Infrastructure Law to Boost Precast Concrete Demand Through 2026

The Freedonia Group forecasts US demand for precast concrete products to increase 5.9% per year to $18.5 billion in 2026. Demand will be bolstered by the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, which was passed in late 2021. This law both fills a void left by the recently expired FAST Act (which funded road and highway infrastructure) and significantly expands upon it, allocating over $1 trillion for a wide array of projects that fall under the larger banner of “infrastructure”. 

Precast concrete products are used in a variety of infrastructure applications, including:

• roads and bridges
• water and sewer systems
• electric utilities
• railroads
• marine structures
• airports

Gains in precast concrete product demand will be fueled by increased specification of precast concrete products over site-poured concrete and steel in many of these applications because of their long lifespans, resistance to degradation, and quick installation times.

Roads & Bridges to Remain Largest Infrastructure Market for Precast Concrete Products

Roads and bridges will remain the leading outlet for precast concrete in infrastructure construction applications due to the nation’s massive stock of bridges, highways, and roads, many of which will be repaired or upgraded using precast concrete products:

• The Department of Transportation considers over 20% of US roads as being in poor condition.
• The American Road & Transportation Builders Association believes that over one-third of US bridges need repair.

The bulk of the funding to address these shortcomings will come from the Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act, which includes:

• a $50 billion fund to improve 20,000 miles of streets and highways
• a $40 billion dollar fund for renovating 10,000 bridges

Precast concrete components will increasingly be incorporated into new and repair road and bridge projects despite their higher cost. For example:

• Prestressed bridge components, tees, and slabs are used on bridges because of their light weight and ability to withstand stresses caused by the weight of other bridge components and heavy traffic loads.
• Precast concrete sound and traffic barriers are often used because they are durable products that have long lifespans.

Want to Learn More?

Precast Concrete Products provides historical data for 2011, 2016, and 2021 and forecasts to 2026 for precast concrete product demand in millions of dollars by product, market, and region and subregion.

Products:

• structural building components
• architectural building components
• water handling products
• other products, including transportation construction, utility, cemetery, agricultural, and marine products

Markets:

• commercial and residential buildings
• infrastructure
• niche markets, including cemetery products, agricultural structures, landscaping, and consumer and commercial products

Regions (subregions):

• Northeast (Middle Atlantic and New England)
• Midwest (East North Central and West North Central)
• South (South Atlantic, East South Central, and West South Central)
• West (Mountain and Pacific)