Technical Ceramics Market by Type (Oxide, Non-oxide, and Composite), Product (Monolithic Ceramics, Ceramic Coatings, and Ceramic Matrix Composites), End-use Industry (Electronics & Semiconductor, Automotive, Medical, Energy & Power, Industrial, and Others), and Regional Analysis (North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA): Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2021–2028

Global Technical Ceramics Market Analysis

The global technical ceramics market accounted for $7,379.0 million in 2020 and is predicted to grow with a CAGR of 6.8%, by generating a revenue of $12,300.1 million by 2028.

Market Synopsis

Technical ceramics market is gaining huge popularity owing to its excellent physical, thermal, chemical, and electrical properties. The physical properties of technical ceramics can be attributed to its hardness, rigidity, fracture toughness, and density. For instance, technical ceramics such as alumina ceramics are 3 times harder than steel. Also, technical ceramics have low density. This indicates that considering same volume, the technical ceramic materials weigh only half the metal. Hence, technical ceramics are regarded as “super materials” of modern technology.   

However, poor shear & tensile strength as well as high brittleness are estimated to restrain the technical ceramics market share during the forecast period. For instance, technical ceramics are brittle due to low ductility and presence of unique atomic bonds. The highly organized bonding structure of technical ceramics that consists of only ionic and covalent bonds makes them brittle.

The growing applications of technical ceramics in electrical components such as insulators, resistors, mounting brackets, and backing materials are estimated to drive the technical ceramics market size. In addition, the technical ceramics are also used for laser positioning mirrors & packaging, protection unit, furnace radiant heaters, fuel cell membranes, hot gas filtration, diesel engine filters, fuel injector parts, and others. Some of the widely used technical ceramics are alumina ceramics and zirconia ceramics.             

According to regional analysis, the Asia-Pacific technical ceramics market accounted for $2,684.5 million in 2020 and is predicted to grow with a CAGR of 7.4% in the projected timeframe.

Technical Ceramics Overview

Technical ceramics also known as advanced ceramics or engineered ceramics are defined as inorganic solids that are main classes of materials such as metals, polymers, and composites. Technical ceramics exhibit high performance owing to extremely high purities as metal compounds are combined with carbides, oxides, and nitrides. Hence, technical ceramics boost the performance, increase the product lifespan & efficiency as well as reduce overall maintenance cost. Technical ceramics have high thermal conductivity due to which they transfer heat efficiently compared to metals. 

COVID-19 Impact on Technical Ceramics Market

The global crisis caused by COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant challenges for functioning of various businesses. The growing health and safety concerns among public led to shutdown of various industries. The technical ceramics market also experienced negative impact owing to shutdown of manufacturing and production units. Also, drastic decline in demand for technical ceramics from electronics and automotive sectors has led to significant revenue losses. The supply-chain disruptions due to restriction on the movement of goods and disruptions in the transportation have further widened the demand and supply gap. Also, the import-export was greatly affected due to unprecedented lockdown imposed across various countries and closed borders. All these factors have resulted in significant revenue losses and decline in technical ceramics market demand during the pandemic. 

Various initiatives implemented by the technical ceramics manufacturers to ensure safety, heath, and well-being of employees and community is helping the society to recover from the chaotic situation. For instance, Morgan Advanced Materials, the well-known technical ceramics manufacturer has implemented various measures at their facilities such as physical changes to the layout, social distancing norms, cleaning, and sanitization protocols to contain the spread of COVID-19 virus.

High Performance and Superior Properties of Technical Ceramics to Drive the Market Growth

Technical ceramics have superior properties such as high hardness, excellent compressive strength, low density, good wear resistance, and superior electrical properties. Also, these materials are thermally conductive, insulative, chemically inert, and have high corrosion resistance. For instance, excellent wear resistance of technical ceramics helps them to withstand extreme high temperatures while retaining the mechanical and electrical properties. The technical ceramics offer consistent performance and reliability compared to metals & polymers that compromise their properties over time. Also, technical ceramics are excellent electric insulators due to which they have high dielectric permittivity which is important for capacitors and resonators. Also, these materials have ultra-high temperature ability due to which they can operate in extreme temperatures in excess of 1750°C. Also, technical ceramics are chemically very stable which means they have low chemical solubility that makes them highly resistant to corrosion which is anticipated to drive the market demand.             

