Gitnux/Report 2026

Asbestos Industry Statistics

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12Sections
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Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
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01 Industry overview

The asbestos industry at a glance

Global asbestos consumption was estimated at 930,000 metric tons in 2025, with demand concentrated in cement pipe, roofing sheets and other construction materials in Asia while regulation continues to shrink markets elsewhere.

930,000 t[14]
Global consumption, 2025
960,000 t[14]
Global mine production, 2025
32%[14]
Russia production share, 2025
$4.8B[43]
Global abatement services, 2024
Market size
The global asbestos abatement services market was estimated at $4.808 billion in 2024. A separate 2025 market estimate for asbestos products valued the market at $1.3 billion, illustrating the substantial difference between measuring raw and manufactured asbestos products versus remediation services.[43][44]
Forecast & CAGR
Global asbestos abatement services are projected to grow from $4.808 billion in 2024 to $7.3366 billion by 2033, a 4.9% CAGR from 2025 to 2033. One 2025 asbestos-products forecast instead projects 10.6% annual growth through 2035, reflecting differing market definitions and methodologies.[43][44]
Market share & regions
Russia produced approximately 310,000 metric tons in 2025, or 32% of global mine production, followed by China and Kazakhstan at about 26% each and Brazil at 16%. North America accounted for 39.2% of global asbestos-abatement-services revenue in 2024, while Asia Pacific was identified as the fastest-growing region.[14][43]
Segmentation
Asbestos products are primarily used in cement products, friction materials, gaskets and seals, and textiles and insulation. A 2025 market estimate assigned 82.13% of revenue to asbestos-cement products, 8.93% to friction materials, 4.93% to gaskets and seals, and 4.01% to textiles and insulation.[45]
Key players & concentration
Mine production is highly concentrated: Russia, China, Kazakhstan and Brazil together accounted for all 960,000 metric tons of reported 2025 world production. Their respective outputs were approximately 310,000, 250,000, 250,000 and 150,000 metric tons.[14]
Pricing
No sufficiently reliable, standardized global benchmark price for asbestos fiber was identified. Reported 2025 export data show Kazakhstan exported asbestos worth about $90.1 million and Brazil about $85.2 million, but these customs values are not directly comparable with delivered contract prices.[41]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Worldwide consumption of unmanufactured asbestos fiber fell nearly 55% from approximately 2 million tons in 2000 to an estimated 930,000 tons in 2025. Demand persists mainly in Asian construction materials, while health risks, product substitution, liability exposure and tighter regulation continue to reduce traditional markets.[14]
Consumer behavior & competition
Demand is concentrated in industrial and construction applications rather than consumer-facing products, particularly cement pipe, roofing sheets and related building materials in Asia. Substitute materials include calcium silicate, carbon, cellulose, ceramic, glass, steel, wollastonite and organic fibers such as aramid and polypropylene.[14]
Regulation
The U.S. EPA’s 2024 TSCA rule prohibited chrysotile imports for chlor-alkali diaphragms from May 28, 2024 and established phaseouts for remaining permitted applications, with domestic asbestos-fiber consumption expected to reach zero by no later than 2036. In July 2026, OSHA reopened the record for its proposed revisions to federal asbestos standards and allowed an additional 30-day comment period.[14][46]
Latest news
The latest identified U.S. regulatory development was OSHA’s July 2026 reopening of the rulemaking record for proposed revisions to asbestos standards covering general industry, shipyards and construction. The action followed OSHA’s July 2025 proposal and extended the public-comment opportunity through August 21, 2026.[46]
report visual · Projection

Estimated consumption of unmanufactured asbestos fibers (United States)

Estimated consumption of unmanufactured asbestos fibers fell from 310 metric tons in 2021 to 115 metric tons in 2024.

