Gitnux/Report 2026

Lubrication Industry Statistics

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Lubrication Industry Statistics
Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Gitnux editors write the brief first: the topic, the inclusion rules, and the frame for what belongs.

02Source Research

Agents search the published record and log every extracted figure back to the passage it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 39 days

01 Industry overview

The lubrication industry at a glance

The global lubricants market is projected at $173.1 billion in 2026, with growth increasingly supported by industrial, specialty-fluid and thermal-management applications as automotive oil demand matures.

$173.1B[95]
Global market size, 2026
3.2%[95]
Forecast CAGR, 2026–2035
8,252 kt[36]
North American demand, 2024
80%+[31]
Top four additive suppliers, 2023
Market size
Global lubricants market revenue is estimated at $173.1 billion in 2026. North American lubricant demand was 8,252 kilotonnes in 2024, including 3,876 kilotonnes of motor oils.[95][36]
Forecast & CAGR
The global market is forecast to increase from $173.1 billion in 2026 to $230.7 billion in 2035, representing a 3.2% compound annual growth rate. In ASEAN, lubricant demand is projected to rise from 3,358 million litres in 2024 to 3,689 million litres in 2029, a 1.9% CAGR.[95][96]
Market share & regions
Asia/Oceania accounted for 41% of global lubricating-oil-additive consumption in 2023, followed by North America at 26% and Europe at 10%. Within the ASEAN markets covered by the source, Indonesia represented 32.0% of 2024 lubricant demand and Thailand 20.0%.[31][96]
Segmentation
Lubricants are segmented by base oil, including mineral, synthetic and biodegradable oils, and by application, including automotive and transportation, industrial, marine and aerospace. In North America in 2024, motor oils accounted for 3,876 kilotonnes of demand, while other transport lubricants accounted for 1,505 kilotonnes.[95][36]
Key players & concentration
The global lubricating-oil-additives market is highly concentrated: four large multinational suppliers together accounted for more than 80% of the market in 2023. These suppliers mainly provide formulated additive packages and operate manufacturing plants serving major Asian markets, including from Singapore.[31]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Growth is shifting toward industrial, specialty-fluid and thermal-management applications as engine-oil demand growth slows. North American overall lubricant demand fell 11.3% between 2018 and 2024, while motor-oil demand declined 13.4%, reflecting longer service intervals, vehicle-efficiency changes and structural shifts in transportation.[97][36]
Consumer behavior & competition
Longer lubricant-change intervals have reduced the automotive share of lubricating-oil-additive consumption. Competition remains international and technology-led, with suppliers differentiating through additive packages, synthetic formulations, OEM approvals and distribution reach; Castrol, for example, sells products in more than 150 countries and has more than 6,000 employees.[31][63]
M&A
Stonepeak completed its acquisition of a 65% stake in Castrol from BP on November 2, 2026, while BP retained 35%. The transaction valued Castrol’s lubricants business at approximately $10 billion in enterprise value.[63][27]
Regulation
In the United States, used-oil handlers are governed by EPA standards in 40 CFR Part 279; the EPA estimates that 380 million gallons of used oil are recycled annually. In Europe, the EU Ecolabel covers total-loss, partial-loss and accidental-loss lubricant categories, with product-substance requirements updated in 2026.[85][98]
Latest news
The most significant recent industry transaction is Stonepeak’s completed purchase of 65% of Castrol from BP on November 2, 2026. Castrol said the new ownership structure is intended to support investment and expansion across automotive, commercial, industrial and thermal-management fluids.[63]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Lubrication Industry

The leading companies in the lubrication industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 10, 2026 · Next review December 10, 2026

Verdict

The Lubrizol Corporation leads Gitnux's 2026 lubrication ranking with an Overall score of 9.0, with additive technologies that form the performance backbone of modern lubricants. PETRONAS is the highest-ranked finished lubricant producer at 8.9, backed by products available in more than 100 countries through PETRONAS Lubricants International.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in lubricant additives

    The Lubrizol Corporation

    US

    Ranked #1 · 9.0 · Lubricant additives

    Why we picked it: It builds lubricant performance around additive technologies used in formulated lubricant products.

    See in ranking ↓Visit lubrizol.com ↗

  2. Leader in finished lubricants

    PETRONAS

    MY

    Ranked #2 · 8.9 · Finished lubricants

    Why we picked it: It sells automotive, industrial and marine lubricant products across a distribution footprint of 100+ countries.

