Specialty concrete market size is forecast to reach $8.56 billion by 2025, after growing at a CAGR of 3.69% during 2020-2025, owing to the rise in demand of specialty concretes for various construction applications such as bridges & dams, water pipelines, precast, swimming pool, offshore structure, flooring, and Paving. Specialty concrete is designed to enhance the existing property, behavior, composition, or performance of the conventional concrete by adding binders such as acrylic, polyurethane, and epoxy due to which it is usually superior to conventional concrete. It also has multiple possibilities of applications because of extensive mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties, which is anticipated to drive the specialty concrete market substantially during the forecast period.
Key Takeaways
- Asia Pacific dominates the specialty concrete market, owing to the increasing manufacturing & construction activities in the region due to various government initiatives such as 100 smart cities and Housing for all by 2022 in the region.
- The specialty concretes have high resistance to thermal shock & elevated temperature and tolerates up to 6 lbs. per square foot per 24 hours Moisture Vapor Transmission Rate (MVTR), due to which the demand for specialty concretes is increasing for various construction applications.
- The specialty concretes can be used even when particularly high weight densities are needed such as for shielding in nuclear reactor facilities, as specialty concretes uses heavyweight aggregate such as barite, limonite, magnetite, scrap metal, and steel shot for fine aggregate. The weight densities can be achieved that is twice from that of normal weight concrete. These extensive characteristics of specialty concrete market are anticipated to drive the specialty concrete market.
- Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, most of the countries have gone under lockdown, due to which operations of various industries such as building and construction has been negatively affected, which is hampering the specialty concrete market growth.
By Type – Segment Analysis
The fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) segment held the largest share in the specialty concrete market in 2019, owing to the wide usage of fiber reinforced concrete for a variety of applications as it is ideally suited for applications that require protection from plastic and drying shrinkage, improved durability, increased service life and reduced construction costs. The use of fibers in concrete can reduce the total energy consumption of a construction project while contributing to sustainable building practices. The demand for fiber reinforced concrete is increasing due to its wide applications such as sidewalks, paving, parking lots, elevated decks, and slabs on the ground. Engineers, architects, and concrete contractors are increasingly turning to the use of fibers as a means of reinforcing their concrete, making fiber reinforced concrete (FRC) one of the fastest-growing segments in the concrete industry during the forecast period.
By End-Use Industry – Segment Analysis
The commercial infrastructure segment held the largest share in the specialty concrete market in 2019 and is growing at a CAGR of 5.67%, owing to increased use of specialty concretes for constructing pavements, retaining walls, parking structures, water tanks, and precast bridge decks. The building and construction activities are expanding at a lucrative rate across the world. According to the US Census Bureau, in February 2020 total construction was at a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1,366,697 which is 6.0 percent above the February 2019 rate of 1,288,951. According to the European Commission, the total construction investment in Germany increased by 9.5% over 2008-2015. Also, the European Construction 2020 Action Plan aimed at stimulating favorable investment conditions. The building and construction activities are also increasing owing to the various government initiatives such as Foreign Direct Investments (FDI), which is anticipated to propel the specialty concrete market during the forecast period.
By Geography – Segment Analysis
Asia Pacific region held the largest share in the specialty concrete market in 2019 up to 37%, owing to the growing infrastructural activities such as building, roads, pavements, bridges and dams constructions in the countries such as India, China, and Singapore due to economic reforms, infrastructural development, and rising per capita income of the individuals. The population growth is resulting in the need for more residential and commercial sectors. Moreover, in India, the government has initiated projects, such as ‘100 smart cities’ and ‘Housing for All by 2022,’ which are expected to drive the Indian residential construction market over the forecast period. According to the Australian trade and investment commission, the Singapore government spends at least S$2 billion on public infrastructure each month. Also, the government projected Singapore’s average construction demand for 2018 and 2019 between S$26 billion to S$35 billion. According to the International Trade Administration (ITA), the construction value of China in 2018 was USD 893.58 and it is forecasted to reach USD 968.06 by 2019. Also, the Chinese construction industry is forecasted to grow at an annual average of 5% in real terms between 2019 and 2023. Such investments and initiatives in the construction industry by the government in APAC are anticipated to drive the specialty concrete market in the Asia Pacific during the forecast period.
