mineral wool market Archives

IndexBox has just published a new report: ‘EU – Slag Wool, Rock Wool And Similar Mineral Wools And Mixtures – Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends And Insights’. Here is a summary of the report’s key findings.

In 2020, European mineral wool imports dropped by -6.5% y-o-y to 1.3M tonnes. In value terms, they declined to $1.3B. France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Poland, Sweden, Romania, the Czech Republic and Belgium account for 74% of the total import volume in the EU. Last year, France, Germany and Italy saw a reduction in the volume of purchases from abroad. In 2020, the mineral wool import price in Europe remained relatively unchanged compared to the figures of the previous year.

Mineral Wool Imports in the EU

In 2020, approx. 1.3M tonnes of slag wool, rock wool and similar mineral wools and mixtures were imported in the EU, which was -6.5% lower compared with the year before. In value terms, mineral wool imports declined to $1.3B (IndexBox estimates) in 2020.

France (182K tonnes), Italy (147K tonnes), Germany (139K tonnes), Austria (102K tonnes), Poland (82K tonnes), Sweden (81K tonnes), Romania (79K tonnes), the Czech Republic (64K tonnes) and Belgium (56K tonnes) represented roughly 74% of total imports of slag wool, rock wool and similar mineral wools and mixtures in 2020. The following importers – Latvia (37K tonnes), Slovenia (34K tonnes), Finland (30K tonnes) and the Netherlands (30K tonnes) – together made up 10% of total imports.

France (-3.9% y-o-y), Italy (-10.0% y-o-y) and Germany (-10.0% y-o-y) reduced their purchases in physical terms against the previous year. Among other countries, Poland (-16.4% y-o-y) saw the most prominent drop in terms of import volume.

In value terms, Germany ($193M), France ($165M) and Italy ($128M) constituted the countries with the highest levels of imports in 2020, with a combined 38% share of total imports. These countries were followed by Austria, Belgium, Sweden, Poland, the Czech Republic, Romania, Finland, the Netherlands, Latvia and Slovenia, which together accounted for a further 45%.

In 2020, the mineral wool import price in the EU amounted to $1,014 per tonne, remaining relatively unchanged against the previous year. There were significant differences in the average prices amongst the major importing countries. In 2020, the country with the highest price was Finland ($1,548 per tonne), while Romania ($650 per tonne) was amongst the lowest. In 2020, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by Belgium, while the other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

Source: IndexBox Platform

IndexBox has just published a new report: ‘World – Slag Wool, Rock Wool And Similar Mineral Wools And Mixtures – Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends And Insights’. Here is a summary of the report’s key findings.

For the fifth consecutive year, the global mineral wool market recorded growth in sales value, which increased by 0.3% to $30.9B in 2019. The market value increased at an average annual rate of +2.1% over the period from 2013 to 2019; the trend pattern remained consistent, with only minor fluctuations in certain years. Over the period under review, the global market attained the maximum level in 2019 and is likely to continue growing in years to come.

Consumption by Country

The countries with the highest volumes of mineral wool consumption in 2019 were China (4.9M tonnes), the U.S. (3.9M tonnes) and India (2M tonnes), together comprising 56% of global consumption. Japan, Russia, Mexico, Germany, South Korea, Thailand, Canada and Saudi Arabia lagged somewhat behind, together comprising a further 25%.

From 2013 to 2019, the most notable rate of growth in terms of mineral wool consumption, amongst the main consuming countries, was attained by Saudi Arabia, while mineral wool consumption for the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

In value terms, China ($6.8B), the U.S. ($6.2B) and Japan ($5.1B) appeared to be the countries with the highest levels of market value in 2019, together comprising 58% of the global market. India, Mexico, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Germany, Russia, Thailand and Canada lagged somewhat behind, together accounting for a further 28%.

The countries with the highest levels of mineral wool per capita consumption in 2019 were the U.S. (12 kg per person), Japan (9.63 kg per person) and Saudi Arabia (8.70 kg per person).

Production

In 2019, global mineral wool production expanded to 19M tonnes, increasing by 4.3% compared with the year before. The total output volume increased at an average annual rate of +1.8% from 2013 to 2019; the trend pattern remained consistent, with somewhat noticeable fluctuations throughout the analyzed period.

Production by Country

The countries with the highest volumes of mineral wool production in 2019 were China (5M tonnes), the U.S. (3.8M tonnes) and India (2M tonnes), with a combined 56% share of global production. These countries were followed by Japan, Russia, Mexico, Germany, South Korea, Canada, Thailand, Saudi Arabia and Poland, which together accounted for a further 28%.

From 2013 to 2019, the most notable rate of growth in terms of mineral wool production, amongst the leading producing countries, was attained by Saudi Arabia, while mineral wool production for the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

Imports

After three years of growth, purchases abroad of slag wool, rock wool and similar mineral wools and mixtures decreased by -3.3% to 2.3M tonnes in 2019. The total import volume increased at an average annual rate of +3.9% over the period from 2013 to 2019. Global imports peaked at 2.3M tonnes in 2018, and then declined modestly in the following year.

In value terms, mineral wool imports shrank slightly to $2.6B (IndexBox estimates) in 2019. The total import value increased at an average annual rate of +2.6% from 2013 to 2019; however, the trend pattern remained relatively stable, with somewhat noticeable fluctuations throughout the analyzed period.

Imports by Country

France (183K tonnes), Italy (156K tonnes), the U.S. (137K tonnes), Germany (132K tonnes), Austria (113K tonnes), Romania (85K tonnes), Kazakhstan (81K tonnes), Sweden (81K tonnes), Poland (72K tonnes), the Czech Republic (67K tonnes), Belgium (63K tonnes) and Belarus (59K tonnes) represented roughly 54% of total imports of slag wool, rock wool and similar mineral wools and mixtures in 2019.

From 2013 to 2019, the biggest increases were in Romania, while purchases for the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

In value terms, the largest mineral wool importing markets worldwide were Germany ($203M), the U.S. ($186M) and France ($180M), with a combined 22% share of global imports. Italy, Austria, Poland, Belgium, Sweden, the Czech Republic, Romania, Kazakhstan and Belarus lagged somewhat behind, together accounting for a further 26%.

Import Prices by Country

The average mineral wool import price stood at $1,155 per tonne in 2019, flattening at the previous year. Over the period under review, the import price recorded a slight shrinkage. The pace of growth appeared the most rapid in 2018 when the average import price increased by 4.8% y-o-y. Over the period under review, average import prices reached the maximum at $1,295 per tonne in 2014; however, from 2015 to 2019, import prices stood at a somewhat lower figure.

Prices varied noticeably by the country of destination; the country with the highest price was Germany ($1,535 per tonne), while Kazakhstan ($485 per tonne) was amongst the lowest.

From 2013 to 2019, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by Poland, while the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

Source: IndexBox AI Platform

European Mineral Wool Imports Fall Owing to Declining Purchases in France and Italy