# Energy-intensive industry: Overview

Steel, cement, aluminium and ammonia: the hungriest factories on Earth

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heavy_industry/overview/

What this tile covers Steel, cement, aluminium, ammonia and chlor-alkali, where energy is a large part of cost. Share of use 29% share of final energy use (2019)

Share of world total final energy consumption (about 435 EJ, calculated: motor systems 13,462 TWh are 53% of electricity, so about 25,400 TWh or 91 EJ, and electricity is about 21% of final energy) that passes through this device or is used by this sector, latest year available. Electricity-based devices use electricity's 21% share of final energy (IEA WEO 2025). Overlaps between devices and sectors are allowed and noted. Industry used 121 of 418 EJ final energy in 2019, 28.9% (calculated), excluding a further 9.3% non-energy use (mostly chemical feedstocks). No sourced split for energy-intensive branches was found, so this is the industry total, an upper bound for the tile. Overlaps motors, combustion heat and electrolysers. Source: [Key World Energy Statistics 2021](https://iea.blob.core.windows.net/assets/52f66a88-0b63-4ad2-94a5-29d36e864b82/KeyWorldEnergyStatistics2021.pdf), International Energy Agency.

#### Key facts

| **Chain** | Chemical (coke) → heat + chemical reduction (iron ore → iron) |
|---|---|

#### Included from the reference tables

- Blast furnace and electric arc steel
- Hydrogen-based (DRI) steel
- Aluminium smelting
- Cement kilns
- Ammonia (Haber-Bosch)
- Chlor-alkali
- Industrial motors and compressed air
- Industrial CHP

#### Linked to the material world
[St Steel](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/steel/)[Cem Cement](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/cement/)[Al Aluminium](https://www.materialinsights.org/commodities/aluminum/)[NH3 Ammonia](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/ammonia/)[Cl2 Chlorine](https://www.materialinsights.org/chemicals/chlorine/)

#### Also in Industry, buildings and farms
[Bld Energy in buildings](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_buildings/)[DC Data centres](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_data_centres/)[Agr Energy in farming](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_agri_energy/)

Explore paths from here
 More on this tile in the tabs above: science and limits, value chain, unit economics, engineering methods, equipment and suppliers.

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heavy_industry/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heavy_industry/correlation/index.md)
- [Science and limits](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heavy_industry/science/index.md)
- [Value chain](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heavy_industry/valuechain/index.md)
- [Unit economics](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heavy_industry/economics/index.md)
- [Engineering methods](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heavy_industry/methods/index.md)
- [Equipment and suppliers](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heavy_industry/equipment/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/e_heavy_industry/links/index.md)