    See in ranking ↓Visit petronas.com ↗

  3. #3 overall

    Idemitsu Kosan

    JP

    Ranked #3 · 8.9 · Finished lubricants

    Why we picked it: It covers automotive, industrial and specialty lubricants with a 28-country network and global share position.

    See in ranking ↓Visit idemitsu.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Pick 2 is the highest-ranked company in the top 5 that adds a new segment; no further segment places in the top 5, so pick 3 follows rank.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the lubrication industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

The Lubrizol Corporation

Lubricant additives · US

9.0
2

PETRONAS

Finished lubricants · MY

8.9
3

Idemitsu Kosan

Finished lubricants · JP

8.9
4

Chevron

Finished lubricants · US

8.9
5

SK Enmove

Finished lubricants · KR

8.8
6

Shell

Global finished lubricants and industrial fluids · GB

8.7
7

TotalEnergies

Automotive, industrial and specialty lubricants · FR

8.7
8

Valvoline

Automotive lubricants and quick-lube services · US

8.6
9

Quaker Houghton

Metalworking and industrial process fluids · US

8.5
10

Repsol

Automotive and industrial lubricants · ES

7.8

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 10, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Top 10 companies in the lubrication industry. In Lubrication Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/lubrication-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Projection

Lubricants production (Other Asia)

Lubricants production fell from 737 thousand metric tons in 2019 to 587 thousand metric tons in 2023.

737
Start
-5.53%
CAGR · 4y
587
Projected
20192023
source-verifieddata.un.org2023

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

AI adoption shows measurable formulation and testing impacts, including 432 tribology experiments in 24 hours using robotic tribometers.

AI in the lubrication industry

  • 43% of lubricant professionals selected new and surprising insights as a major AI benefit in formulation and testing R&D in 2026.[1]
  • 68% of lubricant professionals selected time savings from reducing unnecessary or laborious tasks as a major AI benefit in 2026.[1]
  • 16% of lubricant professionals selected sustainability or reduced CO2 footprint as a major AI benefit in 2026.[1]
  • 85% of contributors to a lubricant-sales survey said they were already using AI occasionally or regularly in 2026.[2]
  • 22% of surveyed lubricants-industry companies were developing an AI strategy in 2025.[3]
  • 10% of surveyed lubricants-industry professionals said AI was already a top business priority in 2025.[3]

Automation in the lubrication industry

  • 150 million materials could be screened on a single nanoparticle-megalibrary chip, according to a 2026 lubrication-engineering trends report.[4]
  • 432 tribology experiments could be run in 24 hours using robotic tribometers, according to a 2026 lubrication-engineering trends report.[4]

Digital Transformation in the industrial manufacturing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 76% of industrial-manufacturing firms across 26 countries reported that their workforce had an appetite to embrace cutting-edge technology in 2024.[5]
  • 34% of industrial-manufacturing organizations across 26 countries had achieved return on investment from multiple AI use cases in 2024.[5]
  • 24% of companies across the European Industrial Ecosystem had a concrete digital-transformation strategy in 2024.[6]
  • 32% of U.S. industrial-products respondents said their operations-technology investments had delivered expected results in 2024.[7]

Technology Adoption in the industrial manufacturing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 37% of industrial-manufacturing organizations were proactive in advancing AI and automation strategies in 2024.[8]
  • 31% of industrial-manufacturing organizations were proactive in advancing modern-delivery technologies, including low-code and no-code, in 2024.[8]
  • 30% of industrial-manufacturing organizations were proactive in advancing edge-computing strategies in 2024.[8]
  • 35% of industrial-manufacturing organizations were proactive in advancing data-and-analytics strategies in 2024.[8]

Cloud Computing in the industrial manufacturing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 87% of Finnish manufacturing enterprises used cloud computing in 2023.[9]
  • 39% of industrial-manufacturing organizations were proactive in advancing XaaS technologies, including public and multicloud, in 2024.[8]
  • 87% of Australian manufacturing enterprises used cloud computing in 2022.[9]
  • 54% of EU manufacturing enterprises used paid cloud-computing services in 2025, up from approximately 45% in 2023.[10]