310 metric tons
Start
-28.15%
CAGR · 3y
115 metric tons
Projected
20212024
source-verifiedpubs.usgs.gov2025

03 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

Digital Transformation in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among EII businesses, 68% reported adopting AI in 2024, with an estimated 10% productivity increase.[1]
  • Across European chemical subindustries, 65% of companies viewed digitalization as an opportunity that would significantly impact their activities in 2024.[1]
  • Among ASUG chemicals-industry members, 46% ranked automation among their leading technology focus areas in 2025.[2]
  • Among ASUG chemicals-industry members, 57% identified moving to SAP S/4HANA as a top focus area in 2025.[2]

Technology Adoption in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among chemicals organizations surveyed by IBM, 49% had implemented AI for production planning and scheduling in 2025.[3]
  • Among chemicals organizations surveyed by IBM, 45% had implemented AI for supply-chain optimization in 2025.[3]
  • Among chemicals organizations surveyed by IBM, 49% had implemented AI for quality inspection or defect detection in 2025.[3]
  • Among chemicals organizations surveyed by IBM, 53% had implemented AI for real-time process control and optimization in 2025.[3]

Cloud Computing in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among EII businesses, 52% reported increased productivity from cloud computing in 2024, while 46% reported no change.[1]
  • Across chemical-sector companies surveyed by Arthur D. Little and Cefic, more than 35% had at least partially migrated to cloud computing in 2023.[4]
  • Among EII businesses, 2% reported decreased productivity from cloud computing in 2024.[1]
  • Across chemical-sector companies surveyed by Arthur D. Little and Cefic, 15% planned to migrate to cloud computing in coming years in 2023.[4]

Big Data in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among EII businesses, 44% reported no productivity change from big data in 2024.[1]
  • Among EII businesses, 48% reported increased productivity from big data in 2024.[1]
  • Among EII businesses, 6% reported decreased productivity from big data in 2024.[1]
  • Among ASUG chemicals-industry members, 49% cited gaining actionable insights from data and analytics as a current challenge in 2025.[2]

IoT in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among EII businesses, 44% reported increased productivity from IoT in 2024.[1]
  • Among EII businesses, 56% reported no productivity change from IoT in 2024.[1]
  • Across European countries, 29% of firms used IoT on average in 2021.[5]
  • Across 23 European countries, close to one-third of manufacturing firms used IoT in 2021.[5]

04 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Business intelligence in the asbestos industry

  • 35,000 notifications per year for licensed asbestos work were submitted on average to the UK Health and Safety Executive over the five years preceding the study.[6]
  • Around 400 companies held an asbestos-removal licence issued by the UK Health and Safety Executive.[6]

Data analytics in the asbestos industry

  • 12,085,861 pounds of asbestos production-related waste were reported under the U.S. Toxics Release Inventory in 2019.[7]
  • 38 U.S. facilities reported production-related waste managed for friable asbestos under the 2019 Toxics Release Inventory.[7]

Data Quality in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • 67% of supply-management organizations said their data quality was better or significantly better than two years earlier in 2024.[8]
  • 80% of manufacturers reported a measured value for their operational data in 2026, across the surveyed manufacturing sector.[9]
  • 42% of manufacturers had a process to verify manufacturing-data accuracy and quality in 2026, while 51% did not.[9]
  • 89% of manufacturers said data use improved their decision-making processes in 2026, across the surveyed manufacturing sector.[9]
  • 44% of companies in the manufacturing survey reported AI-project failures caused by poor data quality in 2025, across surveyed manufacturers.[10]
  • 49% of supply-management organizations rated their data quality as good or excellent in 2024, based on an Institute for Supply Management survey.[8]

Data Governance in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • 28% of manufacturers had a data-governance leader in 2026, across the Manufacturing Leadership Council survey.[9]
  • 90% of supply-management organizations agreed or strongly agreed that data governance was necessary in 2024.[8]
  • 61% of supply-management organizations had a dedicated data-governance function in 2024, based on a survey of more than 121 respondents.[8]
  • 67% of GCC chemical companies had established performance management or KPIs around digital supply chains in 2022.[11]
  • 52% of global chemical companies had established performance management or KPIs around digital supply chains in 2022.[11]
  • 46% of GCC chemical companies had established common data standards with collaboration partners in 2022.[11]

KPIs in the asbestos industry

  • 4,201 asbestos-related claims were resolved by ESAB Corporation subsidiaries in 2025.[12]
  • Asbestos-removal licences in Great Britain were reviewed every 1 to 3 years through inspections and management-system assessments.[6]
  • 5,279 asbestos-related claims were filed with ESAB Corporation subsidiaries in 2025.[12]

05 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Growth in the asbestos industry