To know more about global technical ceramics market drivers, get in touch with our analysts here.

High Customization Requirements from End-use Industries to Restrain Market Growth

Technical ceramics hold application across various industries such as electronics, automotive, transportation, and others. However, high customization requirements increase the cost of technical ceramics and can make them brittle. This is because the conventional machining techniques such as milling, turning, and drilling are difficult to perform on these materials owing to their brittle nature, high strength, hardness, and resistance to creep. These factors are estimated to restrain technical ceramics market growth in the upcoming years.

Versatile Applications of Technical Ceramics to Generate Excellent Opportunities

The emerging applications of technical ceramics in deep sea exploration, space development, supercomputers, new energy sources, and others are anticipated to propel the technical ceramics market demand in the upcoming years. For instance, silicon nitride, the popular technical ceramic material, is used in deep sea earthquake observation owing to its corrosion resistance, compressive strength, and low specific density that make it ideal for pressure-resistant containers used in submarines. Technical ceramics play a vital role in space exploration owing to their superior insulating properties, strength, corrosion resistance, and high heat resistance. Also, technical ceramics are used in supercomputers since the coefficient of thermal expansion is close to the coefficient of mounting units.     

To know more about global technical ceramics market opportunities, get in touch with our analysts here.

Source: Research Dive Analysis

The oxide sub-type is anticipated to have a dominant market share and generate a revenue of $6,186.3 million by 2028, growing from $3,760.8 million in 2020. Oxide ceramics are inorganic compounds such as alumina ceramics, beryllium oxide ceramics, and zirconia ceramics. Alumina ceramics have high chemical resistance, high strength, and can withstand high temperature. For instance, alumina-zirconia ceramic fiber shows better retention of mechanical properties when exposed to high heat. Similarly, beryllium oxide ceramics are widely used in glass as glass containing beryllium oxide is used for the manufacturing of x-ray tubes. In addition, beryllium oxide ceramics are used for high-frequency transistor packaging and high-power microwave packaging owing to their stability and insulation properties.

The non-oxide sub-type is anticipated to show the fastest growth and shall generate a revenue of $5,027.2 million by 2028, growing from $2,917.3 million in 2020. The non-oxide ceramics such as silicon nitride and silicon carbide are commonly used non-oxide ceramics having oxidation resistance, corrosion resistance, and hardness. For instance, silicon nitride ceramics have high fracture toughness, low density, excellent thermal shock resistance, and flexural strength due to which they are used in cutting tools, rotating bearing balls, turbine blades, moving engine parts, weld positioners, and others. Similarly, the silicon carbide ceramics are lightweight and resistant to acids due to which they are used for fixed or moving turbine components, ball valve parts, heat exchangers, seals, suction box covers, and others.   

Source: Research Dive Analysis

The monolithic ceramics sub-segment is anticipated to have a dominant market share and generate a revenue of $6,329.3 million by 2028, growing from $3,624.3 million in 2020. This growth is majorly owing to the properties of monolithic ceramics such as reliability, resistance to high temperature, and durability. Also, these ceramics have polycrystalline microstructure and can be fabricated without a reinforcement material. Monolithic ceramics are used to enhance the lifespan of the material and can withstand high temperature. Due to this, they are used in wide range of applications such as electronics, automotive, power & defense industries, and others.  

