# Flame retardants: Overview

Where fire protection hides: insulation, circuit boards and cables

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/overview/

What this tab covers What the chemical is, how big its market is, what it is used for (with shares, volumes, why it wins and what could replace it), and its chain from raw material to end user. Ends with three things to remember.

Flame retardants are added to plastics, foams, coatings and textiles so products meet fire codes. They work by releasing water and cooling (aluminium hydroxide, ATH, and magnesium hydroxide), by trapping flame radicals in the gas phase (brominated and chlorinated compounds, boosted by antimony trioxide), or by forming a protective char (phosphorus and nitrogen compounds). World use is about 2.3 Mt a year; ATH is about 38%, and Asia-Pacific about 46% of demand. Several brominated and chlorinated types are banned as persistent pollutants, which keeps shifting demand to new chemistries. Albemarle, ICL, Lanxess, Clariant and Huber are leaders.
 Volume about 2.3 Mt a year (Ceresana 2024 edition, 2023 base); 2.19 Mt in the 2022 edition Market value about $8 billion (2021, implied by Allied Market Research's forecast of $14.0 billion by 2030 at 6.6% a year; indicative) Growth construction demand about 3.2% a year to 2033 (Ceresana); value 6.6% a year to 2030 (Allied) Ceresana Flame Retardants Market Report, 8th edition (Jul 2024); Ceresana via Rubber World (May 2022); Allied Market Research via PR Newswire

#### Key uses

| Use | Share | Annual volume | Why this commodity | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Construction (insulation foams, membranes, panels, coatings)** | 33% | about 0.76 Mtbasis | Polystyrene and polyurethane insulation, roofing membranes and composite panels must pass building fire tests. Polymeric brominated FRs replaced HBCD in polystyrene foam; TCPP is used in PU foam; ATH in panels. Ceresana via Rubber World (2022) | Non-combustible insulation (mineral wool, glass wool) Intumescent coatings |
| **Electrical and electronic equipment (housings, circuit boards, connectors)** | 24% | about 0.55 Mtbasis | Circuit boards use reactive TBBPA in epoxy laminates; housings and connectors use brominated or phosphorus-based FRs to meet UL 94 V-0. Halogen-free phosphinates grow in connectors. Ceresana via Rubber World (2022) | Phosphorus and nitrogen FRs Metal housings |
| **Wires and cables** | n/a | about 0.5 Mt (indicative)basis | Low-smoke halogen-free cables for buildings, metros and data centres use high loadings (50-65%) of ATH or MDH in polyolefin compounds (indicative). PVC cables use antimony trioxide and plasticiser blends. Ceresana (2024) | PVC with phosphate plasticisers Ceramifying silicone |
| **Transport (cars, rail, aircraft) and other (textiles, furniture)** | n/a | remainder, about 0.5 Mt (indicative)basis | Car interiors, battery packs and rail seating must meet flammability standards; EV battery enclosures add demand. Ceresana expects automotive demand to grow about 3.1% a year to 2030. Ceresana via Rubber World (2022) | Inherently flame-resistant fibres (aramids, modacrylics) |

 Shares from Ceresana: construction almost one third and E&E 525 kt of 2.19 Mt (2022 edition); cables plus E&E almost half (2024 edition). Cables and transport/other are remainders, indicative. Applied to 2.3 Mt.

#### From raw material to user

1. **Raw materials** Bauxite-derived aluminium hydroxide; Dead Sea and Arkansas bromine (Israel about 200 kt and Jordan about 110 kt of bromine in 2025, USGS); phosphate rock to phosphorus; antimony oxide from Chinese ore.
2. **Synthesis** Bromination of aromatics (DBDPE, TBBPA, brominated polystyrene); phosphorus esters and salts (TCPP, APP, phosphinates); ATH precipitated and milled from Bayer liquor.
3. **Compounding** Added at 1-30% for halogenated systems and 50-65% for mineral FRs (indicative).
4. **Products** Cables, insulation, electronics, car parts, textiles.
5. **End of life** Plastics containing banned POP flame retardants must be separated and destroyed under the Stockholm Convention, which hinders recycling of e-waste plastics.

#### Made from (commodity table)
[Br Bromine](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/bromine/)[P Phosphate rock](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/phosphate/)[Al Aluminium](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/aluminum/)

#### Three things to know

- Aluminium hydroxide is about 38% of the 2.3 Mt world flame retardant market (Ceresana, 2024).
- Brominated FRs are 28% of the market in Asia but only about 4-5% in Western Europe, reflecting regulation (Ceresana).
- About 43% of antimony, roughly 47 kt a year, goes into flame-retardant synergists (antimony tile, EU CRM 2023).

#### Read the tabs
[Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/routes/)[Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/production/)[Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/feedstocks/)[Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/cycles/)[Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/trading/)[Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/movement/)[Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/regulation/)[Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/characteristics/)[Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/emissions/)

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/correlation/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/routes/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/flame_retardants/links/index.md)