IndexBox has just published a new report: ‘EU – Expanded Clays – Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends And Insights’. Here is a summary of the report’s key findings.

European expanded clay imports continue to grow steadily. In 2020, imports reached 570K tonnes, increasing at an average rate of +3.9% y-o-y over the past eight years. Germany holds leadership in European imports. Ranking second in terms of import volume, Sweden emerged as the fastest-growing importer from 2012 to 2020. Last year, Sweden expanded clay imports boosted to 108K tonnes. In 2020, the average import price reached $334 per tonne, flattening against the previous year. 

European Clay Imports by Country

In 2020, expanded clay imports in the EU shrank modestly to 570K tonnes, approximately reflecting 2019 figures. The total import volume increased at an average annual rate of +3.9% over the period from 2012 to 2020. In value terms, expanded clays imports declined to $191M (IndexBox estimates) in 2020.

In 2020, Germany (135K tonnes) and Sweden (108K tonnes) were the largest importers of expanded clays in the EU, together finishing at approx. 43% of total imports. The Netherlands (55K tonnes) ranks next in terms of total imports with a 9.6% share, followed by Estonia (8.7%), France (6.5%), Spain (5.8%) and Portugal (4.8%). Italy (21K tonnes), Latvia (20K tonnes), Lithuania (20K tonnes) and the Czech Republic (16K tonnes) followed a long way behind the leaders.

In value terms, the largest expanded clays importing markets in the EU were Germany ($42M), Italy ($24M) and Sweden ($20M), together accounting for 45% of total imports.

From 2012 to 2020, the most notable rate of growth in terms of purchases, amongst the main importing countries, was attained by Sweden, while imports for the other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth. Sweden ramped up its clay imports from 6K tonnes in 2012 to 108K in 2020. In value terms, Sweden’s imports grew from $8M to $20M over this period.

The expanded clay import price in the EU stood at $334 per tonne in 2020, flattening at the previous year. The most prominent rate of growth was recorded in 2018 when the import price increased by 22% y-o-y. The level of import peaked at $508 per tonne in 2013; however, from 2014 to 2020, import prices stood at a somewhat lower figure. Prices varied noticeably by the country of destination; the country with the highest price was Italy, while Estonia was amongst the lowest. From 2012 to 2020, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by Latvia, while the other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

Source: IndexBox Platform