Without stones, there's no energy transition: mineral fillers help make cars lighter, bioplastics more durable, and wind turbines and solar plants more weatherproof. Insoluble additives make many materials, especially engineering plastics, cheaper and suitable for a use in demanding applications. Ceresana has analyzed the filler industry for the sixth time. The market researchers expect the global filler market to grow at an average annual rate of 4.8%: Demand for natural calcium carbonate (GCC), precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC), kaolin, talc, wollastonite, mica, carbon black (industrial carbon black) and other fillers is expected to reach a volume of more than 80 million tonnes by 2030.
Functional fillers for plastics
High-performance fillers can specifically change material properties, such as improving strength and stiffness, but also, for example, make packaging films easier to remove, increase the thermal conductivity of adhesives, regulate the temperature of acrylic glass sheets or store light in colors and release it again in the dark. A filler trend: highly-filled compounds with tailor-made properties are increasingly being produced for specific customers. The most important sales market for fillers is plastics. This area currently accounts for around 28% of global consumption. Ceresana expects steady growth in demand of 3.1% per year for elastomers, which comes in as the second-largest application area due to vehicle tires. Despite digitalization, the paper industry also remains a major customer: fillers make paper opaque, white and smooth.
Calcium carbonate for the global market
Lime dominates the global filler market: Natural calcium carbonate (GCC) is the most commonly used filler with a market share of around 35%. Ceresana expects an annual growth rate of 2.3% for GCC until 2030. The plastics industry is the largest consumer of GCC by far, followed by paints, coatings and paper. Another top-selling filler is precipitated calcium carbonate (PCC), which has many properties identical to GCC. PCC is most commonly used in the production of paper, followed by its use in paints and coatings. Carbon black (industrial carbon black) is the second most widely used filler, with global demand at 11.4 million tonnes, behind GCC and before PCC. The most important customer for carbon black is the rubber industry, which uses carbon black as a reinforcing filler that significantly increases the abrasion resistance of tire rubber, for example.
Carbon Black for China
There are clear regional differences in the sales markets for fillers: While in Western Europe, the paper industry accounts for 31% of total filler consumption, in Asia, it is only 18%. Conversely, manufacturers of elastomer products in Asia achieve a filler market share of around 31% - in Western Europe, it is only 18%. In this new market study, Ceresana examines the regional and country-specific characteristics of the demand for fillers for different application areas in detail.
The Study in Brief:
Chapter 1 provides a description and analysis of the global filler market - including forecasts up to 2030: it outlines the demand and revenues of fillers for each region of the world. The product types GCC, PCC, carbon black, kaolin, talc and other fillers are examined in detail for the application areas plastics, elastomers, paper, paints and coatings, adhesives and sealants.
Chapter 2 offers information regarding the revenues and demand for fillers in the 16 largest national markets. The demand is broken down into individual applications and product types. Additionally, the demand for product types is analyzed for each application area.
Chapter 3 provides useful company profiles of the most important filler manufacturers, structured according to contact details, revenues, profit, product range, production sites, brief profile as well as product types. Detailed profiles are provided by 113 manufacturers, such as 20 Microns Ltd., Huber Engineered Materials, Imerys SA, Kärntner Montanindustrie GmbH (KMI), Lhoist S.A., LKAB Minerals AB, Minerals Technologies Inc., Omya International AG, and Quarzwerke GmbH.
Scope of the Report:
Attributes |
Details |
Base Year |
2020 |
Trend Period |
2018 - 2030 |
Forecast Period |
2021 - 2030 |
Pages |
430 |
Filler Types |
Ground Calcium Carbonate (GCC), Precipitated Calcium Carbonate (PCC), Carbon Black, Kaolin, Talc, Other Fillers |
Application Areas |
Paper, Plastics, Paints and Coatings, Elastomers, Adhesives and Sealants |
Company Profiles |
20 Microns Ltd., Huber Engineered Materials, Imerys SA, Kärntner Montanindustrie GmbH (KMI), Lhoist S.A., LKAB Minerals AB, Minerals Technologies Inc., Omya International AG, and Quarzwerke GmbH (Selection) |
Edition |
6th edition |
Publication |
April 2022 |
FAQs
How will sales generated with fillers develop up to the year 2030?
The market researchers expect the global filler market to grow at an average annual rate of 4.8%.
How many tons is the consumption of fillers expected to amount to by 2030?
Demand for fillers is expected to reach expected to reach a volume of more than 80 million tonnes by 2030.
What was the most important sales market for fillers in 2020?
In 2020, plastics was the most important sales market for fillers. This area currently accounts for around 28% of global consumption.