Big Data in the industrial manufacturing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 67% of manufacturers surveyed in the United States, Germany and Malaysia could collect and analyze data in near real time in 2024.[11]
  • 28% of manufacturing survey respondents were implementing big-data processing in 2024.[12]
  • 70% of manufacturers still collected data manually in 2024, according to a Manufacturing Leadership Council survey reported by the National Association of Manufacturers.[13]
  • 44% of manufacturing leaders reported that the amount of data their organizations collected had at least doubled over the previous two years in 2024.[14]
  • 33% of manufacturers surveyed were performing prescriptive analytics in 2024, according to ABI Research’s survey of 461 manufacturing decision makers.[11]
  • 60% of manufacturers surveyed could collect and normalize data from assets or equipment in 2024, across 461 decision makers in the United States, Germany and Malaysia.[11]

IoT in the industrial manufacturing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 81% of manufacturing leaders surveyed identified data and analytics for process improvement as an important technology use case, while IoT for predictive maintenance ranked among the leading use cases in 2024.[15]
  • 35% of manufacturing companies in a Productivity Institute sample had adopted Internet of Things technology, with geography not specified by the source.[16]
  • 11.1% of businesses in the European Industrial Ecosystem used Internet of Things technologies in 2023.[6]
  • 27.6% of businesses in the European Industrial Ecosystem used Internet of Things technologies in 2024.[6]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Time-to-analysis and business-intelligence integration stand out, including Shell’s formulation-data load time dropping from 15 seconds to 0.2 seconds.

Business intelligence in the lubrication industry

  • 99% was the reported reduction in Shell Lubricants’ formulation-data load time, from 15 seconds to 0.2 seconds, in 2020.[17]
  • 160 countries worldwide were served by MOTUL when it deployed company-wide business intelligence for lubricant operations.[18]
  • 10 months was the development duration for Shell’s lubricant-formulation analytics application, completed in March 2020.[17]
  • 3 source systems—SAP HANA, SAP Business One and SAP C4C—fed MOTUL’s lubricant business-intelligence implementation.[18]
  • 40% was the reported reduction in analysis time after MOTUL introduced its Qlik-based business-intelligence solution.[18]
  • 4 weeks was the reported implementation time for MOTUL’s initial business-intelligence application, including data-model creation.[18]

Data analytics in the lubrication industry

  • 63% of reviewed lubricant-condition-monitoring studies used statistical methods for contamination analysis in the 2019 literature review.[19]
  • 33% of reviewed lubricant-condition-monitoring studies used artificial intelligence for additive analysis in the 2019 literature review.[19]
  • 38% of reviewed lubricant-condition-monitoring studies used statistical methods for mixed lubricant analysis in the 2019 literature review.[19]
  • 45% of reviewed lubricant-condition-monitoring studies used artificial intelligence for physicochemical analysis in the 2019 literature review.[19]
  • 18% of reviewed lubricant-condition-monitoring studies used statistical methods for physicochemical analysis in the 2019 literature review.[19]
  • 45% of reviewed lubricant-condition-monitoring studies used artificial intelligence for mixed lubricant analysis in the 2019 literature review.[19]

Data Quality in the industrial manufacturing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 41% of manufacturers surveyed distrusted the data used for supply-chain operations in 2025.[20]
  • 61% of manufacturing leaders agreed that poor data quality limited adoption and optimization of emerging technologies in 2025.[21]
  • 30% of manufacturers identified poor data quality as a technical barrier to improving processes in 2025.[21]
  • 51% of manufacturers surveyed said their data was siloed across disparate tools and systems in 2025.[20]
  • 54% of manufacturers surveyed had duplicate data in several systems in 2025.[20]
  • 44% of manufacturers surveyed reported that AI projects had failed because of poor data quality in 2025.[20]

Data Governance in the industrial manufacturing sector (sector benchmark)

  • 61% of manufacturers surveyed had a corporate-wide governance plan, strategy or formal data-management guidelines in 2024.[22]
  • 22% of manufacturers surveyed included data collection, management or analysis in executive incentives, KPIs or business imperatives in 2024.[22]
  • 58% of manufacturers surveyed assigned primary data-governance responsibility to a C-suite or senior leader in 2024.[22]
  • 15% of manufacturers surveyed said their data strategy was entirely aligned with their overall business strategy in 2024.[22]

