Market updates on the heavy building materials industry

In their latest annual review of outputs in the major heavy buildings materials markets, leading industry specialist BDS Marketing Research has identified Tarmac as the largest company in two of the main product sectors. These are aggregates and asphalt, in which the company is estimated to hold market shares of 24% and 32%, respectively.

In ready mixed concrete, Hanson, with a market share approaching 17%, is still the largest company. This is a sector which includes material produced by static batching plants as well as on-site batching vehicles.

The top five companies across each of these sectors are comprised of Tarmac, Hanson, LafargeHolcim, Cemex and Breedon. Whilst their respective positions change from product to product, their smallest combined market share in any sector is around 64%, rising to 80% where they have their highest penetration. Breedon continues to grow in size, with further acquisitions in the last 12 months.

These companies also feature, to a greater or lesser extent, as producers in one or more concrete products markets, for which reports have also recently been published. Tarmac has the leading share in the concrete building blocks market, including both aggregate and aircrete blocks. LafargeHolcim and Cemex also appear in the listing of the top ten producers, as they do in both the concrete blocks and concrete block paving sectors.

With the exception of the concrete block paving sector, each of the other five markets experienced growth in 2016 against the previous year. This ranged from a 2% increase in the concrete paving sector, to growth of 9% for concrete blocks.

These are some of the conclusions from the annual BDS reports which represent the only independent source of information on the outputs and shares of all sites and companies in Great Britain. Each of the six separate reports provide estimated outputs at individual site level, with volumes and market shares shown at county, regional and national level. Aside from the five major producers, there are significant numbers of sites and producing companies in each sector, many with a strong regional or local presence.

Planning activity for extensions and new facilities, which is supporting existing and proposed growth across the industry, is provided. BDS monitors each of the 400+ planning authorities on an ongoing basis to track new schemes and decisions on existing proposals.