Future demand for silicon metal from Europe, America, Asia Pacific

European Region

Solar panels are one of the most important applications of silicon metal, and the promotion of the solar industry has also turned into a driving force in the silicon metal market.

For Europe, with the support of numerous government regulations and initiatives, this has led to a surge in demand and implementation of solar panels in various industries. This in turn drives the demand for metal silicon.

Americas

The Americas are divided into North America and South America.

Due to the medium demand for silicon metal in aluminum alloys, it is expected that there will be moderate growth in North America in the next few years. On the other hand, due to the growing demand for silicone defoamers in the food and beverage industry, it is expected that Latin America will achieve considerable growth in the next eight years. 

Asia Pacific Region

For the Asia Pacific region, the global silicon metal market is being mainly fuelled by the demand from the aluminum alloys segment. This is because silicon metal is finding maximum usage in aluminum alloys because of its ability to improve the latter’s properties of machinability, thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance, and castability. 

The region is mainly being powered by China and India, where the flourishing building and construction industry is mainly driving demand for silicon metal. Easy availability of raw material in the region is also having a positive impact on the market.

China Metal Silicon Industry

China is the world's largest silicon producer. In 2016, China produced about 4.6 million tons of silicon, accounting for about two-thirds of global production, about 7.2 million tons.

According to the Silicon Branch of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association (CNIA), China hopes to reposition its domestic metal silicon material sector as a national source of raw material strategy, as overseas anti-dumping policies have been implemented for silicon imports.

These silicon metal grades are in hot sale:

• Silicon metal 553
• Silicon metal 441
• Silicon metal 3303
• Silicon metal 2202

According to a report prepared by Transparency Market Research on the global metal silicon market, its compound annual growth rate will increase steadily by 5.2% during the forecast period from 2016 to 2024.

In terms of demand for metal silicon, the TMR report predicts that the global silicon metal market will increase at a compound annual growth rate of 4.3%.

From all the above data, in the next few years, the demand for metal silicon is showing a steady upward trend. Metal silicon will also play an increasingly important role in the future.