KPIs in the lubrication industry

  • 3 management-system certification standards were cited by UEIL for KPI reporting: ISO 14001, ISO 50001 and ISO 9001.[23]
  • 3 lubricant-management performance levels were represented in SKF’s maturity-cycle framework: optimal, acceptable and reactive/basic performance.[24]
  • 7 economic KPI types were listed by UEIL: revenue, profitability, employee ownership, new-product revenues, customer retention, customer satisfaction and continuous improvement.[23]
  • 50 lubricant blending plants were included in Shell’s supply-chain network described in its KPI-integration program.[25]
  • 80%–100% of critical oil-lubricated machinery was subjected to oil analysis in the SKF lubrication-management assessment example.[24]
  • 2 categories of lubrication-management assessment output were presented by SKF: customer answers and industry-average scores.[24]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Moderate global growth persists while regional demand shifts; ASEAN lubricant demand is projected to rise from 3,358 million litres in 2024 to 3,689 million litres in 2029.

Growth in the lubrication industry

  • 2.7% is the projected growth rate of the global lubricants market from 2024 to 2025, from USD 173.5 billion to USD 178.1 billion.[26]
  • 55% was the approximate year-on-year growth in India’s electric two-wheeler sales in fiscal year 2024–2025, exceeding 1.6 million units.[27]
  • 30% was the approximate year-on-year growth in India’s compressed-natural-gas passenger and commercial vehicle sales in fiscal year 2024–2025.[27]
  • 4.5% was the estimated volume growth of India’s industrial lubricants market in fiscal year 2024–2025.[27]
  • 2.3% was the estimated volume growth of India’s automotive lubricants market in fiscal year 2024–2025.[27]
  • 4.0% is the projected compound annual growth rate of the global lubricants market from 2026 to 2033, reaching USD 204.1 billion by 2033.[28]

Differentiation in the lubrication industry

  • 3 years was the extension period for Shell and Ducati’s high-performance motorcycle-oil co-design collaboration announced in 2024.[29]
  • 40% was the minimum non-fossil-origin content targeted for Shell and Ducati fuels under MotoGP’s 2024 regulations.[29]
  • 170 years was Motul’s stated history of technical expertise in efficiency and safety in 2024.[30]
  • More than 87% was the combined market share of PAO, ester and PAG synthetic lubricant base stocks in 2023.[31]
  • 100% is the non-fossil-origin content target for Shell and Ducati MotoGP fuels by 2027.[29]
  • 60 countries were served by MotulTech’s metalworking fluids and industrial-equipment lubricant business before its 2024 Chem Arrow acquisition.[30]

Mergers and acquisitions in the lubrication industry

  • 3× was Kano Laboratories’ approximate revenue growth during Gryphon Investors’ four-year ownership period before its 2024 sale.[32]
  • USD 2.8 billion was the 2024 value of the United States metalworking-fluids market cited by Motul in announcing its Chem Arrow acquisition.[30]
  • EUR 42 million was LUBCON’s revenue in 2024 following its acquisition by FUCHS.[33]
  • 60 countries was MotulTech’s market reach before Motul acquired Chem Arrow in October 2024.[30]
  • 5 production sites were included in FUCHS’s 2024 acquisition of LUBCON, located in Germany, Poland, the Philippines, India and the United States.[33]
  • EUR 89 million was the cash purchase consideration paid by FUCHS for the LUBCON Group in 2024.[33]

Strategic partnerships in the lubrication industry

  • 16 consecutive years was Shell’s stated position as the leading global finished-lubricants supplier, based on Kline data cited in its Wärtsilä partnership announcement.[29]
  • 2026 is the Formula One season from which ExxonMobil and Red Bull Racing planned to develop lubricants and fuels for Red Bull Racing Ford Powertrains.[34]
  • 2027 is the end year for Shell’s renewed exclusive engine-oil supply partnership with BMW Group in Asia and the rest-of-world clusters.[29]
  • 2007 was the year Shell and Wärtsilä began their collaboration on engine-lubricant solutions.[29]
  • 6 provinces in southern China were covered by ExxonMobil’s 2024 base-stock distribution partnership with EMB Petrochemical.[35]
  • 21 of 22 races were won by Oracle Red Bull Racing and ExxonMobil during their 2023 Formula One season partnership.[34]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce readiness remains uneven, while training access is broad: 79% of lubricants professionals reported access to some form of training in 2024.