  • Brazil’s asbestos extraction decreased from 197,000 tonnes in 2022 to 190,000 tonnes in 2023.[13]
  • Worldwide consumption of unmanufactured asbestos fibers fell nearly 55% from approximately 2 million tons in 2000 to an estimated 930,000 tons in 2025.[14]
  • China’s asbestos extraction increased from 130,000 tonnes in 2022 to 200,000 tonnes in 2023.[13]
  • Kazakhstan’s asbestos extraction increased from 250,000 tonnes in 2022 to 260,000 tonnes in 2023.[13]

06 Statistics

People & Workforce

Remote Work in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among U.S. energy, natural-resources and chemicals workers, 8% preferred fully remote work in 2025.[15]
  • Among U.S. energy, natural-resources and chemicals workers, 25% preferred mostly remote work in 2025.[15]
  • Across U.S. chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing employers, 5.7% of positions were fully remote in 2024.[16]
  • Across U.S. remote-capable employees, 25% worked exclusively remotely in August 2026.[17]

Hybrid Work in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. remote-capable employees, 54% worked in a hybrid arrangement in August 2026.[17]
  • Across U.S. hybrid employees, 48% said their team had not discussed a formal or informal collaboration plan in 2026.[17]
  • Across U.S. chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing employers, 44.5% of positions were fully hybrid in 2024.[16]
  • Across U.S. remote-capable employees, 61% preferred a hybrid work arrangement in November 2025.[17]
  • U.S. hybrid employees spent an average of 46% of their workweek on-site in 2026.[17]

Upskilling in the asbestos industry

  • 28 hours of training are required for New Jersey asbestos workers, while supervisors require 35 hours.[18]
  • 16 hours of operations-and-maintenance training are required for school custodial and maintenance workers who may disturb asbestos-containing material under EPA rules.[19]
  • 96% of Wisconsin exterior asbestos supervisor students applied for certification after training in 2022.[20]
  • 1,463 asbestos abatement supervisor training diplomas were issued in Wisconsin in 2022, with an 87% average initial test score.[20]
  • 919 asbestos abatement worker training diplomas were issued in Wisconsin in 2022, with an 88% average refresher test score.[20]

Employee Engagement in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among global managers, 22% were engaged at work in 2025, compared with 19% of non-managers.[17]
  • Across employees in the United States and Canada, 31% were engaged at work in 2025.[17]
  • Across employees worldwide, 20% were engaged at work in 2025.[17]
  • Across best-practice organizations recognized by Gallup, 70% of employees were engaged in 2025.[17]
  • Across employees in the United States, 32% were engaged at work in 2025.[17]

Change Management in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across organizations surveyed globally, 60% said they were succeeding at business outcomes during times of change in 2024.[21]
  • Across leaders in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, change management was associated with a reported 4:1 return on investment in 2026.[22]
  • Across organizations surveyed globally, 56% said they were succeeding at business outcomes during times of change in 2023.[21]
  • Across organizations surveyed globally, 46% said they were succeeding at business outcomes during times of change in 2022.[21]
  • Across leaders in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, 73% reported employee change fatigue in 2026.[22]

07 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Customer acquisition in the asbestos industry

  • Asbestos abatement customer acquisition costs reached approximately $3,000–$4,500 per client in a Florida case study when one client closed for every two to three leads.[23]
  • Florida asbestos abatement projects averaged $7,000–$10,000 in value in a company case study covering 2025 operations.[23]

Lead generation in the asbestos industry

  • 15–20 new leads per month came from referrals and Google Maps for a Florida hazardous-materials company before fall 2025.[23]
  • 64% lower cost per lead was reported for a Florida asbestos abatement company after the campaign intervention.[23]
  • 30% more local-service-ad leads were generated for a Florida asbestos abatement company in a reported campaign.[23]
  • 400% more leads were generated for a Florida asbestos abatement company in a reported campaign using the same budget.[23]

08 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Influencer Marketing in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across B2B companies, 81% of marketers had a dedicated influencer-marketing budget in a September 2024 U.S. survey of firms with at least 100 employees.[24]
  • Across B2B companies, 43% of marketers reported outstanding results from influencer programs in the 2025 B2B Influencer Marketing Report.[25]
  • Across B2B companies, 56% of marketers identified social-media posts as the most effective influencer-program content type in a September 2024 U.S. survey.[24]
  • Across B2B companies, 55% of marketers used creators in 2025, based on a March 2025 Ipsos survey of 1,500 marketing professionals.[26]
  • In U.S. manufacturing, 19% of marketers used influencer marketing among paid channels in the prior 12 months, according to a 2025 industry benchmark.[27]

