Silica Sand in High Demand and Going Higher
Fracking sand, silica sand, industrial sand. By any name, one of the world’s most common and useful types of sand is in high demand and the silica sand sector is experiencing continuing rapid growth.
The global silica sand market, worth 7.4 billion US dollars in 2018, has an impressive track record with a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of about 7.6% in the period 2011 to 2018 according to the Global Silica Sand Market Report 2019 at PR Newswire.
And the silica sand boom is just underway. Increased production in several key industries is driving silica sand market projections up to $10.5 billion by 2024 with another 6% CAGR for each year in the forecast period.
More Glass Means More Silica Sand Demand
The demand for more glass is a result of the increase in construction, automotive production, and high-tech applications for “smart glass”. As impressive as the CAGR numbers for silica sand are, it’s easy to see the source of increasing demand for it when examining the glass market which makes up 1/3 of the silica sand market.
For now. Grand View Research is projecting an astounding 7.1% CAGR even in the conventional flat glass market, which is projected to reach $124.14 billion by 2022. Tempered glass for both the automotive industry and window and roofing applications in the construction industry is increasingly required for safety reasons and increased production in both sectors is forecast.
Demand for “smart glass” such as electrochromic glass is on the rise for use in energy-efficient construction applications and sunlight control in commercial construction of hospitals, schools, and retail spaces.
Smart glass R&D in the energy industry is predicted to increase demand for smart glass in power generation applications in the near future.
All totaled, demand for smart glass can fuel the most robust growth in the glass manufacturing sector with a projected CAGR of 15.2% and an additional $9.98 billion in market size by 2025. Smart glass is now replacing traditional glass in a host of applications including:
- smart technology in architecture, for both residential and civil construction
- automobiles
- trains
- aircraft
- consumer electronics
Silica Sand For More Than Fracking
Increased demand for high-grade silica sand for industrial glass and high-tech specialty products may help counteract the turbulence recently experienced in the fracking sand market.
Northern US silica sand companies saw significant disruption as oil and gas companies developed a host of silica sand operations for fracking in the Permian Basin to streamline supply lines for fracking operations and unlock shale-bound oil and gas supplies in that resource-fertile region of the Southwest.
As significant as demand for fracking sand is, silica sand for hydraulic fracturing is just third on the list of industrial end-uses.
- Glass industry
- Foundries
- Fracking (hydraulic fracturing)
- Filtration
- Abrasive products
The projections for the silica sand market is encouraging news for US silica sand producers outside of the Permian Basin region. As demand increases in alternate industrial markets across the US, silica sand operations can expect to thrive in areas beyond the limited and volatile fracking sand market.
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