Demand for Flat Glass in China to Increase Over 8 Percent Annually

Demand for flat glass in China is projected to increase 8.2 percent per year through 2016 to 3.4 billion square meters.  Sales of flat glass will be driven by growth in building construction expenditures and advances in motor vehicle and solar panel production.  In value terms, flat glass demand is forecast to rise 13.9 percent per year to 250 billion yuan in 2016.  Ongoing industrialization, rising income levels, and further population and household growth will benefit flat glass sales. These and other trends, including market share and product segmentation, are presented in Flat Glass in China, a new study from the Beijing office of The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry research firm.

Two major trends are expected to affect the flat glass industry over the next 10 years.  First, demand for float glass is forecast to grow at the expense of demand for lower quality sheet glass.  Second, demand for fabricated flat glass products is forecast to continue to rise as they are increasingly favored over unfabricated products in building applications and as rapid growth is expected in fabricated glass markets such as solar energy and electronic displays.  By 2021, fabricated flat glass will account for nearly half of total flat glass demand in China.

Unfabricated float glass will remain the largest product category through 2016, with demand growing 6.6 percent annually to 1.5 billion square meters.  Advances will be spurred by healthy growth in building construction activity, especially in rural areas, and relatively low product prices.

With respect to fabricated glass products, safety glass is the largest category.  Demand for safety glass will advance nearly 15 percent annually through 2016, reaching nearly 700 million square meters.  Demand will benefit from rising income levels and growth in new construction, as well as from increasing output of motor vehicles, solar panels, and furniture.  Demand for insulating glass is forecast to grow 15.5 percent annually through 2016, boosted by growth in construction of residential and commercial buildings, schools, and hospitals, which use significant amounts of flat glass in their designs.  Demand for other fabricated flat glass products is also expected to expand rapidly.  Product gains will be driven by demand for low-iron ultra-clear glass in solar panels, the rising use of low-emissivity (low-E) and solar controlled glass in new nonresidential buildings, and fast growth in the production of large LCD televisions and other electronic displays.

The Freedonia Group is a leading international business research company, founded in 1985, that publishes more than 100 industry research studies annually. This industry analysis provides an unbiased outlook and a reliable assessment of an industry and includes product segmentation and demand forecasts, industry trends, demand history, threats and opportunities, competitive strategies, market share determinations and company profiles.