The global proppants market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.97%, reaching a market size of US$14.317 billion in 2030 from US$8.902 billion in 2025.
Proppants are tiny particles formed of a solid substance, usually sand or a synthetic ceramic material. During a fracturing treatment, a clean fracturing fluid is initially injected to establish an appropriate fracture width, followed by a combination of proppants and fracturing fluids (often referred to as slurry). Proppants are designed to fill the fracture area and are strong enough to hold the fracture walls apart, allowing a conductive channel to the wellbore to be maintained after the treatment is complete and the fracturing fluid has flowed off.
The substance is utilized in the hydraulic fracturing process and is regarded as one of the century's most significant breakthroughs. The growing focus on shale gas extraction, particularly in North America, is driving the market for proppants. Rising E&P activity in the worldwide oil and gas industry is also a primary market driver. Another significant factor is increasing proppant consumption, aided by rising demand for frac sand proppant.
Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) is a global leader in the oil and gas industry, operating in every area. ADNOC aims to reach 5 million barrels of maximum sustainable production capacity by 2030. Furthermore, the International Trade Administration estimates that the United Arab Emirates has the world's seventh-largest known oil and natural gas reserves, totaling around 97.8 billion barrels per year. As a member of OPEC and the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), the nation produced an average of 4 million barrels of petroleum and liquids per day while holding 100 billion barrels of oil reserves. In 2023, approximately 30% of the country's GDP was directly reliant on its oil and gas extraction, accounting for over 13% of the value of its total exports.
In this regard, increased extraction efforts lead to greater demand for proppants because they are crucial for maximum well productivity. Thus, increased energy-consuming factors, coupled with investment in oil and gas production, expand the use of proppants in drilling operations worldwide.
Considering the global shift toward cleaner fuel sources, the shale gas application would likely be one of the fastest-growing applications in the proppants market. Natural gas plays an important role in this fuel shift as a transitional fuel. Heavy investment in hydraulic fracturing technologies, especially in the U.S. and parts of Asia, has led to the development of shale reserves. With extraction becoming much easier with these hydraulic fracturing technologies, the demand for proppants also increases. Following this, the Council for Geoscience (CGS) launched a shale gas research project to reveal South Africa's shale gas exploration unknowns and assumptions. The initiative also aims to develop scientific abilities in shale gas exploration, which is a relatively new idea in the country. The Department of Mineral Resources funds the initiative while also helping the government make educated decisions concerning shale gas in South Africa.
Moreover, advancements in technologies like multistage and horizontal drilling increase the efficiency of production, which in turn requires a greater quantity of proppants to be utilized to sustain fracture conductivity. In addition, growth in energy demands and sustainable development also drive innovations in shale gas proppant application, boosting the market segment rapidly.
The proppants market in the Asia Pacific region is expected to grow significantly due to various factors. Growing industrialization and urbanization in China and India, coupled with the energy demand, have led to increased exploration and production of oil and gas, particularly shale gas. In the region, large shale resources give major opportunities for hydraulic fracturing, which is the driver for proppants for these services. For instance, China’s National Energy Agency set a domestic crude oil production target of some 1.5 billion barrels for 2022 after the government announced in May 2022 that it would enhance crude oil exploration and production. The NOCs further stated that, owing to Chinese demand for energy security, CAPEX was up by only 4.6% in 2022 over 2021 for actual capital spending. Other than Saudi Aramco, the second and third-biggest CAPEX plans for 2022 belong to PetroChina and Sinopec. Sinopec pumped 281.2 million barrels of crude oil in 2022, which is higher than the 1.5 percent of crude oil pumped 2021.
Investment in the oil and gas industry is also encouraged by policies that support decentralized energy generation and a landmark decrease in the importation of energy resources. Moreover, in March 2023, Aramco started constructing a giant integrated Refinery and petrochemical complex in NE Asia in China in association with NORINCO Group and Panjin Xincheng Industrial Group.
Apart from this, inter-local and international firm collaboration continues to promote the transfer of technology and skills, ensuring efficient usage of proppants during hydraulic fracturing processes. It will lead to increased energy needs in the region and will mean extracting more oil and natural gas.
| Report Metric | Details |
|---|---|
| Study Period | 2021 to 2031 |
| Historical Data | 2021 to 2024 |
| Base Year | 2025 |
| Forecast Period | 2026 – 2031 |
| Report Metric | Details |
| Proppants Market Size in 2025 | US$8.902 billion |
| Proppants Market Size in 2030 | US$14.317 billion |
| Growth Rate | CAGR of 9.97% |
| Study Period | 2020 to 2030 |
| Historical Data | 2020 to 2023 |
| Base Year | 2024 |
| Forecast Period | 2025 – 2030 |
| Forecast Unit (Value) | USD Billion |
| Segmentation |
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| Geographical Segmentation | North America, South America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific |
| List of Major Companies in the Proppants Market | |
| Customization Scope | Free report customization with purchase |
The global proppants market is analyzed into the following segments: