Lead Market By Type (99.994%, 99.99%, 96%, Others), By Application (Construction, Plumbing, Batteries, Bullets & Shots, Solders, Others), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Application Potential, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2019 - 2025

Lead Market Size

Lead Market size was worth over USD 25 billion in 2018 while the annual consumption is anticipated to exceed 13 million tonnes by 2025.
 

Growing consumption of lead acid batteries on account of accelerating demand from automotive sector will propel growth across the lead market. In addition, increasing demand for cost effective and reliable power supply across critical applications including hospital, commercial facilities and industries will augment the business landscape. In 2018, batteries accounted for over 75% of the global Pb consumption, making it one of the key applications influencing the business growth. Furthermore, growing adoption across data centers and telecom towers will further enhance the industry outlook. For instance, major data corporations have built data centers all over the world with Google owning 15 data centers in four continents while Facebook
owning nine centers.
 

Prevailing expansion of commercial and industrial facilities owing to strengthening economic growth across the developing regions will drive the business growth. Furthermore, robust investment toward improving the telecom network along with substantial expansion of data centers will positively enhance the industry outlook. The LABs are extensively used across these applications owing to low cost, large surge currents and power to weight ratio suitable for handling the massive energy output generated by swells of internet traffic.
 

Lead Market Analysis

The 99.99% lead grade was valued over 7 billion in 2018. These are widely used across several industries including the manufacturing and construction for roofing & flashing, soundproofing, X ray protection and others. The pure lead ingots are produced from re-melted ingots, raw bullions and lead scraps by pyro metallurgical process. The grade of lead is commonly produced by primary lead companies that hold about 40% of the global lead production.
 

Ongoing government focus toward improving the respective lead refining capacity and abilities will boost the demand for 96% grade. The key impurities found mixed with the metal include arsenic, selenium, tellurium, bismuth, antimony, silver, copper, nickel, zinc, and tin. In addition, the industry has specified restrictions on elements generating gas from lead-acid batteries. The key difference between the primary and secondary lead is that the recyclers do not remove silver and bismuth impurities during secondary refining process. As over 60% of the world’s lead production come from secondary (recycling) refining resulting in its dominating share over high purity grades.

Ongoing expansion of building infrastructure backed by government investment along with rapid development of commercial facilities across emerging economies will foster the lead demand across construction activities. The metal is used in making thin lead sheets majorly used as a construction material across chemical and other related industries. Other widely used applications include shower pans, building construction for roofing & flashing, gamma-ray & X-ray protection, and soundproofing. In addition, rapidly expanding service sector along with introduction of new manufacturing base across developing nations will further complement the industry outlook.
 

Plumbing based lead applications exceeded 700 thousand tonnes in 2018. Excellent physical properties including high malleability, resistance to corrosion, and flexibility will instigate the product demand. In addition, stringent government norms pertaining to the replacement and minimizing the use of Pb in pipe manufacturing owing to its dispersion in portable water supplies may impede the business growth. For instance, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) introduced a treatment technique regulation revised in 2007, that directs water authorities to follow lead and copper mandates with respect to the replacement of lead service lines, and regular water sampling.
 

Extensive secondary lead production across the U.S. and Canada owing to a large number of scrapped batteries along with robust expansion of data centers will propel the growth across North America. For instance in 2018, the NADC reported for about six largest data center leases of the year were signed across North Virginia racking up the records in the industry. The automotive sector is a major consumer of these batteries and directly influences the market dynamics. However, moderate decline in automotive sales coupled with closure of several smelter units over the past decade may have restrained business growth.
 

The Asia Pacific lead market is anticipated to grow over 2% by 2025. Abundant lead reserves coupled with surging secondary production across the region are the prime factors stimulating the business growth. As per analysis, China is a major driving force across the industry holding over 50% of the global lead consumption, however, stringent smelting restrictions have resulted in a substantial decline in primary production. Furthermore, favorable outlook across India and Australia coupled with presence of leading players of passenger cars, coaches, two-wheelers, and SUVs will augment the lead-based storage industry outlook.
 

Lead Market Share

Eminent players operating across the lead market include:

• Korea Zinc
• Henan Yuguang Gold Lead
• Aqua Metals
• Hindustan Zinc
• Glencore
• Nyrstar
• BHP Billiton
• Gravita India
• Teck Resources
• Doe Run
• H.M.S Metal
• Hemendra
• Non-Ferrous Metals
• Gorevsky GOK

Low cost manufacturing along with increasing investment toward research and development to minimize the lead emissions from batteries are the prime basis of industry rivalry. Furthermore, introduction of stringent regulations and standards toward minimizing the use of lead in defined applications including plumbing, solders paints and others have further intensified the competition.
 

Lead Market Industry Background

Lead is a nonferrous metal with extensive physical properties including high malleability, ductility, flexibility and has a comparatively low melting point than its counterparts. It is bluish-white in color and smudges to a dull gray color in the air exposure.