Skip to main content

Europe’s bitumen demand sees growth

Europe has a strong demand for bitumen, with road construction being a key driver. This is clear from new data from Eurobitume. Its newly-released report, 2016 Eurobitume Bitumen Consumption Statistics for Europe, shows that in 2016 the European market for bitumen saw 11,274 million tonnes of the material being used. Of note was that bitumen consumption in France during 2016 was around 100,000 tonnes than in 2015. This reveals a recovery in activity, which has been confirmed by key players in the national
October 31, 2017 Read time: 2 mins

Europe has a strong demand for bitumen, with road construction being a key driver. This is clear from new data from Eurobitume. Its newly-released report, 2016 7701 Eurobitume Bitumen Consumption Statistics for Europe, shows that in 2016 the European market for bitumen saw 11,274 million tonnes of the material being used. Of note was that bitumen consumption in France during 2016 was around 100,000 tonnes than in 2015. This reveals a recovery in activity, which has been confirmed by key players in the national road industry and by the French Road Manufacturers Professional Association (USIRF) in their annual report.

Eurobitume Director General Aimé Xhonneux said, “The members of Eurobitume France are pleased with this situation, which follows Eurobitume taking an active part in communicating with the main stakeholders and creating a positive environment for a sustained bitumen demand.”

Road construction drives the market for bitumen use. Around 93% of all the bitumen supplied during 2016 was directed towards road paving applications.
A table illustrating the consumption breakdown across Europe is available from the Eurobitume website. The data is presented by country/region and provides a representative indication of the total consumption across all grades of bitumen. Consumption is reported by country where at least four suppliers have provided data. Where fewer than four suppliers responded, country figures are grouped together.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Advances in bitumen technology: new applications
    February 16, 2022
    This month, we look at four very different pavement technologies in four very different applications
  • UK developing plan to tackle driving under the influence of drugs
    March 22, 2012
    The UK Government is now working on a plan to address the road safety issues caused by driving under the influence of drugs. A panel of experts has been set up to evaluate the levels of various illegal drugs in the bloodstream that would affect driving ability.
  • Road markings and microplastics
    February 2, 2024
    Recent regulations from the European Commission have exempted road markings from microplastic bans and restrictions, at least for the moment, explains to the ERF.
  • High-tech, high places: 3M in US and MetService in New Zealand
    August 1, 2017
    The US state of Michigan sets up a high-tech test road while New Zealand’s transport officials buy in some high-tech weather forecasting. The road safety division of 3M will provide the US state of Michigan with lane markings and retroreflective signs for a connected vehicle technologies trial along the I-75 highway. Around 5km of the Interstate 75 work zone in Oakland County will be transformed over the next four months to improve safety for drivers and test advanced vehicle-to-infrastructure technologie