Hiring in the lubrication industry

  • 14% of North American lubricant professionals were actively job-hunting in 2025.[36]
  • 36% of lubricants-sector survey respondents identified talent acquisition and retention as a top priority worldwide in 2024.[37]
  • 42% of lubricants-talent survey respondents were aged 55 or older in 2024.[37]
  • 47% of North American lubricant professionals said they had no plans to leave their current employer in 2025.[36]

Employee retention in the lubrication industry

  • 5.6% was FUCHS Group’s employee fluctuation rate in 2021.[38]
  • 4.7% was FUCHS Group’s employee fluctuation rate in 2023.[38]
  • 4% was FUCHS SE’s voluntary employee turnover rate globally in 2025.[33]
  • 47% of North American lubricant professionals said they had no plans to leave their employer in 2025.[36]
  • 10 years was FUCHS Group employees’ average length of service in 2023.[38]

Remote Work in the industrial manufacturing sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. manufacturing, teleworked hours represented 12.2% of total hours worked in 2025.[39]
  • Across U.S. manufacturing, 36.9% of workers could work at home and 33.3% actually did so during 2024–2025.[39]
  • Across U.S. manufacturing, 35.2% of surveyed workers reported remote work in the Chicago Fed Survey of Economic Conditions from July 2021 through March 2024.[40]
  • Across U.S. manufacturing, 19% of workers worked remotely, including hybrid and fully remote arrangements, during October 2023–September 2024.[41]

Hybrid Work in the industrial manufacturing sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across manufacturing employees, 80% believed office mandates reflected a lack of trust that employees would be productive at home in 2025.[42]
  • Across manufacturing companies, the average required office attendance reached 2.82 days per week in the second quarter of 2025.[43]
  • Across manufacturing companies, 79% operated a hybrid model for non-production employees in 2025.[43]
  • Across manufacturing companies, 17% were fully back in the office for non-production employees in 2025.[43]
  • Across manufacturing employers, 80% said their organizations were still struggling to balance hybrid working in 2025.[42]

Upskilling in the lubrication industry

  • 18 average training hours per employee were provided globally by Lubrizol in 2023.[44]
  • 79% of lubricants professionals reported access to some form of training in 2024.[45]
  • 15 average further-training hours per employee were reported by FUCHS Group in 2023.[38]
  • 18% of lubricants professionals, particularly in firms with 1–50 employees, reported having no formal training opportunities in 2024.[45]
  • 100% of Lubrizol employees participated in a performance-review process that included a career-development component in 2023.[44]

Employee Engagement in the industrial manufacturing sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across manufacturing companies, 48% of respondents said most frontline workers were engaged in their jobs in 2023.[7]
  • Across manufacturing companies, 70% of respondents said most non-frontline employees were engaged in their jobs in 2023.[7]
  • Across manufacturing, distribution and storage organizations, 84.2% of employees said they cared about their organization’s future in 2026.[46]
  • Across manufacturing companies, 41% identified employee recognition as a high priority in 2024.[47]
  • Across manufacturing, distribution and storage organizations, the average employee-engagement score was 72.9% in 2026.[46]

DEI in the lubrication industry

  • 23% of FUCHS SE’s top-management positions were held by women in 2025.[33]
  • 21.2% of FUCHS SE’s top-management positions were held by women in 2024.[33]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Customer experience in the lubrication industry

  • 60% of more than 700 EMEA customers reported overall satisfaction with PETRONAS Lubricants International in Q4 2024.[48]
  • 66% of surveyed PETRONAS Lubricants International customers in Italy reported satisfaction in Q4 2024.[48]
  • 80% was the Net Promoter Score among surveyed PETRONAS Lubricants International customers in Poland in Q4 2024.[48]
  • 73% was the Net Promoter Score among surveyed PETRONAS Lubricants International customers in export markets in Q4 2024.[48]
  • 74% was the Net Promoter Score among surveyed PETRONAS Lubricants International customers in Austria in Q4 2024.[48]

Customer retention in the lubrication industry

  • Satisfaction had a statistically significant positive influence on distributors’ intention to continue relationships with lubricant companies in Indonesia in 2024.[49]
  • Perceived value did not have a statistically significant direct influence on Indonesian lubricant distributors’ intention to continue relationships in 2024.[49]
  • 135 lubricant-industry distributors in Indonesia were included in a census survey on satisfaction and intention to continue business relationships conducted in January 2024.[49]
  • Service quality significantly affected perceived value among Indonesian lubricant distributors surveyed in 2024.[49]
  • Relationship marketing significantly affected perceived value among Indonesian lubricant distributors surveyed in 2024.[49]

