Industrial Silica Sand Market Size, Share, Growth, Sales, Trade, Shipment, Export Value And Volume With Sales And Pricing Forecast By 2028

Industrial Silica Sand Market Introduction

The term industrial silica sand refers to high purity silica sand products along with closely controlled sizing, thereby having texture and composition exactly suitable for various industrial applications. Silica is also referred as silicon dioxide, silicic acid, or quartz. Industrial silica sand comprises of deposits of silica yielding products, which contain at least 95% of silica.

Industrial silica sand is commonly found in crystalline form, and comprises of rounded sands of pure quartz grains. Industrial silica sands is used as a primary raw material in a wide range of industrial applications such as hydraulic fracturing or fracking, construction, and glass making. Its strength and non-reactive properties are among the main properties of silica that make industrial silica sand an indispensable ingredient across numerous end-user industries.

Industrial Silica Sand Market – Market Players

Leading companies in the industrial silica sand market include International Silica Industries Company Plc., Superior Silica Sands LLC, Saudi Emirates Pulverization Industries Company, Short Mountain Silica, VRX Silica Limited, FINETON Industries Minerals Limited, and AGSCO Corporation.

• Superior Silica Sands LLC, a subsidiary of Emerge Energy Services LP, a U.S. based player in the industrial silica sand market, has entered a strategic agreement with Chesapeake Energy Corporation – an American petroleum and natural gas exploration and production company – to supply frac sand from its San Antonio mine in South Texas.
• VRX Silica Limited, a leading Australian manufacturer in the industrial silica sand market, announced that it has acquired 100% ownership of Muchea Silica Sand Project. The company also announced that it has received firm commitments for $2.4 million of capital raising from investors for the Muchea project, which is a potentially high tonnage and high-grade industrial silica sand project.
• James Hardie Industries plc. – An industrial building materials company headquartered in Dublin, Ireland – announced that it has received an approval to extract silica sand used in fibre cement products under the Overseas Investment Act to buy land. The company will be investing $9 million to develop the land and to build the silica sand extraction and sand-washing facility at the 61-hectare property at Rodney District in Auckland.

Industrial Silica Sand Market Dynamics

North America and Asia Pacific will Prove Most Profitable Regions for Industrial Silica Sand Market Players

Industrial silica sand market is expected to witness rapid growth in North America and the Asia-Pacific region in the upcoming years. The positive growth prospects of the industrial silica sand market in the North American region is mainly attributed to the significant rise in production of industrial sand and gravel in the region.

According to a recent report published by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), in the U.S., the production of industrial sand and gravel valued around US$ 3.5 billion in 2017, which signifies an increase of around 32% over the production value in 2016. With the rapidly growing oil & gas sector in the region, the demand for industrial silica sand is expected to increase in North America, creating lucrative opportunities for industrial silica sand market players.

Similarly, with the increasing mineral resource production in the Asia-Pacific region, especially in Australia, is expected to create positive growth environment for industrial silica sand market players in the region. Furthermore, China’s export-oriented and capital-intensive growth has been creating more sales opportunities for players in the industrial silica sand market in Asia Pacific.

Regulatory Developments Addressing Hazards of Respirable Silica Affect Industrial Silica Sand Market Players

Despite the increasing use of industrial silica sand in various industrial applications, growing awareness about harmful effects of inhaling silica dust is influencing the preeminent dynamics of the industrial silica sand market. Governing bodies across various countries and regions are encouraging employer organizations to address the employee health concerns related to respirable silica dust, which can pose serious harm to the respiratory systems, can even cause lunch cancer.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has passed a new rule to address harmful effects of exposure to respirable crystalline silica, which compels employers to institute dust controls and medical surveillance to employees who are exposed to silica dust. While these regulations can help industrial silica sand market players to reduce the number of workplace injuries and accidents in the long run, increased production cost can lead to creating short-term challenges for stakeholders in the upcoming years.

Industrial Silica Sand Market to Witness Incremental Growth as Demand Increases across Wide-ranging Applications

Owing to the flexible physical properties and versatility of silica, industrial silica sand are used across the variety of end-use industries, including fiberglass, construction, plastics, chemical, paints & coating, and metal production. Also, being one of the commonly found earth element, industrial silica sand remains an abundantly available resource for most end-user industries. Among all the other end-uses of industrial silica sand, the glassmaking industry is expected to bolster its demand, thereby contributing majorly to the growth of the industrial silica sand market in the upcoming years.

Industrial Silica Sand Market Segmentation

Based on its applications, the industrial silica sand market is segmented into

• Sodium Silicate
• Cultured Marble
• Fiberglass
• Reinforcing Filler (rubbers, plastics, etc.)
• Additives (Paints, etc.)
• Glass & Clay Production
• Foundry work (metal alloy, etc.)
• Oilwell Cement
• Ceramic Frits & Glaze
• Others (Pharmaceutical)