Float Glass Price Trend and Forecast

Regional Price Overview

Get the latest insights on price movement and trend analysis of Float Glass in different regions across the world (Asia, Europe, North America, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa).

Glass Price Trend for the First Half of 2023

Asia

The price trend of glass inclined in the first quarter as the prices of silicon dioxide and other feedstock materials rose as the inventories were low while demand grew gradually. In addition to this, the initiation of the spring festival in China and the rising cost of crude oil helped the price trend of glass to surge. However, the second quarter did not prove to be favorable for the growth of the glass market. In Q2, increased rates of production and the spike in inflation rates caused disruptions in glass prices.

Glass Price Trends

Europe

In European countries, the price trend of glass had a significant incline owing to the high cost of production and rising inflation in the first quarter. However, in the second quarter, the market activities were hit by the low purchasing potential of buyers and rising levels of inventories.

The market was also slow in its recovery from the aftereffects of the pandemic, which was evident in the manufacturing of glass and related products. In addition to this, the demand from the downstream industries also remained weak, and with a rise in interest rates and declining economic conditions, the price trend of glass declined.

North America

The trend in glass prices observed in the European and Asia-Pacific regions was also followed in North America. The prices of glass inclined in the first quarter due to a hike in the cost of feedstock prices as demand rose significantly in this region. However, during the second quarter, the supply and demand equilibria were disturbed, and low procurement rates of consumers affected the prices of glass negatively, which eventually faced southwards.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the price trend of Glass is estimated to decline in the upcoming months. The downstream market seems slow, and high uncertainties in the market activities will lead to a fall in glass prices.

Glass Price Trend for the Second Half of 2022

Asia

The price trend of glass is dependent upon the prices of its raw materials such as silicon dioxide and calcium carbonate or limestone. The silicon dioxide market plunged in the third quarter as the trade routes got disrupted due to covid restrictions and the region was under immense pressure from the rising crude oil prices resulting from the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict. The market for calcium carbonate was, however, stable in the third quarter but the price took a fall in the fourth quarter. Thus, due to the weak economic dynamics of the raw material, the price trend of glass declined in the Asia-Pacific region.

Europe

The calcium carbonate or limestone market in the European region was favourable toward the surge in prices throughout the third and fourth quarters of 2022. In addition to this, the price trend of silicon dioxide also grew immensely in the said period. The rise in the prices was supported by the stable demand from the construction sector along with the ease in inflation rates. The heightened natural gas prices along with the increase in the prices of raw materials led to the incline in the price trend for glass in the European region.

North America

The prices of raw materials such as silicon dioxide and calcium carbonate rose in the third and fourth quarters of 2022. The surge in prices was due to gradually rising demand from the end-user industries, labour shortage in the market, and low operating capacities of the manufacturing plants. The disruptions in the supply chain due to the aforementioned reasons further caused the prices of glass to incline in the North American region.

Analyst Insight

According to Procurement Resource, the price trend for glass are expected to incline in the upcoming months. As the global economic situation stabilizes the rising demand from the end-user construction industries will directly impact the momentum of glass price trend.

For the Second Quarter of 2022

The Chinese glass market had a mild downturn in the first half of 2022, and the sector progressively started to lose money. The industry's customary peak season won't occur as anticipated in the coming months due to the stark supply and demand disparity and strong inventory pressure. There were302 float glass production lines in China and as of the end of June, 263 of which were actively producing float glass.

The average daily melting volume from January to June was 173,783 tonnes. A total of 8 production lines with a combined 4,450 tonnes of production capacity will be cold repaired in the first half of 2022, thereby further impacting the price trend for glass in the domestic market.

For the First Quarter of 2022

Asia

On March 30, prices were 24.2 RMB/square metre in China. Traders in Shahe, North China, were mostly flexible in their shipments, and downstream processing companies restocked supplies on demand, while logistics were hampered in some places. The overall market trade environment in East China was general, logistics were hampered in certain locations, and market prices remained consistent.