Drivers – Specialty Concrete Market
- Increasing Building and Construction Activities
The building and construction activities are increasing in countries, such as India and China due to economic reforms and rising per capita income of the individuals. The construction work of four-lane Bridge including approaches over River Brahmaputra between Dhubri on North Bank in Assam and Phulbari on South Bank in Meghalaya is being taken up by India with a loan assistance from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The construction period is 7 years and 9 months and the projected date of completion is in the year 2026-27. Bangladesh through India-Japan Development Cooperation is planning to enhance the connectivity by way of four-laning of road, reconstruction of bridges on the Ramgarh to Baraiyarhat stretch, and by constructing the Jamuna Railway Bridge over the Jamuna River. China started an initiative One Belt, One Road for forging infrastructure and facilities networks by building efficient transport routes connecting major seaports along the belt and road. Such government initiatives are leading to increased building and construction activities in the region, which acts as a driver for the specialty concrete market during the forecast period.
- Increasing Demand for Specialty Concrete
Over 10 billion tons of conventional concrete are produced worldwide each year, requiring enormous natural resources and it has been estimated that the production of 1 ton of Portland cement causes the release of 1 ton of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. Together with the large amounts of energy required to produce Portland cement, the cement and concrete industry has a major impact on the environment worldwide. Thus, manufacturers are putting efforts to reduce this impact and transform the concrete industry to the principles of sustainable development. The most significant step is the replacement of portland cement by other cementitious or pozzolanic materials, preferably materials that are byproducts of industrial processes, such as fly ash (the by-product of coal-burning power plants) and granulated blast furnace slag (a by-product of the steel industry). To reduce the environmental impact, specialty concrete is the most promising approach, which acts as a driver for the specialty concrete market.
Challenges – Specialty Concrete Market
- High Cost of Specialty Concretes
The specialty concretes such as lightweight concrete requires extensive labor and manufacturing process for its production. The lightweight concretes are produced by including large quantities of air in the aggregate, a matrix in between the aggregate particles, or by a mixture of these processes. Lightweight aggregates require wetting former to its use to reach a high degree of saturation. If the aggregates are not entirely saturated they tend to float towards the surface of the mix. Since the lightweight concretes have higher moisture content, their drying times are usually longer than conventional concrete. Thus, the complex production process of specialty concretes the for size reduction of structural elements, less reinforcing steel, and reduced volume of concrete results in overall cost increment which may restrain the specialty concrete market growth during the forecast period.
- Covid-19 Impact on The Specialty Concrete Market
Due to the Covid-19 outbreak, the specialty concrete manufacturers are facing issues such as delays in receiving raw materials for cement production especially from China, which is further resulting in delayed shipments to the customer. In addition, the import and export restrictions are heavily affecting the specialty concrete market growth. Also, since all the building and construction activities are stopped until the pandemic, no new orders can be taken over neither the existing order production could be completed, which is affecting the specialty concrete market negatively.
Market Landscape
Technology launches, acquisitions, and R&D activities are key strategies adopted by players in the specialty concrete market. In 2019, the market of specialty concrete has been consolidated by the top five players accounting for xx% of the share. Major players in the specialty concrete market are Fosroc Limited, Cesco Australia Limited, Ceratech Inc., Litebuilt Inc., Perl Tech Inc., China Advanced Construction Materials Group, Inc., CEMEX S.A.B. de C.V., ADM-ISOBLOC GmbH, Sika AG and Sauereisen.
Acquisitions/Technology Launches
- In April 2019, Fosroc Limited strengthened its position as a market leader in India with the inauguration of its new green-field factory in Keshwana, Jaipur. The new manufacturing facility will enhance Fosroc’s geographical coverage and service levels particularly for customers in North India and Nepal.
