# Sodium silicate: Production

Why hundreds of regional plants, not a few giants

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/sodium_silicate/production/

What this tab covers Who makes it and how much: world capacity and output, utilisation, the top producing countries and companies globally and in India, concentration, new capacity coming, and each region's position.

| Measure | Figure | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| **World capacity** | about 6 Mt a year (indicative); Europe about 1.2 Mt | Asia about 60% of world capacity; Europe and North America together about one-third. Qemetica holds about 14% of European glassy silicate capacity. | Qemetica market environment page |
| **World output** | about 5 Mt (indicative) | Not published; derived from capacity at about 85% utilisation (indicative). | Indicative |
| **Capacity utilisation** | not published | Furnaces run continuously; capacity is often shared with glass or precipitated silica plants. | Indicative |
| **Concentration** | low; Asia about 60% of capacity | Many regional producers because silicate solutions are heavy and low in value. In Europe, PQ and BASF lead; Qemetica is third with about 14% of glassy capacity and 35% of European free-market sales. | Qemetica |
| **New capacity** | not published | Growth follows precipitated silica for tyres and battery separators and Asian detergent demand; no named large projects found. | MarketsandMarkets (2024) |

#### Top producing countries
 European Union 20% · about 1.2 Mt capacity

- **China**: largest producer within Asia's about 60% of capacity (indicative)
- **United States**: PQ and Occidental (indicative)
- **Japan**: Nippon Chemical, Tokuyama, Fuji Chemical
- **India**: many furnace producers in Gujarat and elsewhere; Metro Chem Industries named among global key players
 Qemetica; indicative; Qemetica (share derived against about 6 Mt); MarketsandMarkets company list; MarketsandMarkets (2024)

#### Largest producers: global

| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **PQ Corporation** Global leader in silicates (indicative) | US | not published | 2024 | MarketsandMarkets (2024); Qemetica |
| **Qemetica (formerly CIECH)** About 35% of European free-market sales | Poland | not published | 2024 | [Qemetica market environment page](https://ciechgroup.com/en/relacje-inwestorskie/market-environment/silicates-and-glass-segment/crop-protection-chemicals/) |
| **BASF** Named European leader | Germany | not published | 2024 | [Qemetica](https://www.basf.com/) |
| **Nippon Chemical Industrial** | Japan | not published | 2024 | MarketsandMarkets (2024) |
| **Evonik Industries** Large precipitated silica maker | Germany | not published | 2024 | [MarketsandMarkets (2024)](https://www.evonik.com/) |
| **IQE Group** | Spain | not published | 2024 | MarketsandMarkets (2024) |
| **Oriental Silicas** | Taiwan | not published | 2024 | MarketsandMarkets (2024) |

#### Largest producers: India

| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| **Metro Chem Industries** Ahmedabad; capacity not published | India | not published | 2024 | [MarketsandMarkets (2024)](https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/PressReleases/sodium-silicate.asp) |

India has many small and medium furnace producers serving detergent, paper and precipitated silica users; national capacity and output were not found. Asia Pacific, including India, is the largest regional market (MarketsandMarkets).

#### Position by region

| Region | Position |
|---|---|
| **US** | Mature market; PQ and Occidental supply. |
| **EU** | About 1.2 Mt capacity; energy costs and ETS coverage of soda ash raise costs. |
| **India** | Fragmented domestic industry; soda ash from Tata Chemicals, Nirma and GHCL. |
| **China** | Largest producer and consumer, with large precipitated silica capacity. |
| **Japan** | Specialty grades (Nippon Chemical, Tokuyama, Fuji Chemical). |
| **Middle East** | Small, local supply. |

## Other sections

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