Industrial Silica Sand Market

Industrial Silica Sand Market Outlook

The global industrial silica sand market is set to enjoy a valuation of US$ 14.5 billion in 2022 and further expand at a CAGR of 4.6% to reach US$ 22.7 billion by the end of 2032.

The proliferation of the construction and oil & gas sector augments the market’s growth.

Report Attributes	Details
Industrial Silica Sand Market Size (2022A)	US$ 14.5 Billion
Forecasted Market Value (2032F)	US$ 22.7 Billion
Global Market Growth Rate (2022-2032)	4.6% CAGR
North America Market Share (2022)	~39.3%
China Market Share (2022)	~19.0%
Market Share of Top 3 Countries	~28.9%
Key Companies Profiled	Unimin Corporation Fairmount Minerals U.S. Silica Emerge Energy Services LP Badger Mining Corporation Hi-Crush Partners Preferred Sands Premier Silica Pattison Sand Sibelco Quarzwerke Group Aggregate Industries SAMIN Strobel Quarzsand GmbH Brogardsand

Sales Analysis of Industrial Silica Sand

Industrial silica sand is majorly used for glass manufacturing, metal casting, water treatment, deflocculation, construction additives, and a bundle of other applications. In the past half-decade, the market has observed diversification owing to the chemical application of industrial silica sand. Its application as frac sand has skyrocketed in rapidly growing oil & gas production.

Players involved in the construction business are always in search of materials that would increase the life of buildings and infrastructure. Following the trend, concrete manufacturers have added industrial silica sand to increase the life expectancy and stability of cement concrete.

On account of expected infrastructure and housing projects across different parts of the globe, the construction industry is forecasted to grow over the period. This results in surging demand for the industrial silica sand market over the projection period.

• Early Market Growth Factors: Glass industry is undergoing transformation through the introduction of automation and electrification. Expanding the half-breed manage plate, building glasses, lightweight coating glass, and propelled nanotechnology in level glass are additionally contributing towards the development of the glass business, thus, boosting the interest in silica sand.
• Medium-Term Growth Factors: The amplifying construction sector across both developing and developed nations to fuel the market’s growth over the projection period.
• Long-Term Growth Opportunities: The players have initiated a number of organic and inorganic business strategies to expand their market reach and have a diversified product portfolio for a wide range of applications. This, in turn, fuels the market’s growth.

According to the Fact.MR, a market research and competitive intelligence provider, the market is projected to exhibit growth at 4.6% CAGR between 2022 and 2032.

Market share analysis of industrial silica sand based on application and region is provided in a nutshell in the above image. Under the application segment, the glass manufacturing sub-segment dominates with a 32.3% market share in 2022.

“Growing Glass Industry Creating Huge Demand of Silica Sand”

The largest end-use market for industrial silica sand is the glass industry and the dominating glass manufacturing sectors in China and India are the main forces behind the rising demand.

Construction and foundries, two booming industries in the Asia Pacific region, use silica sand. The original flavor or quality of the drink or product inside a container will be preserved due to the use of versatile glass' in container manufacturing.

According to the current demands, glass containers are offered in the market in a variety of colors, forms, and sizes. The glass market is anticipated to benefit from growth in the packaging and pharmaceutical industries, signaling a high growth rate for the sector.

Glass is environmentally friendly because it can be recycled or used repeatedly. Thus, it is anticipated that increased glass use in packaging will increase demand for industrial silica sand in the glass industry.

“Water Filtration Upholds the New Trajectory for Silica and Sand Markets Globally”

Industrial silica sand has been used for cleaning and purifying water for many years. The Metropolis Water Act was regulated after the incidences of Cholera and since then many developed countries have had a provision good quality potable water.

Silica sand is usually used for filtration where the water enters the filters and travels through the silica sand, which successfully removes any solids and debris that are in the water source.

Because of its unique properties, it is used in many water facility areas like wastewater treatment, swimming, brewing, paper processing, chemical processing, and power generation. The water filtration market is booming at a good rate across the globe, especially in the Asia Pacific.

The rapid growth of wastewater treatment owing to increasing population, new advancements, and demand for more residential water treatment, increased awareness about environmental degradation, clean water harvesting, and increase in investments in water cleaning infrastructure.

These new and constant research and development in water filtration methods lead to growing demand and trends for silica and sand markets globally.

“Hydraulic Fracturing Boom Has Resulted in Exponential Supply Gains for Silica Sand”

Demand for silica sand as a proppant in the hydraulic fracturing market is increasing at a significant rate. The rapid development in the shale oil and gas market over the past few years is a key factor in the growing demand.

Oil and gas are extracted from the bedrock using hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, which uses up to 10,000 metric tonnes of silica per well. As a result, the demand for silica sand from the oil and gas sector has dramatically increased.

The recent volatility in industrial silica sand may be mitigated by increased demand for high-grade silica sand for high-tech specialty products and industrial glass.

With the expansion of horizontal drilling for shale oil and gas resources, rapid growth is anticipated, particularly for the hydraulic fracturing market.

The growing demand for silica sand demand will support the recovery and growth of the global economy to maintain its health manner in the near future. Silica sand is an important part of the supply chain for many industries.

