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

  • Innovative additive for use in recycled asphalt applications
    August 13, 2014
    Biorefiner Arizona Chemical has spent three years developing a new asphalt additive which it says will revolutionise the use of RAP in road pavements. Sylvaroad RP1000 will allow much higher proportions of RAP to be used and produce a better-performing pavement, according to the manufacturer. “What it essentially does is mobilise the chemical matrix of these aged binders,”
  • Analysis of the Demand Status of Sand Aggregate
    August 15, 2019
    What is sand aggregate? Sand aggregate is a general term for sand, gravel and other materials in construction projects. It is the main building material for concrete and stone masonry in hydraulic engineering, and it acts as skeleton or filling in concrete. It is widely used in civil engineering such as cement concrete, asphalt concrete, road foundation, railway track slag, and mortar. The classification of sand aggregate Mining machinery can crush large-sized stones into different size stones or
  • Asphalt plant innovations coming to the market
    April 20, 2018
    The use of recycled materials continues to be a key issue for asphalt plant development, but other advances are also being introduced to meet market needs - Mike Woof writes The asphalt plant market has been a focus for a series of technical developments in recent years. Warm asphalt solutions and new technology for the use of recycled asphalt have been high on the R&D priority list for manufacturers of both continuous and batching type plants. However, new developing technology is not the only driver f
  • China increasing construction spending
    July 24, 2013
    A new report from the US-based Freedonia Group suggests that China’s expenditure on construction will grow at around 8.5%/year until 2017. This will follow demand due to increasing urbanisation and industrialisation, as well as rising income levels. The continued investment by the Chinese Government in infrastructure will be another major factor in the growth in construction spending. But growth will be more moderate than the 16%/year seen during the 2007-2012 period. The Chinese Government had a stimulus p