For the Fourth Quarter of 2021

Asia

Prices in Asia by the end of the year had increased by 30-40% by the final quarter of 2021. The flat glass prices per 0.04 inch increased by almost 30%. The price hike came after the increase in raw material prices globally by almost 35%. As the regional demand increased in the automotive, architectural and electronic sectors, the prices too increased as production levels were not enough to keep up with the supply requirements.

Europe

As the vaccine for coronavirus surfaced, the vial demand increased in the region for companies like Pfizer and BioNTech. Schott Ag reported a production of over two billion glass vials in 2021. CIMC in United Kingdom had planned to open a new production facility for glass in 2021.

North America

North America continued to suffer from global glass shortages which caused prices to remain high even in the final quarter of the year. This affected the prices for several other major end-user industries of glass such as the food and beverage, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics industries.

Most of the glass in US was imported from Europe and Asia but disruptions in supply chains and high freight costs drove up the prices amidst the shortage. In the meantime, its demand as a packaging material was skyrocketing with the upcoming holiday season in the region. Glass prices had risen by 5.4% by the end of the year 2021. The domestic production was at full capacity but not enough to satisfy the demand in the domestic market.

For First, Second and Third Quarters of 2021

Asia

China too followed similar patterns and witnessed a price rise in 2021. Major producers like XYG, SYP, CSG and Jinjing increased their prices for mirrors, low e-coated, low iron and float glass, etc. The float glass prices were 405 USD/MT in the region in May 2021, which was twice as much of that in May 2020.

The requirements were soaring high in both domestic and international markets as the economies recovered from the aftermath of the pandemic and the construction activities resumed. This increase in the demand pushed glass prices upwards reaching record high levels since 2012.

Glass future prices reached a value of 455 USD/MT. The main reasons for the soaring prices were accounted to limited production capacities which could not keep up with the high requirements. Other reason was global inflation which increased the prices not just for glass but also for other construction materials such as aluminium, steel, bronze, copper, etc.

Europe

In Europe, the market prices witnessed an upward trend as a result of shortages in supply in the region caused by the low inventory levels. The production in the region had been hit by the lockdowns imposed due to the pandemic. The production resumed in 2021 but was still lagging to keep up with the demand. France reported a national shortage of the product.

The demand increased after the economies reopened following the pandemic. As plastic use had been discouraged, keeping in mind the environmental situation, glass was used as a recyclable alternative as a packaging material. It also had applications in the architectural and construction industries. All these reasons coupled with the increase in raw material prices caused prices to rise in the region.

North America

The prices for float glass and coated float glass increased as a result of high freight costs, rising packaging and transportation, and raw material costs. Major companies like Virakon, Kuraray, Syracuse, etc. increased the prices of their products over a course of five months in 2021.

A glass fabricator in Midwest reported a 10-13% increase in prices in April. The rise in fuel and labour prices also contributed to the increase in prices to almost twice the value in 2021. The demand and sale had also increased by 8-13% which was yet another factor in driving up glass prices in the region.

For the Year 2020

Asia

The demand for glass mainly comes from the real estate industry which accounts for 75% of total demand. Due to the pandemic, the construction work had halted in the region and even after the lockdowns were lifted, the resumption of work was delayed.

Along with this, there were problems in logistics, especially in the main glass producing areas such as Hebei in China, where vehicles after moving from one city to another were required to be quarantined for 14 days which caused severe problems for the trading activities of the market.

This kept the inventory levels very high and prices went down in the region. The production capacities were however difficult to be brought down even amidst the soaring inventory levels which in turn pushed down glass prices. The demand was mostly negligible as China suffered from the epidemic, causing a slowdown in the construction activities.

Europe

Due to the onset of the covid-19 pandemic, several major end-user industries for glass were heavily impacted in Europe in 2020. The imposed lockdowns had slowed down the sales of cosmetic products and fragrances in Germany, UK, Italy and France. The wine and liquor sectors were also hit by the lockdowns. However, downstream sectors like food and beverage and pharmaceuticals drove the market in the region.