Customer acquisition in the lubrication industry

  • 36% response rates were generated by a BullsEye demand-generation program for Shell Lubricants targeting large commercial-lubricant consumers.[50]
  • 25+ countries were export markets for Gulf Oil Lubricants India in its 2024–25 business model.[51]
  • More than 700 SKUs were offered by KLONDIKE Lubricants across 10 product families during its market-expansion program.[52]
  • 2.5x revenue growth within 36 months was KLONDIKE Lubricants’ stated target when expanding from Canada into U.S. markets in 2023.[52]
  • More than 1,400 dealer locations were served by KLONDIKE Lubricants during its U.S. expansion planning.[52]

Customer loyalty in the lubrication industry

  • 23.3% of 103 surveyed engine-oil consumers cited previous experience as a purchase reason in 2024.[53]
  • 58.8% of surveyed automotive-lubricant consumers in Lagos State, Nigeria, said they would purchase the lubricant again and again in the future.[54]
  • 36.9% of 103 surveyed engine-oil consumers in 2024 were somewhat loyal and mostly used the same brand.[53]
  • 51.5% of 103 surveyed engine-oil consumers in 2024 were very loyal and always used the same brand.[53]
  • 11.7% of 103 surveyed engine-oil consumers in 2024 were not loyal and switched brands frequently.[53]

Lead generation in the lubrication industry

  • 3 target audiences—two-wheeler owners, maintenance service providers and lubricant resellers—were included in Kline’s lubricant brand-preference research.[55]
  • 2,000+ interviews covered two-wheeler owners, maintenance providers and lubricant resellers across seven Asian countries in Kline’s consumer-insights study.[55]
  • 40 launches were completed for Shell Lubricants distribution partners after the demand-generation program’s initial success.[50]
  • 3 markets were used for the pilot distributor-loyalty research program developed for Shell Lubricants by Ipsos.[56]
  • 36% was the response rate generated by BullsEye for a Shell Lubricants demand-generation program targeting large commercial-lubricant consumers.[50]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Buyer research behavior favors digital discovery, with 68.8% of lubricant buyers preferring a digital-first first meeting with a seller.

Marketing in the lubrication industry

  • 24% of STLE members work for additive manufacturers or suppliers.[1]
  • 16% of STLE members are end-users of lubricants and lubricant-related products.[1]
  • 34% of STLE members purchase or recommend base oils.[1]
  • 80% of STLE members authorize purchases, evaluate products or recommend vendors in the lubrication industry.[1]
  • 150 National Oil & Lube News readers participated in a 2023 study measuring the marketing effectiveness of advertisements from lubrication-related companies.[57]

Digital marketing in the lubrication industry

  • 76% of lubricant buyers say a personal connection outweighs the brand in supplier interactions.[2]
  • 92% of finished-lubricant buyers are active on LinkedIn for professional research, engagement or content consumption.[2]
  • 66% of lubricant buyers prioritize personalized communication over corporate communication.[3]
  • 68.8% of lubricant buyers prefer a digital-first first meeting with a seller.[2]
  • 67% of lubricant buyers said they research who is attending an event or meeting beforehand.[2]

Branding in the lubrication industry

  • 58.8% of surveyed automotive-lubricant consumers in Lagos agreed they would purchase their lubricant brand repeatedly in the future.[58]
  • 71.6% of surveyed automotive-lubricant consumers in Lagos agreed they would recommend their chosen lubricant brand.[58]
  • 55.0% of surveyed automotive-lubricant consumers in Lagos agreed they would remain loyal even when competing brands had the same characteristics.[58]
  • 69.2% of surveyed automotive-lubricant consumers in Lagos agreed negative comments would not discourage them from buying their chosen brand.[58]
  • 58% of surveyed Shell-lubricant users in Bangladesh identified price as a deciding purchase factor after brand image.[59]

Social media in the lubrication industry

  • 7.9% of surveyed automotive-lubricant consumers in Lagos strongly agreed that their lubricant brand is present on social media.[58]
  • 42% of lubricant buyers connect digitally with other attendees before an event or meeting.[2]
  • 14.0% of surveyed automotive-lubricant consumers in Lagos fairly disagreed that their lubricant brand is present on social media.[58]
  • 63% of lubricant buyers are active on LinkedIn in the evening, according to reporting on the Buyer Revolution research.[48]
  • 50.1% of surveyed automotive-lubricant consumers in Lagos agreed that their lubricant brand is present on social media.[58]

