annual trade show and exhibition event for the hardscape industry, bringing together professionals, manufacturers, and suppliers for networking and education.
• Building Solutions Technical guidance and resources covering concrete masonry, manufactured stone veneer, segmental retaining walls, and segmental pavement products and applications.
• Member and Product Directories Online member and product directories enabling users to find contractors, producers, and industry suppliers within the concrete masonry and hardscapes sector.
• NCMA Foundation Research and education foundation supporting the concrete masonry industry through funding, scholarships, and industry research initiatives.
• Concrete Masonry Student Design Competition Annual collegiate design competition encouraging architectural and engineering students to explore concrete masonry applications in their designs.
• MSV Fundamentals Course On-demand course designed to educate professionals on manufactured stone veneer fundamentals, covering installation, specifications, and best practices, available through CMHA's online learning platform.

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NCMA FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe NCMA Foundation is a related organization that works in conjunction with CMHA, particularly on initiatives like the 2026 Concrete Masonry Student Design Competition in partnership with the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA). The foundation supports research, education, and industry advancement.
• ICPI FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe ICPI Foundation is a related foundation under the CMHA umbrella, supporting interlocking concrete pavement industry research and education. ICPI (Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute) merged with NCMA to form CMHA.
• Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the annual Concrete Masonry Student Design Competition, connecting architecture schools with the concrete masonry industry and promoting design innovation using concrete masonry products.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• National Association of Home Builders (NAHB): NAHB is the much larger trade association for residential builders. It is a comparable membership/advocacy model and overlaps with CMHA at the residential hardscape and masonry specification stage, making it a broader incumbent in the same ecosystem.
• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE): ASCE is the broad professional society for civil engineers and a major standards-setter in infrastructure. It is comparable to CMHA in delivering codes, certifications, and continuing education, but serves a much broader audience across all civil engineering.

Direct peers

• Interlocking Concrete Pavement Institute (ICPI, legacy): ICPI itself was the prior entity that merged into CMHA, so the ICPI Foundation remains a directly comparable peer operating under the same umbrella. It is the most direct historical match — same hardscape/pavement focus, same membership model.
• Masonry Contractors Association of America (MCAA): MCAA represents masonry contractors (the installer side) where CMHA represents masonry producers. Both run workforce development, education, and annual conventions, and both organizations overlap at the tradesman/specifier boundary with CMHA's contractor engagement.
• National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association (NSSGA): NSSGA represents aggregates producers and runs a parallel playbook — advocacy, safety awards, conventions, and education. It is structurally comparable to CMHA in operating model and member base of building-materials producers.
• American Concrete Institute (ACI): ACI is the leading standards-setting and certification body for concrete materials and construction practices. It is the closest comparable to CMHA in mission (codes/standards, certification, technical resources) and membership model (professionals and producer affiliates), though ACI covers all of concrete while CMHA focuses on masonry units and hardscapes.
• Brick Industry Association (BIA): BIA is the trade association for clay brick manufacturers. It directly competes with CMHA in the masonry wall category — supplying codes and standards, continuing education, and advocacy for an adjacent masonry material.
• Tile Council of North America (TCNA): TCNA is the trade association for North American tile manufacturers and serves as a sister organization for an adjacent building-finish product. It runs an equivalent standards (TCNA Handbook), testing lab, and annual conference model.
• Portland Cement Association (PCA): PCA is the trade association for U.S. cement manufacturers, offering market intelligence, technical resources, and advocacy. It is comparable to CMHA in serving the upstream side of the concrete value chain with a similar membership, education, and government affairs model.

Emerging players

• Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute (PCI): PCI represents precast concrete producers and partners with CMHA on The Precast Show. It is comparable as a sister concrete trade body running certification and plant accreditation programs, though with a precast-not-masonry focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https://www.cmha.org
• Xx.com/ConcreteMasonry

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about NCMA