Skip to main content

US asphalt demand to reach 24.3 million tonnes in 2019

US demand for asphalt is forecast to increase 3.3% annually to 24.3 million tonness in 2019, the vast majority of which is refined petroleum asphalt, according to a new report. Demand will be spurred by a rebound in building construction, especially for asphalt shingles. But in the much larger market of asphalt paving, gains will be supported by the efforts of state and local governments to maintain the nation’s aging road and highway network. Paving accounted for three-quarters of asphalt use in 2014
August 6, 2015 Read time: 2 mins
US demand for asphalt is forecast to increase 3.3% annually to 24.3 million tonness in 2019, the vast majority of which is refined petroleum asphalt, according to a new report.

Demand will be spurred by a rebound in building construction, especially for asphalt shingles. But in the much larger market of asphalt paving, gains will be supported by the efforts of state and local governments to maintain the nation’s aging road and highway network.

Paving accounted for three-quarters of asphalt use in 2014. Legislative bodies are expected to allocate more funds for repair work, supporting the use of asphalt cements and asphalt emulsions.

These and other trends are presented in Asphalt, a new study from market research firm 2821 Freedonia Group, based in the US city of Cleveland, in the state of Ohio.

“Demand for asphalt in paving applications will advance 3.1% annually to nearly 17.8 million tonness,” said Freedonia analyst Matt Zielenski.

Among asphalt paving products, asphalt emulsions will see the fastest growth in demand through 2019, boosted by increasing interest in in-place recycling. Asphalt emulsions can be used to recycle older pavements while minimising asphalt consumption which in turn reduces the time and cost of paving jobs.

Asphalt cement will remain the leading paving material used in the United States due to the prevalence of hot-mix and warm-mix asphalts in paving jobs. These products are favoured because of their moderate cost and solid performance properties, such as durability and good drainage, the report noted.

The 396-page report, called Asphalt, is available for $5,500 from The Freedonia Group.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Construction equipment demand in China continues to grow
    June 18, 2012
    Demand for construction machinery in China is expected to rise 6.2%/year to 387 billion yuan in 2015. This will be supported by continuing increases in construction spending, especially in infrastructure development. The data comes from a report by US-based research firm Freedonia Group. According to the report, growth in construction activity will be driven by continuing industrialisation but will be more moderate than in the 2005-2010 period. This will impact overall construction expenditures, which are e
  • China on road spending spree
    December 11, 2012
    Figures recently released indicate that construction spending in China will increase 8.8% each year in real terms through to 2016. Ongoing urbanisation and industrialisation; rebounding foreign investment funding; rising personal income levels and further population and household growth will all work to drive gains. However, further growth will be prevented by a slow-down in the Chinese economy through the forecast period, especially in fixed asset investment. These and other trends are presented in Constru
  • Geosynthetics market will develop
    March 1, 2012
    A new report from the US-based market research specialist the Freedonia Group suggests that worldwide demand for geosynthetics is projected to increase 8.3% annually to 4.5 billion m2 in 2015
  • Increasing demand for geosynthetics reinforcement
    May 3, 2012
    Geosynthetics have a wide variety of uses and these include providing extra strength in highway construction. Demand for geosynthetics in the United States alone is projected to increase 4.4% per year through to 2010 to more than 727 million m². Geosynthetics, used worldwide in the highway sector for strengthening, include geotextiles, geomembranes, geonets, geogrids, geosynthetic clay liners, preformed geocomposites, geocells and geofoams. The US advances will be fuelled by a recovery in nonbuilding constr