Abrasives comprise a small but highly crucial part of the overall manufacturing and processing industry. The overall abrasives market is highly driven by the steadily rising industrial manufacturing and automotive sector worldwide. Over the past 2-3 decades, industrial manufacturing and processing sector has witnessed profound growth, especially in the Asia Pacific region. This has led to immense demand for related machine tools and consumable products.
The abrasive market is divided into natural and synthetic categories. Natural abrasives consist of sand, grit, emery, diamond powder, and pumice while aluminium oxide, boron carbide, calcium carbonate, ferric oxide and silicon carbide are some examples of synthetic ones. As a rule of thumb, natural abrasives are less expensive and can be used for more applications than synthetic options. However, natural abrasives may not last as long as their synthetic competitors.
Different abrasives offer unique properties for various types of workpieces or tasks. Sandstone, for instance, is generally used to clean metal surfaces. Emery is commonly employed for working on hard materials such as stone and concrete. Diamond powder is renowned for its extreme hardness and is thus often used for polishing or producing a high-quality finish. The choice of abrasive depends on the type of material and end result desired - softer ones are suitable for softer metals like aluminum, whereas harder varieties are required for tougher steels like stainless steel or titanium. Furthermore, the degree of abrasiveness determines the finish - finer abrasives create a smoother surface while rougher ones provide a rougher texture.
The automotive industry is the largest consumer of abrasives, accounting for 35% of the total demand in 2022. It is followed by the construction sector with 20%, and the metalworking industry (15%).