09 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Process optimization in the asbestos industry

  • 2 of 14 asbestos-cement pipe plants were already compliant with best-available-technology effluent standards in the U.S. circa 1973.[7]
  • 3% to 5% annual shipment growth was projected for asbestos gaskets, packing and insulating materials in the U.S. in the early 1970s.[7]
  • 15 years was the straight-line depreciation period applied to $278.4 million of asbestos-industry capital investment made from 1957 to 1971.[7]

Operational efficiency in the asbestos industry

  • 17,000 workers were estimated to remain in U.S. asbestos-products manufacturing in 1973, down from 18,900 in 1971.[7]
  • 21,300 employees worked in U.S. asbestos-products manufacturing facilities in 1967.[7]
  • 19% was the decline in the U.S. asbestos-products manufacturing workforce between 1969 and 1971.[7]

Quality management in the asbestos industry

  • 1% of sales was the estimated effluent-treatment compliance cost for U.S. asbestos-millboard manufacturers under best-practicable-control standards.[7]
  • 0.8% of sales was the estimated effluent-treatment compliance cost for U.S. asbestos-roofing manufacturers under best-practicable-control standards.[7]
  • 0.2% of sales was the estimated effluent-treatment compliance cost for U.S. asbestos-paper manufacturers under best-practicable-control standards.[7]
  • 0.1% of sales was the estimated water-treatment compliance cost for U.S. asbestos-floor-tile manufacturers in 1972.[7]

Supply chain in the asbestos industry

  • 8 U.S. chloralkali plants used asbestos diaphragms in 2023, while 3 were transitioning to alternative materials.[14]
  • 100% of U.S. asbestos-fiber consumption relied on imports in each year from 2019 through 2022.[14]
  • 361 firms were estimated to import bulk asbestos into the United States in the late 1970s.[7]
  • 365 firms were estimated to import asbestos mixtures or articles containing asbestos components into the United States in the late 1970s.[7]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the chemicals and materials sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across North American specialty chemicals, 50% of customer respondents actively drove onshoring projects with suppliers but reported no success in 2025.[28]
  • Across 22 EU countries and Norway, 72.8% of enterprises engaged in international sourcing moved business functions to other EU countries during 2021–2023.[29]
  • Across 22 EU countries and Norway, 34.1% of enterprises engaged in international sourcing cited labour-cost reduction as a motivation during 2021–2023.[29]
  • Across North American specialty chemicals, 43% of customer respondents actively drove onshoring projects with suppliers and achieved some success in 2025.[28]
  • Across North American specialty chemicals, 100% of customer respondents allocated only 0–25% of company capital expenditure to reshoring projects in 2025.[28]

10 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Pricing strategy in the asbestos industry

  • $2,630 per ton was the average U.S. customs unit value of imported asbestos in 2022.[14]
  • $1,570 per ton was the average U.S. customs unit value of imported asbestos in 2019.[14]
  • $1,880 per ton was the average U.S. customs unit value of imported asbestos in 2021.[14]
  • $2,110 per ton was the average U.S. customs unit value of imported asbestos in 2020.[14]

Cost reduction in the asbestos industry

  • $658,824 was the estimated saving per tonne of asbestos-use reduction for Canada's chlor-alkali sector under the low-cost scenario between 2019 and 2035.[30]
  • $10,766 was the estimated cost per tonne of asbestos-use reduction for Canadian automotive repair and maintenance between 2019 and 2035.[30]
  • $3,228 was the estimated cost per tonne of asbestos-use reduction for Canadian cement-pipe manufacturing between 2019 and 2035.[30]
  • $313,725 was the estimated cost per tonne of asbestos-use reduction for Canada's chlor-alkali sector under the high-cost scenario between 2019 and 2035.[30]

