Iron oxide: build, or it won’t come
By Kasia Patel
Published: Friday, 27 February 2015
Iron oxide pigment demand is benefitting from growth in new markets such as batteries and cosmetics, but the industry’s main demand driver is the construction sector, where consumption has been hurt by weaker economic growth. Kasia Patel, Deputy Editor, takes a look at what construction forecasts might mean for iron oxide and discusses varying preferences for natural and synthetic material.
The main end markets for iron oxide are concrete and other
construction materials, coatings, paints and foundries. Like
other pigments for which construction is a major demand driver,
consumption is tied to GDP and building and infrastructure
spending, which has seen a decline in the last few years owing
to...