Global Development Situation Analysis of Metal Abrasives Products Industry

In the US geological survey of the mineral product yearbook issued in 2012, it once mentioned that the global demand for metal abrasives products keeps rising at an annual rate of 6% in the past few years, and in the future, it is also expected to continue to rise at the same speed.

For a long time, China is the largest producer of corundum and silicon carbide, whose annual output are 695000 tons and 450000 tons respectively.

In 2011, the Asia-pacific region (China, India, Japan, and Australia), the output of corundum and silicon carbide is the largest, up 815000 tons and 520000 tons respectively.

Still in 2011, corundum and silicon carbide, the second largest production areas in Europe (Austria, Norway, France, Germany), have the output of 180000 tons and 132000 tons respectively.

Because the operating costs are relatively high, the output of the United States and Canada are relatively low. In 2011, the two countries and Mexico, have 60400 tons of corundum and 87000 tons of silicon carbide abrasive in total.

The production of South America (Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela) is close to North America, corundum and silicon carbide have the production of 50000 tons and 78000 tons respectively.

The remaining 80000 tons of corundum and 190000 tons of silicon carbide come from the dispersed relatively small producers in the world.

Although garnet and metal abrasive are gradually taking the place of corundum and silicon carbide in some areas, corundum and silicon carbide industry will continue to keep this development trend.

Purchasing trend: From 2010 to 2011, 80% natural silicon carbide in America are imported, and 83% natural corundum, 42% silicon carbide abrasives and 6% corundum abrasives are from China. In 2014, UK market observation pointed out that as the economy recovers, the demand for abrasives products in North America and Western Europe is expected to continue to grow at an annual rate 4% and 2% respectively in the next few years.

Abrasives products in Asia Pacific market is also slowly rising as a whole before 2017. The annual growth of 10% in China may last longer.

With the development of Asian and western region and their durable goods industry gradually mature, the overall demand for abrasives in these areas will overtake the United States, Western Europe and Japan.