“Sand-free Building Materials: Expected Barriers”

The various difficulties faced by the construction industry due to erratic supply, fluctuation in price, and inconsistency in the quality of sand prompted us to look for alternatives to sand. Few alternatives to sand are manufactured sand or M-Sand, sand-free plasters, and others.

The demand for economical and efficient techniques to construct manufactured sand is growing as environmental rules are constricted due to the rapid depletion of riverbeds. Sand-free plasters are another substitute for silica sand.

Plastering with standard materials and techniques takes time and requires a number of operations, such as purchasing and sieving, which results in spillage and waste. Sand-Free plaster provides consistent quality while reducing labor costs and workload.

So the application and adoption of these substitutes in the construction industry that solves the problems associated with silica sand may hamper the growth of the global silica sand market, especially in developing countries where urbanization is an ongoing process.

Country-wise Insights

Which Factors Drive Demand for the Market in India?

Water filtration is a practice followed in emerging economies, including India, in which silica sand is used to separate impurities from the water and make it fit for drinking. Due to the lack of proper drinking water, about 97 billion people suffer from different diseases.

Hence, the government and NGOs are working closely to spread awareness regarding water filtration and personal hygiene. For local water filtration plants or filters, silica sand has high adoption due to its easy access and effective properties. These, in turn, drive the market's growth across the country.

Further, it also has a high adoption for waste-water treatment, with the surging population and industrialization tons of wastewater are generated which is to be treated for further utilization. To ensure this huge water treatment plants are installed and tons of silica sand is being used in such plants to filter water for further use.

Why is the Australian Market Anticipated to Be Exceptionally Profitable?

The growing construction activities across Australia spur the industrial silica sand market outlook in the country. As, industrial silica sand has high demand in construction materials to increase the strength of the material, ultimately the structure. Hence, the proliferating construction industry across Australia paves the way for the market's growth.

• For instance, Australian construction is valued at US$ 112.0 billion, a year and contributes about 9.0% of the country's GDP. Infrastructure Australia (IA) published its infrastructure priority list in February 2021, incorporating a record-breaking 44 new infrastructure proposals.
• Further, the Australian government included an additional $11.3 billion in its Federal Budget for infrastructure projects in May 2021. Hence, growing infrastructural development results in amplified market demand.

Category-wise Insights

Why is Sodium Silicate the preferred product type Ruling the Market?

Sodium Silicate is a colorless material with a glassy appearance. Available in abundant in the market. Sodium silicate is extensively used as a deflocculated across industries.  It enhances the charge of the materials presents inside the water which enhances the deflocculation of the water. Due to its extensive availability in the market, it is utilized for cementing purposes.

Sodium silicate showcases an increasing demand for the product in detergents, elastomers, and catalyst industries. The sodium silicate segment is projected to continue to witness decent growth in terms of revenue during the forecast period, due to the growing glass manufacturing and increasing construction activities across the globe.

Why does Elastomers Manufacturing Requires Industrial Silica Sand?

High-quality sand with a <40 mesh is perfect for use in artificial turf, water filtration, O&G wells for fracking, and a variety of other applications. To remove debris and moisture from the system, these particle size maintains a round or sub-round shape that is ideal for draining and low abrasion. Hence, diverse applications and growing demand supplement the market's growth.  

Manufacturers and their key Stratagem

Market’s prominent players include Unimin Corporation, Fairmount Minerals, U.S. Silica, Emerge Energy Services LP, Badger Mining Corporation, Hi-Crush Partners, Preferred Sands, and others.

The industrial silica sand market is moderately consolidated in nature. Therefore, key stakeholders in the market are implementing competitive policies such as mergers, acquisitions, and collaborations and exploiting untapped opportunities in the market to sustain and gain a higher market share. This strategy allows to broaden the company’s market share and enhance its economies of scale.

• U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc. has declared that the prices of the majority of its aplite, diatomaceous earth, clay products, and non-contracted silica sand will increase in April 2022. These products are primarily used in foundry, glass, roofing, chemicals, coatings, paints, elastomers, building products, recreation, agriculture, pet litter, and other applications. Depending on the product and grade, price increases will range from 8% to over 25%.
• The business strategy of Canadian Premium Sand Inc. was changed in February 2021 to focus on turning the Wanipigow silica sand deposition into a sustainable coating facility and float glass manufacturing. To create a new benchmark for low-carbon-footprint glass production, this facility is built to make the best use of current technology while focusing on sustainability initiatives like waste heat recovery and making the most of Manitoba's plentiful and affordable renewable electricity.

Fact.MR has provided detailed information about the price points of key manufacturers of industrial silica sand positioned across regions, sales growth, production capacity, and speculative technological expansion, in the recently published report.

Segmentation of Industrial Silica Sand Industry Research

• By Type:

  • Sodium Silicate
  • Potassium Silicate

• By Particle Size:

  • <40 Mesh
  • 40-100 Mesh
  • >100 Mesh

• By Application:

  • Metal Casting
  • Hydraulic Fracturing
  • Construction Additives
  • Filter Media
  • Building & Construction
  • Glass Industry
  • Foundry

• By End-Use:

  • Building & Construction
  • Glass
  • Foundry
  • Others

• By Region:

  • North America
  • Latin America
  • Europe
  • East Asia
  • South Asia & Oceania
  • MEA