Aluminum Flat Products Market Growth & Trends

The global aluminum flat products market size is expected to reach USD 74.9 billion by 2027, expanding at a CAGR of 4.2%, according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc.Establishment of plants and stringent regulation policies is projected to assist in the growth of the market. In July 2018, BMW announced its plans to invest USD 1.7 billion in a new car factory in Hungary. Establishment of new manufacturing plants is anticipated to increase the demand for aluminum flat products in the automotive sector. In November 2017, Aleris Corp announced its capacity expansion to increase the production of aluminum sheet for the automotive sector in Europe. These initiatives by the major end-use industries and manufacturing companies are likely to propel market growth over the forecast period.

Growing demand for electric vehicles and favorable tax policies by government is another factor driving the market. Considering the environmental pollution, in January 2019, the Federal Ministry of Finance in Germany announced its plan to implement that the consumers using electric vehicles have to pay less tax than the consumers using the combustion engine to promote the sales of electric vehicles. Utilization of lightweight materials enhances the performance of electric vehicles. As electric mobility penetrates the automotive sector of the country, it is likely to generate demand for aluminum flat products over the forecast period.

The use of recycled material by the enduse industries to reduce the production cost and environmental pollution caused during the extraction of bauxite. For instance, in September 2017, Jaguar Land Rover announced to expand the use of recycled aluminum in vehicles. Jaguar Land Rover invested USD 2.3 million to meet the target of using Recycled Aluminum through Innovative Technology (REALITY) from the end of vehicles life and used in new vehicle body structure.

Availability of substitutes is likely to hamper market growth over the forecast period. Carbon fiber and magnesium alloy are major substitutes for aluminum in the automotive sector. Properties of magnesium alloys such as dent-resistance and machinability coupled with its ability to shield electromagnetic radiation and damped vibrations are likely to propel its utilization over the coming years.

Outbreak of COVID-19 in the first quarter of 2020 is projected to put short term negative impact on the market. Most governments around the world have observed lockdown due to highly contagious nature of COVID-19. This has affected temporary closure of non-essential businesses such vehicles and aircraft manufacturing creating impact in the demand of various metals and its alloys.

Aluminum Flat Products Market Report Highlights

  • In terms of volume, building and construction was the largest application segment and accounted for 10,693.5 kilotons of volume in 2019. The growth of the segment is attributed to growing infrastructure investments in emerging countries such as India and Brazil
  • In terms of revenue, automotive and transportation segment is projected to witness a CAGR of 3.6% over the forecast period. Increasing aluminum content per vehicle is key factor promoting the growth of this application segment
  • Plates accounted for revenue share of 42.0% in 2019. The growth of the segment is attributed to increasing demand in shipbuilding and consumer durables industry
  • Asia Pacific is projected to remain largest regional market over the coming years on account of growing demand from automotive and construction sector.