Silica Sand Market - Forecast 2021-2026

Silica Sand Market size is forecast to reach US$24.5 billion by 2026, after growing at a CAGR of 5% during 2021-2026. The Silica Sand market is influenced by rising demand from glass manufacturing industry. Silica sand provides the essential silicon dioxide required for glass formulation; hence it is the primary component in all types of standards and specialty glass. According to the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs, in U.K the GVA of the food sector increased 4.4% in 2018, following a 4.3% increase in 2017. Longer term, the food sector increased by 41.6% between 2008 and 2018 while the whole economy increased by 41%. In addition, in Germany, Policy makers upped targets in late 2019, pledging to have 10 million EVs on the roads by 2030 to reach its climate targets. Such initiatives and investments are driving the demand for the glass thereby contributing to the market growth rate.

COVID-19 has negatively impacted the Silica Sand market in 2020 with the halt in the production across various countries. The global lockdowns to curb the virus have led to the decrease in manufacturing sectors including automotive, consumer electronics, chemicals and so on, which significantly resulted in the decline of market. Adding to this, the development of new COVID strains in countries such as US, UK, Nigeria and so on during end of 2020 to the beginning of 2021 is further resulting in the lockdown and impacting the manufacturing sector thereby constraining the market growth rate.

The report: “Silica Sand Market– Forecast (2021-2026)”, by IndustryARC, covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the Silica Sand Industry. 

By Purity: 94% to 95.9%, 96% to 97.9%, 98% to 98.9%, and Above 99%.

By Silica Sand: Wet Sand, Dry Sand, Frac Sand, Filter Sand, Coated Sand and others.

By Application: Glass Manufacturing (Flat Glass, Fiberglass Insulation, Specialty Glass, Container Glass & Others), Chemical Production (Sodium Silicate, Silicon Gels, Silicon Tetrachloride & Others), Foundry (Ferrous Foundry, Nonferrous Foundry), Construction (Cement, Asphalt Mixtures, Mortar & Others), Paints & Coatings (Architectural Paints & Coatings, Industrial Paints & Coatings), Ceramics & Refractories (Tableware, Sanitaryware, Floor and Wall Tiles), Filtration and Water Production (Drinking Water, Wastewater), Oil & Gas Recovery and others.

By Geography: North America (USA., Mexico, and Canada), Europe (U.K, Germany, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Russia, Spain, Rest of Europe), APAC (China, South Korea, Japan, India, Australia & New Zealand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia Rest of APAC), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Rest of South America) and RoW (Middle East (Saudi Arabia, U.A.E, Israel, Rest of the Middle East), Africa (South Africa, Nigeria, Rest of Africa)).

• Asia-Pacific dominates the global Silica Sand market, owing to increased construction activities and various government initiatives such as 100 smart cities and Housing for all by 2022 in the region.
• The significant growth in the construction in the sector is contributing to the demand in the silica sand. In November 2020, seven Dutch organizations have formed an alliance and announced to invest around $1.22bn in the construction of Amsterdam metro projects.
• Although, COVID-19 has significantly resulted in the pause of production capacity in the manufacturing industries, resulting in decline of Economy, the market is set to recover with the vaccine rollout in various countries.

Above 99% purity held the largest share in the Silica Sand market in 2020 and is forecasted to grow at a CAGR of 5.4% during the forecast period. Silica sand with a purity of 99.5% is used in the glass industry. Commercial glass is made by fusing silica sand (Si02), limestone (CaC03), and soda ash (NC03) at 1,100°C. The typical composition is 75% silica, 10% lime, and 15% soda ash. The sand should be uniform in grain size and contain at least 99.5% silica. The reduction of impurities in silica sand to a degree appropriate for the manufacture of acceptable solar grade silicon for photovoltaic applications using photo thermal treatment. This method attracts impurities to the surface of silica grains, where they can be easily removed by dissolving them partially in an acid mixture. The inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP– AES) method was used to analyze the silica collected. Al, K, Fe, Na, Ca, Mg, and B were the most common impurities found in silica sand. Almost all significant impurities were effectively eliminated in the new goods. Indeed, according to ICP–AES characterization, the purity degree ranges from 99.76 to 99.96%, with an average impurity removal efficiency of 83.33%. 

Wet silica dominated the Silica Sand market in 2020 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.4% during the forecast period. Wet Silica Sand is used as a high-quality sand source for the glass industry because of its high silica content (SiO2). Wet silica sand is primarily used in construction, the glass industry, golf courses, and other applications. Because of the constant demand in the construction industry, wet silica sand with specific grain dimensions and composition characteristics is an excellent option for destination markets. In addition, the sand created by wet silica sand has the properties listed for golf course construction and maintenance. Wet silica sand of this kind has long been used on the best golf courses in and around the Portuguese and Spanish peninsulas. It's used on the green, tee, bunkers, and access paths, among other places.