Source: Research Dive Analysis

The electronics & semiconductor sub-segment is anticipated to have a dominant market share and generate a revenue of $4,784.3 million by 2028, growing from $2,678.6 million in 2020. Technical ceramics are known for their versatility in various electronics and electrical applications. For instance, in electronics & semiconductor, technical ceramics are used as heat sinks, in sensors, actuators, as circuit carriers, and as active or passive components in various industries. In addition, these ceramics are also used as cooling elements for circulating coolants or as an isolator to shield from electromagnetic radiation or electricity. Technical ceramics are also used in the manufacturing of supercapacitors which has gained huge popularity in recent years. This is majorly owing to excellent thermal, mechanical, and electrical properties exhibited by technical ceramics.

The medical sub-segment is anticipated to show the fastest growth and shall generate a revenue of $1,648.1 million by 2028, growing from $913.2 million in 2020. Technical ceramics made from oxides of alumina and zirconia are popular in medical sector. Some common applications of technical ceramics in medical sector include manufacturing of x-ray tubes, dental screws & bridges, pressure sensors, hand tools, valves, filler, femoral head implants for hip replacement, and others. For instance, the zirconia ceramics known for high strength are used as femoral balls in hip replacements as well as they are combined with metal yttrium to prevent breakdown of product. In addition, alumina ceramics are used as surgical implants owing to their toughness and hardness that offer wear resistance.

Source: Research Dive Analysis

The Market for Technical Ceramics in Asia-Pacific to be the Most Dominant and Fastest Growing

The Asia-Pacific technical ceramics market accounted $2,684.5 million in 2020 and is projected to grow with a CAGR of 7.4%. The presence of large technical ceramic manufacturing countries such as China, Japan, and India which are also leading exporters of technical ceramics to the world is estimated to drive the Asia-Pacific market size during the analysis timeframe. In addition, rapidly evolving electronics industry in countries namely Japan, China, South Korea, and India is estimated to fuel the technical ceramics demand in this region. This is majorly owing to optimized global supply chains, endless demand for electronics from various countries, and low cost of electronics manufacturing. Also, China assembles more than half of the global mobile phones, printed circuit boards, and it is leading exporter of semiconductors. As technical ceramics have excellent strength, thermal resistance, creep resistance, longer life, and chemical compatibility, they are widely used in electronics industry. For instance, technical ceramics are used in the manufacturing of multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs), semiconductors, and supercapacitors.

Competitive Scenario in the Global Technical Ceramics Market

Business expansion and acquisition are common strategies followed by major market players.

Source: Research Dive Analysis

Some of the leading technical ceramics market players are CoorsTek, Inc., CeramTec GmbH, Kyocera Corporation, Morgan Advanced Materials, Saint-Gobain Ceramics & Plastics, Inc., NGK Spark Plug Co., Ltd., Mcdanel Advanced Ceramic Technologies LLC, Rauschert GmbH, Superior Technical Ceramics, and 3M.

Porter’s Five Forces Analysis for the Global Technical Ceramics Market:

• Bargaining Power of Suppliers: The suppliers in technical ceramics industry are in dominant position. This is because buyers in this industry buy various raw materials such as silica, sand, feldspar, and others from numerous suppliers. Hence, suppliers can use their negotiating power to extract higher prices from the buyers.  
  Thus, the bargaining power of suppliers is high.
• Bargaining Power of Buyers: The bargaining power of buyers is moderate as the technical ceramics market is growing steadily and building large consumer base provides an opportunity to the firms for streamlining its production process and sales.
  Thus, buyer’s bargaining power will be moderate.
• Threat of New Entrants: New entrants entering the technical ceramics market are implementing various strategies such as low pricing strategy and providing new value propositions to the customers. Hence, the threat of new entrants is moderate as the existing players have to build effective barriers to safeguard its competitive edge.   
  Thus, the threat of the new entrants is moderate.
• Threat of Substitutes: The availability of variety of substitute products such as steel, plastics, glass- ceramics is estimated to restrain the technical ceramics market demand up to some extent. 
  Thus, threat of substitutes will be moderate.
• Competitive Rivalry in the Market: The companies operating in the technical ceramics market are facing huge competition from existing and new players. These players are focusing on business expansion, partnership, acquisition strategies.  
  Therefore, competitive rivalry in the market is high.