Europe is one of the major glass manufacturing countries with over 162 manufacturing plants. As more and more focus is being given to reduce the plastic use and switch to recyclable products, the demand in the region is generally high with major applications in packaging. In Germany, a major pharmaceutical glass packaging company, Gerresheimer Ag, increased its production using recycled glass.

North America

The flat glass market globally was valued between 111.3 to 265.85 billion USD in 2020. The pandemic had affected the sector adversely. Several manufacturers were forced to halt operations temporarily to comply with the restrictions mandated by the government. This ultimately had a detrimental effect on the automotive sector and crippled construction activities which in turn affected the demand for the product, the construction industry being a major end-user.

In the second half of 2020, the industry recovered a bit in spite of the setbacks. In the first half of 2020, Fuyao Glass Industry Group reported a loss of 13.4 million USD. However, as the economy reopened in the second half, the residential and commercial construction projects resumed which in turn positively impacted the demand in the region. Tomakk Glass Partners announced a new fabrication facility in Louisiana to keep up with the rising demand in the region.

Procurement Resource provides latest prices of Glass. Each price database is tied to a user-friendly graphing tool dating back to 2014, which provides a range of functionalities: configuration of price series over user defined time period; comparison of product movements across countries; customisation of price currencies and unit; extraction of price data as excel files to be used offline.

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About

Glass refers to a non-crystalline, mostly transparent amorphous solid, which has wide applications in technological, practical, and decorative areas. It is used in windowpanes, lamps, automobiles, tableware, and optics. It transmits, reflects and refracts light and these properties of Glass can further be enhanced by cutting and polishing to make optical lenses, prisms, etc. Glass is usually formed by rapid cooling (quenching) of the molten form; but some glasses such as volcanic glass occur naturally.

Product Details

Report Features Details
Product Name Float Glass
Industrial Uses Architectural glass and windows, Automotive parts, Glass art, Optics, lens, Bottles, Laboratory glassware and tableware
Supplier Database O-I Glass, Inc. (Owens-Illinois Inc), Ardagh Group S.A., Verallia, Anadolu Cam, Vidrala, Saint Gobain Group, CARVART, Oceanside Glass & Tile
Region/Countries Covered Asia Pacific: China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Japan, Philippines, Vietnam, Iran, Thailand, South Korea, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, Nepal, Taiwan, Sri Lanka, UAE, Israel, Hongkong, Singapore, Oman, Kuwait, Qatar, Australia, and New Zealand

Europe: Germany, France, United Kingdom, Italy,  Spain, Russia, Turkey, Netherlands, Poland, Sweden, Belgium, Austria, Ireland Switzerland, Norway, Denmark, Romania, Finland, Czech Republic, Portugal and Greece

North America: United States and Canada

Latin America: Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Columbia, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru

Africa: South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Algeria, Morocco
Currency US$ (Data can also be provided in local currency)
Supplier Database Availability Yes 
Customization Scope The report can be customized as per the requirements of  the customer
Post-Sale Analyst Support 360-degree analyst support after report delivery


Note: Our supplier search experts can assist your procurement teams in compiling and validating a list of suppliers indicating they have products, services, and capabilities that meet your company's needs.

Production Process

  • Production of Glass via Float Glass Process; and via Glassblowing Process

Glass is basically produced using two primary processes, that is, the float glass process, which is generally utilised to produce sheet glass, and the glassblowing process which is typically utilised to produce bottles and other containers.

Once the desired form of glass is produced, it is generally annealed to remove stresses and enhance its hardness and durability, followed by surface treatments, coatings or lamination to improve the chemical durability and finishing.

Methodology

The displayed pricing data is derived through weighted average purchase price, including contract and spot transactions at the specified locations unless otherwise stated. The information provided comes from the compilation and processing of commercial data officially reported for each nation (i.e. government agencies, external trade bodies, and industry publications).

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