Glass manufacturing application dominated the Silica Sand market in 2020 and is poised to grow at a CAGR of 4.7% during the forecast period. According to National Institute Sand Association(NISA), the production of glass requires a variety of different commodities, silica represents over 70% of its final weight. Flat glass, fiberglass insulation, specialty glass, container glass and others are considered under this segment. Flat glass is widely used in automotive and construction applications, container glass is used in food and beverages and tableware applications and so on. The significant growth in the investments and expansions with the growing demand from these sectors is set to boost the market growth rate during the forecast period 2021-2026. 

APAC dominated the Silica Sand market with a share of approximately 47% in 2020 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 6.3% through the forecast period. Silica sand is the main component in various chemicals such as sodium silicate, silicon tetrachloride, and silicon gels. These chemicals are majorly used in the production of wide range of materials from household to industrial cleaners, fiber optics, and to remove impurities from cooking oil and brewed beverages. Adding to this, the growing investments and expansions in the fiber optic manufacturing sector with rising demand from 5G rollout is set to escalate the market growth rate. In December 2020, Sterlite Technologies announced its plans to invest to $40.3M in India to expand the fiber optic manufacturing facility to meet the demand. Furthermore, in November 2019, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) announced to invest up to $2.5 billion in urban transport projects, such as Metro commuter-rail networks and radial roads, thereby contributing to the New Delhi’s Smart City initiative. This will drive the silica sand market growth. In addition, Industrial sand is pumped down holes in deep well applications to prop open rock fissures in order to increase the flow rate of natural gas or oil. The Indian oil and natural gas sector is likely to witness an investment of US$ 206 billion in the next eight to ten years. In December 2020, The Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) announced plans to invest US$ 228.81 million in new projects in Andhra Pradesh. This includes US$ 206.19 million on petro products infrastructure and US$ 22.62 million on LPG storage facilities. This will further complement silica sand market growth.

Silica sand is the primary structural component in a wide variety of building and construction products. Silica sand is used in flooring compounds, mortars, specialty cements, stucco, roofing shingles, skid resistant surfaces, and asphalt mixtures for binding. Moreover, ground silica performs ads durability and anti-corrosion and weathering properties in epoxy-based compounds, sealants, and caulks. The significant growth in the initiatives such as smart cities in countries such as India, US and so on is set to boost the demand for silica sand. In august 2020, EU bank announced to invest around $778M in construction of metro rail project in Kanpur, India. The construction of the Nîmes-Montpellier rail bypass, the Grand Paris Express, the Tour Triangle, and the ASVEL arena in France, is further expected to boost business growth. Furthermore, the United States is seeing significant investment in residential development, which is projected to continue in the near future. According to the US Census Bureau, the value of residential and nonresidential development placed in place in January 2020 increased to $567,555 million and $470,986 million, respectively, from $546,532 million and $466,436 million in December 2019. Mexico is also experiencing high housing demand, which has resulted in significant construction expenditure. For example, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) granted the Mexican company Procsa a local currency financing program worth up to 150 million Mexican pesos ($7.8 million) in January 2019 to fund land acquisition, development, and commercialization of housing for low and middle income families in the country. The construction market is expected to be driven by rapid growth in investments in renewable power generation capacity over the forecast period. A large number of power generation companies, especially in the United States and Europe countries, are investing in renewable energy sources. For example, in December 2017, EDF Energy announced a €25 billion investment in solar power infrastructure. Furthermore, governments around the world are encouraging renewable energy sources by providing incentives and subsidies to companies that generate renewable energy. Wind power generators in Australia were given $600 million in subsidies by the Australian government. This is expected to increase demand for construction company services, propelling the market forward during the forecast era. As a result, the expansion of building projects and investments is propelling the silica sand market forward.

Sand and gravel prices have risen significantly over the last decade, from about $7 per metric ton in 2007 to $9 in 2018. Specialty sands command even higher prices: frac sand, which is used in hydraulic fracking to extract oil, cost about $26 per ton in 2018, but has risen to over $70 per ton during times of scarcity. Spending money on oil is challenging. Sand is heavy, and because of its value, transporting and processing it is expensive and difficult. Traders are unable to buy or sell futures contracts tied to coal, just as they are unable to buy or sell futures contracts tied to other items such as soybeans or gasoline. As a result, shareholders interested in increasing their sand exposure should look for investments in sand-related businesses. However, government regulations on the use of silica, fluctuations in raw material supply, and product cost instability are expected to limit demand growth in the coming years. Illegal sand mining and the production of sand-free construction goods can also stymie global market growth. 

Technology launches, acquisitions and R&D activities are key strategies adopted by players in the Silica Sand Market. The key players in the Silica Sand Market includes Sibelco, Mitsubishi Corporation, U.S. Silica Holdings Inc., JFE Holdings Inc., Covia Holdings Corporation, among others.

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Report Code: CMR 82568