Skip to main content

Asphalt demand slows in the UK

Research reveals that demand for asphalt has slipped in the UK. This comes after good sales of asphalt in the UK during 2015 and on the back of two years of market growth. The latest figures suggest that the asphalt market could fall by 3% in 2016, after recovering by nearly 20% in the previous two years. These are some of the conclusions of BDS Marketing’s annual report on the sector that has just been published, called ‘Estimated outputs of asphalt plants in Great Britain’. Commenting on the report,
November 17, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Research reveals that demand for asphalt has slipped in the UK. This comes after good sales of asphalt in the UK during 2015 and on the back of two years of market growth. The latest figures suggest that the asphalt market could fall by 3% in 2016, after recovering by nearly 20% in the previous two years.

These are some of the conclusions of BDS Marketing’s annual report on the sector that has just been published, called ‘Estimated outputs of asphalt plants in Great Britain’.

Commenting on the report, Andy Sales from BDS Marketing said, “The current decline is not due to the Brexit vote. Asphalt markets started to fall at the start of the year. The picture is not consistent across the whole market. There is a largely north-south divide with growth so far in 2016 only in Scotland and across northern England.”

BDS expects the market to stabilise by the middle of 2017 before further growth in each of the next two years. This is due to the timing of major road schemes and an anticipated increase in 8100 Highways England expenditure.

The BDS report lists the estimated outputs of all 275 asphalt plants currently operating. It identifies 2399 Tarmac as the largest asphalt supplier with around one third of the market. The top five companies also comprise 2297 Aggregate Industries, 2644 Hanson, 3016 Cemex and Breedon. Between them, these companies are estimated to have over 80% of the market. The rest of the market is represented by around 30 companies.

BDS estimates that the typical ranking of companies at a regional level shows that Tarmac is the largest asphalt producer in seven of 10 regions. Aggregate Industries is usually the second largest company in each region.

Asphalt companies are gearing up for improved markets. BDS has identified six new asphalt plants that have opened in the last year. A further six mothballed plants have also re-opened. The consultancy has also picked up proposals for eight new plants at some stage in the planning system.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • UK equipment sales continue upward trend
    February 4, 2022
    UK construction equipment sales showed a 48% increase in 2021 compared with 2020.
  • Demand is changing in the bitumen market
    August 22, 2013
    The supply and demand for bitumen around the world is changing; refineries, suppliers and contractors must all make changes too - Kristina Smith reports These are interesting times for those supplying and buying bitumen. Almost every part of the picture is in flux: global demand is shifting dramatically; major suppliers are following demand; refineries are closing down or stopping production of bitumen. “In Europe and globally there is a very big chain of events happening,” said Bernd Schmidt, CEO o
  • Tarmac tyre trial on UK motorway
    August 7, 2019
    Highways England is carrying out trials of rubberised asphalt on a busy stretch of UK motorway. A section of the M1 near the city of Leicester has been repaved by contractor Tarmac, using a special asphalt mix containing crumb rubber from recycled motor vehicle tyres. Tarmac has developed the mix specially to meet tough requirements from Highways England. This trial will determine how the stretch of highway, located between junction 22 and junction 23, behaves in terms of running wear, skid resistance and
  • European construction equipment industry stages 'grand comeback' in 2021
    March 4, 2022
    Demand for construction equipment in Europe continued to grow in 2021, after the industry had already seen a return to growth in the second half of 2020 when the impact of the pandemic was receding.