Profitability in the asbestos industry

  • 3% was the approximate after-tax profit margin for U.S. asbestos-textiles production in the early 1970s.[7]
  • 18% was the estimated pre-tax return on equity for U.S. asbestos-products manufacturing circa 1971.[7]
  • 9% was the estimated apparent pre-tax profit margin for U.S. asbestos-products manufacturing circa 1971.[7]
  • $594,000 was the modeled operating margin for an average U.S. asbestos-gaskets, packing and insulating-materials plant in 1973.[7]

Financial planning in the asbestos industry

  • 20% of shareholders’ equity was the estimated debt level for U.S. asbestos-products manufacturing circa 1971.[7]
  • 2:1 was the estimated current-assets-to-current-liabilities ratio for U.S. asbestos-products manufacturing circa 1971.[7]
  • 0.80 times annual sales was the estimated total-assets-to-sales ratio for U.S. asbestos-products manufacturing circa 1971.[7]
  • 20% of annual sales was the estimated year-end working-capital requirement for U.S. asbestos-products manufacturing circa 1971.[7]

11 Statistics

Product & Service

Product lifecycle in the asbestos industry

  • U.S. domestic asbestos consumption is expected to reach zero by no later than 2036 as remaining chlor-alkali plants transition away from asbestos diaphragms.[31]
  • 50 metric tons of unmanufactured asbestos fiber were consumed in the United States in 2025, all from stockpiles.[31]
  • 1.3 million metric tons of asbestos were produced worldwide in 2023, down from 2.0 million tons in 2000.[14]

After-sales in the asbestos industry

  • $12,018 was the average cost of a resolved asbestos-related claim at ESAB Corporation subsidiaries in 2025.[12]
  • 14,836 asbestos-related claims remained unresolved at ESAB Corporation subsidiaries at December 31, 2025, compared with 13,758 at December 31, 2024.[12]

Value proposition in the asbestos industry

  • 1.1 million to 1.3 million metric tons per year was estimated global consumption of unmanufactured asbestos fiber during 2015–2023, with demand concentrated in cement pipe, roofing sheets and other construction materials in Asia.[14]
  • 100% of U.S. domestic asbestos fiber consumption was attributed to chlor-alkali diaphragm applications from at least 2015 onward.[31]

12 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

ESG in the asbestos industry

  • €7.290 billion was the estimated 40-year cost of health surveillance under the European Commission’s 0.01 fibres/cm³ occupational-exposure-limit option for asbestos.[32]
  • €12.492 billion was the estimated 40-year cost of risk-management measures and discontinuation costs under the European Commission’s 0.01 fibres/cm³ occupational-exposure-limit option for asbestos.[32]

14 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Globalization in the asbestos industry

  • Russia extracted 630,000 tonnes of asbestos in 2023, the largest national output reported in Australia’s industry progress report.[13]
  • China extracted 200,000 tonnes of asbestos in 2023.[13]
  • Worldwide consumption of unmanufactured asbestos fibers was estimated at 930,000 tonnes in 2025.[14]
  • Brazil extracted 190,000 tonnes of asbestos in 2023.[13]
  • Kazakhstan extracted 260,000 tonnes of asbestos in 2023.[13]

Supplier management in the asbestos industry

  • Western Asbestos Settlement Trust charged a $250 filing fee for each claim submitted to the trust.[40]
  • Western Asbestos Settlement Trust reported that vendors receiving more than $100,000 in a calendar year are listed as significant vendors in its annual report.[40]

Stakeholder management in the asbestos industry

  • Western Asbestos Settlement Trust issued offers to 433 claimants in 2024.[40]
  • Western Asbestos Settlement Trust paid 135 mesothelioma claims in 2024, including 112 in California and 23 in Minnesota.[40]
  • Western Asbestos Settlement Trust paid 59 lung-cancer claims in 2024, including 53 in California and six in Minnesota.[40]

Distribution channels in the asbestos industry

  • UN Comtrade recorded asbestos export data for the European Union in 2023 under HS product code 252400.[41]
  • Global asbestos imports exceeded $523 million in 2023 based on external trade statistics from 42 reporting countries.[42]
  • Global asbestos exports exceeded $211 million in 2023 based on external trade statistics from 15 reporting countries.[42]
Reference

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Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 11). Asbestos Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/asbestos-industry-statistics
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Samuel Norberg. "Asbestos Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 11 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/asbestos-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Asbestos Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/asbestos-industry-statistics.

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