Influencer Marketing in the industrial manufacturing sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across B2B companies, 55% of marketers used influencers in 2025, providing a benchmark applicable to industrial manufacturing marketers.[60]
  • Across B2B companies, 28% ranked thought leaders or industry analysts as the most effective influencer type in 2025; global survey scope.[60]
  • Across B2B companies, 29% of marketers planned to adopt influencer marketing within the following year in 2025; global survey scope.[60]
  • Across B2B companies, 76% of marketing leaders said creator collaboration helps build brand authenticity in 2025; global survey scope.[60]
  • Across B2B companies, 43% of marketers planned to increase influencer investment in the following year in 2025; global survey scope.[60]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Operational energy and emissions claims are tracked with quantified results, including 641,000 MWh of customer energy-efficiency savings reported by Klüber Lubrication in 2024.

Process optimization in the lubrication industry

  • 445,000 MWh of customer energy-efficiency savings were reported by Klüber Lubrication in 2023.[61]
  • 28% higher production capacity and 9 hours shorter cycle time were achieved on one Whitmore Manufacturing lubricant product line after integrated control-system deployment in the United States in 2015.[62]
  • 100% green energy powered Castrol’s Patalganga lubricant plant in India in 2024.[63]
  • 641,000 MWh of customer energy-efficiency savings were reported by Klüber Lubrication in 2024.[61]
  • 75% reduction in carbon emissions was reported at Castrol’s Patalganga lubricant facility in India in 2024 through renewable energy, ambient blending and optimized fuel sources.[63]

Operational efficiency in the lubrication industry

  • 360 operating days per year was the high end of the range reported for finished-lubricant processing sites in an American Chemistry Council survey in 2015.[9]
  • 203 operating days per year was the low end of the range reported for finished-lubricant processing sites in an American Chemistry Council survey in 2015.[9]
  • 540 package combinations were supported by ExxonMobil’s Beaumont lubricant plant in Texas as of 2023.[34]
  • 256 operating days per year were estimated for U.S. finished-lubricant processing sites in the 2012 Economic Census-based OECD assessment.[9]
  • 90,000 metric tonnes of annual lubricant production capacity was available at FUCHS UK’s Stoke-on-Trent plant as of 2026.[33]

Quality management in the lubrication industry

  • 8.6 tonnes of CO2e per tonne of product was Klüber Lubrication’s 2023 Scope 1–3 emissions intensity.[61]
  • 5.43 training days per employee were reported by Klüber Lubrication in 2022.[61]
  • 4.92 training days per employee were reported by Klüber Lubrication in 2023.[61]
  • 19 of ExxonMobil’s 20 global lubricant plants were ISO 14001-certified in 2026.[34]
  • 9.0 tonnes of CO2e per tonne of product was Klüber Lubrication’s 2022 Scope 1–3 emissions intensity.[61]

Supply chain in the lubrication industry

  • More than 4 million litres of used oil were sent to re-refining through Castrol programs in 2025.[63]
  • 5.5% of Castrol’s global base oil was re-refined base oil in 2025, compared with 0.1% in 2019.[63]
  • 18% lower global virgin-plastic use per litre sold was achieved by Castrol in 2025 versus 2019.[63]
  • 1,500 distributors were included in Shell’s global lubricant distribution network in 2024.[29]
  • 3 thousand barrels per day of Shell lubricants were sold in Africa in 2025.[29]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the industrial manufacturing sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across global manufacturing, 56% of executives in 2025 said their organization had invested in nearshoring or a combination of reshoring and nearshoring.[64]
  • Across global manufacturing, 73% of executives in 2025 believed friendshoring would represent a significant share of future sourcing and production.[64]
  • Across EU enterprises sourcing abroad during 2021–2023, 39% outsourced business functions to external providers, while 72% used affiliated enterprises abroad for insourcing.[10]
  • Across global manufacturing, executives expected offshore facilities to decline to 28% within three years of 2025, while onshore facilities rise to 48%.[64]
  • Across EU enterprises engaged in international sourcing during 2021–2023, 37% operated in manufacturing, the largest sector share among sourcing enterprises.[10]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Pricing cycles remain active in the U.S.; 37 pricing actions were announced by 19 lubricant companies during the first 91 days of the 2026 pricing cycle.

