May 19, 2020   SOURCE: BusinessWire

Insights into the Worldwide Graphite Electrode Industry to 2025 - Key Players Include EPM Group, GrafTech & Nippon Carbon Among Others - ResearchAndMarkets.com

The "Graphite Electrode Market - Growth, Trends, and Forecast (2020 - 2025)" report has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.com's offering.

The market for graphite electrode is anticipated to register a CAGR of over 9% during the forecast period. The primary raw material used for the production of graphite electrode is needle coke (either petroleum-based or coal-based).

Rising production of iron and steel in emerging countries, rising availability of steel scrap in China thereby increasing the usage of electric arc furnaces are expected to drive the demand for the market during the forecast period.

Soaring prices of needle coke resulting in supply tightness amongst other restraints such as limited growth of UHP graphite electrode in China and consolidation of graphite electrode industry are likely to hinder the market's growth.

Rising production of steel through electric arc furnace technology in China is expected to act as an opportunity for the market in future.

Companies Mentioned

  • EPM Group
  • Fangda Carbon New Material Technology Co. Ltd
  • GrafTech International
  • Graphite india Limited
  • HEG Limited
  • Jilin Carbon Co. Ltd
  • KAIFENG CARBON CO., LTD
  • Nantong Yangzi Carbon Co. Ltd
  • Nippon Carbon Co. Ltd
  • SANGRAF International Inc.
  • SEC CARBON LIMITED
  • SHOWA DENKO K.K.
  • Tokai Carbon Co. Ltd

Key Market Trends

Increasing Production of Steel through Electric Arc Furnace Technology

  • Electric arc furnace takes steel scrap, DRI, HBI (hot briquetted iron, which is compacted DRI), or pig iron in solid form, and melts them to produce steel. In the EAF route, electricity provides the power to melt the feedstock.
  • Graphite electrode is primarily used in electric arc furnace (EAF) steelmaking process, to melt steel scrap. Electrodes are made of graphite because of its ability to withstand high temperatures. In EAF, the tip of the electrode can reach 3,000 Fahrenheit, which is half the temperature of the surface of sun. The size of electrodes varies widely, from 75mm in diameter, to as large as 750mm in diameter, and up to 2,800mm in length.
  • The price surge of graphite electrodes pushed up EAF mills' costs. An average EAF is estimated to consume approximately 1.7 kg of graphite electrodes to produce one metric ton of steel.
  • The price surge is attributed to industry consolidation, globally, capacity shutdown in China, following environmental regulation, and the growth of EAF production, globally. This is estimated to increase the production cost of EAF by 1-5%, depending on mill's procurement practices, and this is likely to restrict steel production, as there is no substitute for graphite electrode in EAF operations.

Asia-Pacific Region to Dominate the Market

  • Asia-Pacific region dominated the global market share. China occupies the largest share in terms of consumption and production capacity of graphite electrodes in the global scenario.
  • The new policy mandates in Beijing and other major provinces in the country force the steel producers to close a capacity of 1.25 million tons of steel produced through environmentally harmful route in order to produce a new capacity of 1 million ton of steel. Such policies have supported the shift of manufacturers from conventional methods of steel production to the EAF method.
  • The growing production of motor vehicles, along with the expanding residential construction industry, is expected to support the domestic demand for non-ferrous alloys and iron and steel, which is a positive factor for the growth of the graphite electrode demand in the coming years.
  • The current production capacity of UHP graphite electrodes in China is around 50 thousand metric ton per year. The demand for UHP electrodes in China is also expected to witness a significant growth in the long term and an additional capacity of over 50 thousand metric ton of UHP graphite electrodes is anticipated to be witnessed by the later phases of the forecast period.
  • All the above-mentioned factors, in turn, are expected to increase the demand for graphite electrode in the region during the forecast period.

Key Topics Covered:

1 INTRODUCTION

2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

4 MARKET DYNAMICS

4.1 Drivers

4.1.1 Strong Growth in Iron and Steel Production in Emerging Countries

4.1.2 Rising Availability of Steel Scrap in China

4.2 Restraints

4.2.1 Soaring Prices of Needle Coke, Resulting in Supply Tightness, among Other Crisis

4.2.2 Other Restraints

4.3 Industry Value-Chain Analysis

4.4 Porter's Five Forces Analysis

4.5 Raw Material Analysis

4.6 Technology Landscape

4.7 Production Analysis

5 MARKET SEGMENTATION

5.1 Electrode Grade

5.1.1 Ultra High Power (UHP)

5.1.2 High Power (SHP) & Regular Power (RP)

5.2 Application

5.2.1 Electric Arc Furnace

5.2.2 Ladle Furnace

5.2.3 Non-steel Application

5.3 Geography

5.3.1 Asia-Pacific

5.3.2 North America

5.3.3 Europe

5.3.4 South America

5.3.5 Middle-East and Africa

6 COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

6.1 Mergers & Acquisitions, Joint Ventures, Collaborations, and Agreements

6.2 Market Share Analysis

6.3 Strategies Adopted by Leading Players

6.4 Company Profiles

7 MARKET OPPORTUNITIES AND FUTURE TRENDS

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