Industrial salts market seen topping $20 billion by 2030

By AI, Created 1:40 PM UTC, May 25, 2026, /AGP/ – The Business Research Company projects the global industrial salts market will surpass $20 billion by 2030, with Asia-Pacific as the largest region and the U.S. as the biggest country. The report points to natural brine, chemical processing, water treatment and de-icing as the main growth engines.

Why it matters: - The industrial salts market is moving from a commodity niche to a larger industrial input tied to chemicals, water treatment, food processing and infrastructure. - The report says the market could top $20 billion by 2030, signaling steady demand across major manufacturing and public-works sectors. - Natural brine alone is projected to account for 69% of the market, making source mix a key competitive factor.

What happened: - The Business Research Company released a report projecting the industrial salts market to surpass $20 billion in 2030. - The report places industrial salts at about 2% of the projected $1,001 billion specialty chemicals market in 2030. - The market is expected to represent nearly 0.3% of the projected $7,007 billion chemicals industry in 2030. - Asia-Pacific is forecast to be the largest region in 2030 at $8 billion, up from $6 billion in 2025. - The U.S. is forecast to be the largest country in 2030 at $4 billion, up from $3 billion in 2025. - The report says the market will grow at a 5% CAGR through 2030. - The report includes a free sample request and the full market report.

The details: - The industrial salts market is segmented by source into rock salt and natural brine. - The market is segmented by manufacturing process into conventional mining, solar evaporation and vacuum evaporation. - The market is segmented by application into agriculture, chemical processing, food processing, water treatment, de-icing, and oil and gas. - Natural brine is the largest source segment and is projected to reach $14 billion in 2030. - Natural brine is supported by abundant reserves, lower production costs than mined salt, and demand from chlor-alkali manufacturing, water treatment and chemical processing. - Asia-Pacific growth is tied to industrialization, chemical capacity expansion, water treatment demand, food processing, and infrastructure development in China, India and Southeast Asia. - U.S. growth is linked to chlor-alkali production, de-icing demand, broader industrial use and manufacturing investment. - Chemical processing demand is projected to contribute 2.3% annual growth to the market. - Textile and detergent manufacturing is projected to contribute 2.1% annual growth. - Water treatment and de-icing applications are projected to contribute about 1.8% annual growth.

Between the lines: - The report points to a market shaped more by essential industrial uses than by consumer demand, which can make it steadier but also more exposed to cycles in chemicals and manufacturing. - Natural brine’s lead suggests producers with low-cost access to reserves may have an advantage over mined-salt competitors. - Growth in water treatment and de-icing also shows how public infrastructure and regulation can shape demand for basic industrial materials.

What’s next: - The report says the biggest growth opportunities are in natural brine and rock salt, which together are projected to add more than $4 billion in market value by 2030. - Natural brine is projected to grow by $1 billion over the next five years. - Rock salt is projected to grow by $3 billion over the next five years. - The report expects continued demand from chemical processing, water treatment, food processing, de-icing and oil and gas drilling. - The Business Research Company is also promoting its market intelligence services and custom research packages.

The bottom line: - Industrial salts remain a foundational input, and the next growth phase is likely to come from industrial scaling, infrastructure needs and low-cost brine supply.