Gains will be bolstered by recovery in the US construction market, as well as by the consumption
of much higher volumes of additives per ton of cement in Western Europe and Japan.
World demand to rise 8.3%
annually through 2015
World demand for cement and concrete
additives is projected to increase 8.3
percent annually to $15.8 billion in 2015,
a significant improvement over the
performance of the 2005-2010 period.
Gains will be bolstered by recovery in
the US construction market, which will
boost demand for both cement and
related additives. Advances in Western
Europe and Japan, while below the
global average, will be significant in
boosting overall demand, as they
consume much higher volumes of
additives per ton of cement than many of
the largest cement markets in the world,
such as China, India, Brazil, Vietnam
and Egypt.
In developing markets, growth will be
boosted by sustained levels of construction
activity, increased cement consumption
and the growing use of additives to
shorten construction times, save on
labor costs and draw concrete construction
practices closer into line with the
standards in more developed markets. In
India, demand will be boosted by greater
use of cement in large infrastructure
projects, incentives to utilize industrial
waste products as mineral additives and
efforts to improve the performance
characteristics of concrete products. In
China, already the world’s largest market
for additives, increasing demand for
higher-grade water reducers (superplasticizers)
and other specialty products will
bolster overall value gains.
Fiber additives to lead
gains from small base
The use of mineral additives in concrete
formulations is expanding due to efforts
to reduce overall cement consumption
and to take advantage of performance
attributes offered by industrial waste
products such as fly ash (which can
increase chemical resistance and final
strength) and blast furnace slag (which
can improve durability). Although much
of this use will be in the form of supplementary
cementitious materials (SCMs)
in cement production (which is not
included in the scope of this study),
greater use of these same mineral
additives in concrete formulations is also
anticipated.
Chemical additive demand growth will be
led by water reducers, particularly highvalue
superplasticizers used in selfconsolidating
concrete (SCC) and other
high-performance applications. Air
entrainers and other smaller chemical
products will also benefit from increased
use in SCC, which is finding greater use
in high-rise buildings, dams and other
structures with particularly rigorous
performance criteria. The small fiber
segment is expected to register the
fastest growth through the forecast
period, due to rebounding demand in
several key markets and increasing use
of fiber additives in markets in which
their use has been less common,
including Western Europe and other relatively
mature additive markets.
Study Scope
This study analyzes the $10.6 billion world cement and concrete additive industry. It presents historical demand data for the years 2000, 2005 and 2010, and forecasts for 2015 and 2020 by additive type (e.g., water reducers, set controllers, coloring agents, air entrainers, blast furnace slag, gypsum, fly ash, silica fume, fibers), market (e.g., buildings, highways and streets), world region and for 21 countries.
The study also considers market environment factors, details industry structure, evaluates company market share and profiles 35 industry players, including BASF, Sika and Grace Construction Products.
