CONSTRUCTION AGGREGATES MARKET ANALYSIS

Market Size and Trends

Global construction aggregates market is estimated to be valued at USD 437.73 Bn in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 607.77 Bn by 2031, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.8% from 2024 to 2031.

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Rapid urbanization and increasing construction of roads and buildings around the world boosts demand for crushed stone, sand, and gravel. The market is expected to witness growth due to ongoing investments in infrastructure development globally. Many countries are focused on improving connectivity through road and rail projects. Mega construction projects related to bridges, dams, and airports will continue to need huge volumes of aggregates. However, environmental concerns around illegally sourced materials could hamper supply if not addressed properly.

Infrastructure Development

Global construction aggregates market is expected to witness significant growth due to increasing large scale infrastructure development activities worldwide. There is a major focus on developing roads, highways, bridges, rail networks and other transportation infrastructure in most countries to facilitate better movement of goods and people. Both developed and developing nations are spending big amount on modernizing and expanding their infrastructure to boost economic growth. For example, countries like India, China, U.S., Germany, UAE, and others have unveiled massive infrastructure investment plans running into hundreds of billions of dollars. Modern well connected infrastructure is pivotal for the development of smart cities and improving the quality of life. This infrastructure push involves a lot of construction work ranging from building roads and bridges to commercial and industrial construction projects. All these construction activities have a huge requirement for raw materials like sand, gravel and crushed stone which come under construction aggregates. Considering the scale of investment in infrastructure projects, the demand for construction aggregates is expected to rise substantially. Major construction companies the world over would need a steady supply of high quality aggregates to complete projects on time. Meeting this bulk demand would open up lucrative business opportunities for manufacturers and suppliers of construction aggregates. The rising infrastructure expenditure is likely to emerge as one of the key drivers propelling the global construction aggregates market in the near future.

Market Concentration and Competitive Landscape

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The world is undergoing rapid urbanization with more people migrating to cities each year in search of better living standards and employment opportunities. According to data from the United Nations, nearly 70% of the world's population is projected to reside in urban areas by 2050, up from 56% in 2018. This unprecedented rate of urbanization is concentrating immense demand for housing, infrastructure and civic amenities in cities and metropolitan regions globally. Construction aggregates, which include crushed stone, sand, and gravel, form the basic raw materials for concrete, asphalt, and other construction applications. As urban areas expand horizontally and vertically to accommodate burgeoning populations, the consumption of construction aggregates to build dwelling units, roads, bridges, commercial structures, is rising sharply. This sustained and immense demand coming from new residential and commercial construction as well as repair and renovation of aging infrastructure in expanding urban conglomerates has emerged as the primary driver propelling the global construction aggregates market in recent times. Regions witnessing some of the most rapid rates of urbanization such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America are expected to account for over 60% of the global demand for construction aggregates through 2030 according to projections by the World Bank. Countries like China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Brazil which already have large urban populations are undertaking massive infrastructure development initiatives to modernize their cities and make them more liveable. Additionally, climate change adaptation projects like flood control systems, seawalls, require huge amounts of stone, sand, and gravel. All of these factors point to the continued healthy growth trajectory of the global construction aggregates industry over the coming years to support urban development worldwide.

Challenges:  Regulatory pressures and Environmental concerns

Global construction aggregates market faces challenges from regulatory pressures and environmental concerns. Strict environmental policies aimed at curbing pollution from mining operations could increase production costs. Additional costs may arise from having to adopt newer technologies or shift to quarrying in more remote locations with thicker overburden. Sourcing alternative raw materials to replace aggregates may also impact demand if these provide a lower-cost substitute.

Opportunities: Growing infrastructure development

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Global infrastructure development spree anticipated over the next decade offers substantial potential increases in demand for construction aggregates. This includes massive investment planned for roads, bridges, urban infrastructure and housing across developing economies in Asia and Africa. Aggregates producers well-positioned to capitalize on these emerging markets can achieve expanding sales volumes and revenues.

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In terms of product type, sand and gravel segment is estimated to contribute the 41.2% share of the global construction aggregates market in 2024, owing to its widespread infrastructure applications. Sand and gravel consist of naturally occurring granular materials resulting from the natural disintegration of rock and stone. These are highly versatile building materials that can be easily obtained and processed near construction sites. A key factor driving the dominance of sand and gravel is the ongoing infrastructure development across major economies. Vast projects in transportation, energy and utilities rely heavily on sand and gravel for assembling foundations, laying aggregate base courses for roads and highways, and producing ready-mix concrete. Their abundant local availability in river beds and quarries also ensures low transportation costs for infrastructure projects. Furthermore, sand and gravel performs well in all weather conditions and provides durability when exposed to exterior elements. In the road construction industry alone, sand and gravel are used extensively to lay interlayer aggregate courses that provide structural support. Many governments are prioritizing investments in roads, rail networks, ports and utility infrastructure like power generation and distribution. This stimulates consistent demand for sand and gravel from the highway, transportation and energy sectors. Some regions also face shortage of alternative aggregates, reinforcing reliance on the balanced performance and cost-effectiveness of locally-sourced sand and gravel. 

