Kaolin refers to the clay, which is a soft white powder composed primarily of the mineral kaolinite with trace amounts of quartz, anatase, muscovite, feldspar, and quart. It is widely used in the ceramic industry, where its white-burning properties and high fusion temperature make it ideal for producing porcelain, refractories, and whiteware.
The main types of kaolin are synthetic and natural. The synthetic kaolin refers to a synthetic clay used for medical applications and various other industrial purposes as a raw material. Synthetic kaolin refers to kaolin that is manufactured in a laboratory. The processes include water-washed, air-floated, calcined, delaminated, surface-modified, and unprocessed, and the end-users are ceramics and sanitary wares, fiberglass, paints and coatings, rubber, adhesives and sealants, plastics, and other end-users (personal care & healthcare, and agriculture).
The global kaolin market is segmented -
1) By Type: Synthetic, Natural
2) By Process: Water-washed, Air-Floated, Calcined, Delaminated, Surface-Modified, and Unprocessed
3) By End-Use Industry: Ceramics and Sanitarywares, Fiberglass, Paints and Coatings, Rubber, Adhesives and Sealants, Plastics, Other End-Users (Personal Care & Healthcare, and Agriculture)
The global kaolin market size is expected to grow from $3.86 billion in 2022 to $4.06 billion in 2023 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.2%. The Russia-Ukraine war disrupted the chances of global economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, at least in the short term. The war between these two countries has led to economic sanctions on multiple countries, a surge in commodity prices, and supply chain disruptions, causing inflation across goods and services and affecting many markets across the globe. The market size of the kaolin market is expected to grow to $4.88 billion in 2027 at a CAGR of 4.7%.
Rising demand for paper and ceramic products is expected to propel demand for the kaolin market. A ceramic is a product composed of either metal or non-metal compounds after being shaped and hardened by heating to high temperatures. Paper products are items such as paper napkins, towels, and corrugated papers made of sugar cane waste, flax, bamboo, wood, linen rags, cotton, and wheat straw. The use of kaolin coating enhances the appearance of ceramic and paper by varying their gloss, smoothness, brightness, opacity, and printability. For instance, in November 2021, according to an article by the International Energy Agency (IEA), a France-based autonomous intergovernmental organization, global paper and paperboard output increased by 3% between 2010 and 2019 and was expected to expand by 1.5% annually to 2030. Therefore, the rising demand for paper and ceramic products will drive the kaolin market.
Major players in the kaolin market are Imerys S.A., Ashapura Group, EICL Limited, Shree Ram Group of Industries, Sibelco, KaMin LLC, Thiele Kaolin Company, Quarzwerke GmbH, LB Minerals Ltd., 20 Microns Limited, Active Minerals International LLC, Lasselsberger Group GmbH, Malli Minerals International Inc., Sedlecký Kaolin AS, and Uma Group of Kaolin.
Technological advancements in kaolin manufacturing are the key trend gaining popularity in the kaolin market. Major companies operating in the market are using modern kaolin manufacturing technology involving methods like crushing, bunging, screening, magnetic separations, and others to remove different types of impurities from kaolin and to design its properties appropriately to ensure smoothness. Such advancements enable key players to gain a competitive edge in the market. For instance, in July 2020, three Metso Outotec, a Finland-based provider of sustainable technologies, end-to-end solutions, and services for minerals processing; Imerys Minerals Ltd., a France-based mineral-based specialties company; and PREDICT, a France-based company specialized in predictive technologies for process optimization and quality improvement—partnered with three universities, which included Aalto University, Technische Universiteit Delft (Delft University of Technology), and University of Exeter CSM, to develop the MONICALC innovation project. The MONICALC project aimed to create a kaolin production process that ensured high quality while reducing energy use. The integrated approach under investigation in the MONICALC project can improve process effectiveness and minimize energy use and, consequently, CO2 emissions in the calcination of kaolin.
In November 2021, BASF SE, a Germany-based chemical company, signed an agreement to sell BASF's kaolin minerals business to KaMin LLC for an undisclosed sum. Through this deal, KaMin will offer a competitive suite of kaolin-based performance mineral solutions to its distributor partners and customers globally by combining BASF's calcine portfolio with KaMin's hydrous products. BASF SE is a German-based chemical manufacturing company.
Asia-Pacific was the largest region in the kaolin market in 2022. The regions covered in the kaolin market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, the Middle East, and Africa.
The countries covered in the kaolin market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, the UK, and the USA.
The kaolin market consists of sales of white kaolin, yellow kaolin, pink kaolin, and red kaolin. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is, the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.
The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD, unless otherwise specified).
The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resale along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.
The kaolin market research report is one of a series of new reports from The Business Research Company that provides kaolin market statistics, including kaolin industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a kaolin market share, detailed kaolin market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the kaolin industry. This Kaolin market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.