Insights, By Application: Infrastructure sector catalyzes growth in application demand

In terms of application, infrastructure segment is estimated to contribute 38.7% share of market due to infrastructure development applications. Mega infrastructure projects require huge volumes of aggregate materials for construction activities. These include road and highway construction, rail networks, urban infrastructure like bridges and tunnels, energy production facilities, and large public buildings. Many nations are prioritizing infrastructure spending to boost economic growth, connectivity and urban development. For example, China's ongoing “Belt and Road Initiative” involves massive investments in transportation and energy projects across multiple countries. In the U.S., the recently approved infrastructure bill provides over US$ 1 trillion for modernizing critical infrastructure over five years. Developing economies are also aggressively ramping up infrastructure spending to close development gaps. Projects such as building new roads, airports, seaports, power plants and city metros bolster the consumption of construction aggregates. The commercial infrastructure segment encompasses construction of warehouses, distribution centers and data centers which involve aggregate-intensive civil works as well. Aggregates like sand, gravel and crushed stone play a vital role in supplying strong foundations and building durable roads able to withstand heavy traffic and transportation loads. Their ongoing worldwide expansion ensures infrastructure will continue spearheading aggregate demand in the coming years.

Regional Insights

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North America has firmly established itself as the dominant region in the global construction aggregates market. The North America accounts for the bulk of the regional market size and is home to some of the largest construction aggregates producers in the world with estimated 38.8% market share in 2024. Decades of industry presence and consolidation has provided U.S. firms deep operational experience and global supply chains that allow them to access both domestic and international markets at scale.

Asia Pacific region is poised to become the fastest growing construction aggregates market globally in the near future. China remains the single largest country market, but other Massive government infrastructure initiatives such as the Belt and Road project ensure huge aggregate requirements to build new roads, rails and housing across the region. This abundance of large-scale projects provides extensive business prospects that attract both regional players and global heavyweights seeking growth outside saturated markets. The accessibility of ample low-cost land and resources in Asia Pacific allows for highly competitive pricing that boosts demand. Rising wealth across populations opens further prospects in commercial and residential construction to supplement public works spending. Strong economic outlooks signal Asia Pacific will maintain its accelerated market momentum.

Market Report Scope

Key Developments

• On August 23, 2022, AggMaps, a digital technology platform for contractors and aggregate suppliers, announced the launch of its website and digital marketplace. The company simplifies the time consuming task of sourcing, delivering, and purchasing construction aggregates. AggMaps is currently displaying detailed price lists for more than 700 locations in the U.S. The website allows end users to quickly identify and locate quarries and pits producing construction aggregates including crushed stone, construction sand & gravel, and recycled aggregates
• In December 2023, Aggregate Industries opened a new Ready Mix Concrete Plant in Shoreham, and announced a new apprenticeship scheme for 2024
• On April 22, 2021, CEMEX announced the acquisition of a new floating bucket chain dredger which will boost its gravel production in Germany and is its largest investment in a CEMEX gravel plant in the last ten years
• In September 2021, Martin Marietta Materials, a supplier of aggregates and heavy building materials, acquired Ferrovial’s U.S. unit Southern Crushed Concrete (SSC), a producer of recycled concrete and asphalt, for US$ 140 million. Martin Marietta Materials has been strengthening its geographic footprint with solid buyouts in Southeast Texas.

*Definition: Global construction aggregates market consists of companies engaged in the mining and processing of construction aggregates materials such as sand, gravel, crushed stone, slag, recycled concrete, and geo synthetic aggregates. These materials are the basic ingredients used in buildings, roads, and other infrastructure projects. The processed construction aggregates are used as raw material inputs by concrete mixing plants, asphalt and concrete products manufacturing units, road construction companies, and other construction projects globally.

Market Segmentation

• Product Type Insights (Revenue, USD Bn, 2019 - 2031)
• • Crushed stone
  • Sand & Gravel
  • Other Aggregates
•  Application Insights (Revenue, USD Bn, 2019 - 2031)
• • Commercial
  • Residential
  • Industrial
  • Infrastructure
• Regional Insights (Revenue, USD Bn, 2019 - 2031)
  • North America
    • U.S.
    • Canada
  • Latin America
    • Brazil
    • Argentina
    • Mexico
    • Rest of Latin America
  • Europe
    • Germany
    • U.K.
    • Spain
    • France
    • Italy
    • Russia
    • Rest of Europe
  • Asia Pacific
    • China
    • India
    • Japan
    • Australia
    • South Korea
    • ASEAN
    • Rest of Asia Pacific
  • Middle East & Africa
    • GCC Countries
    • Israel
    • Rest of Middle East & Africa
• Key Players Insights
  • Adbri Ltd (Adbri)
  • Big City Crushed Concrete
  • CEMEX S.A.B. de C.V.
  • CRH Plc. (CRH)
  • Delta Sand & Gravel
  • Eurocement Group
  • Ferma Corp
  • Green Stone Materials
  • Heidelberg Cement AG
  • Holcim
  • Independence Recycling of Florida
  • Martin Marietta Materials
  • Rogers Group Inc.
  • Tarmac
  • Top Grade Site Management, LLC
  • Vulcan Materials Company
  • China Resources Cement Holdings Limited
  • Royal Mineral