Pricing strategy in the lubrication industry

  • Eight lubricant price-increase rounds were announced in the United States in 2021.[65]
  • 37 pricing actions were announced by 19 lubricant companies during the first 91 days of the 2026 U.S. pricing cycle.[65]
  • 10% to 15% was the reported decline in U.S. lubricant prices from the beginning to October 2024.[65]
  • Two broad-based years without finished-lubricant price increases were reported for the U.S. market through 2025.[65]
  • 15% was the maximum finished-lubricant price increase announced by ExxonMobil in the United States in May 2024.[66]

Cost reduction in the lubrication industry

  • US$1.1 million in cost avoidance was reported by a plant using an oil-analysis lubrication program.[67]
  • US$119,000 in estimated annual savings was reported by a metals company using Shell LubeAnalyst preventive maintenance.[68]
  • US$22,000 in estimated annual consumables savings was reported after reducing over-greasing at an industrial site.[68]
  • 5% to 15% tangible lubricant-operating-expense savings were reported by users of a marine-lubricant data platform.[69]
  • About 10,000 onsite oil-analysis samples were processed annually across the nine programs reporting US$8.436 million in cost avoidance.[67]

Profitability in the lubrication industry

  • Rp1.13 trillion was Pertamina Lubricants’ 2024 net profit in Indonesia.[70]
  • 1.00% was Hi-Tech Lubricants’ reported EBITDA margin for one FY2025 business segment.[71]
  • PKR274 million was Hi-Tech Lubricants’ loss before tax in Pakistan in FY2025.[71]
  • 75.07% was Pertamina Lubricants’ achievement against its 2024 EBITDA target.[70]
  • 11.5% was Pertamina Lubricants’ 2024 target net profit margin in Indonesia.[70]

Financial planning in the lubrication industry

  • LKR3.65831 billion was Chevron Lubricants Lanka’s free cash flow in 2024.[72]
  • 95% was Chevron Lubricants Lanka’s 2025 dividend payout ratio.[72]
  • 93% was Chevron Lubricants Lanka’s 2024 dividend payout ratio.[72]
  • US$180,000 was Chevron Lubricants Lanka’s estimated annual demurrage saving from its 2025 Colombo Port pipeline link.[72]
  • LKR188.17 million was Chevron Lubricants Lanka’s capital expenditure in Sri Lanka in 2025.[72]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Material flow data covers both additives and used-oil conversion, including 6.5 million tonnes of used oil re-refined into base oils globally in 2024.

Product development in the lubrication industry

  • 5,220 lubricant-additive patent applications were filed in Germany between 1965 and 2023.[73]
  • 10,797 lubricant-additive patent applications were filed in Japan between 1965 and 2023.[73]
  • 3,524 lubricant-additive patent applications were filed in Canada between 1965 and 2023.[73]
  • 11,838 lubricant-additive patent applications were filed in the United States between 1965 and 2023.[73]
  • Europe accounted for 10% of global lubricating-oil additives consumption in 2023.[31]

Product lifecycle in the lubrication industry

  • 1,091 million gallons of lubricant were estimated lost during use in the United States in 2018.[74]
  • 2,516 million gallons of lubricants were consumed in the United States in 2008.[74]
  • 294 million gallons of used oil were fed into U.S. re-refining for base-oil production in 2018.[74]
  • 6.5 million tonnes of used oil were re-refined into base oils globally in 2024.[55]
  • 1,422 million gallons of used oil were generated in the United States in 2008.[74]

After-sales in the lubrication industry

  • Shell LubeMatch provided more than 2 million lubricant recommendations to customers annually.[4]
  • Mobil Lubricant Analysis processed more than 1 million oil samples annually.[75]
  • Castrol analyzed approximately 200,000 used-oil samples annually for more than 7,000 vessels.[76]
  • Shell’s lubricant-services portfolio had delivered more than $146 million in documented customer savings worldwide by 2016.[29]
  • Shell lubricant services generated $174 million in reported customer savings during 2009–2018.[77]

Value proposition in the lubrication industry

  • 10% lower engine friction was estimated to save 1.2 billion gallons of fuel annually in the United States.[74]
  • 1.2 billion gallons of automotive lubricant were sold annually in the United States according to the DOE lubrication program overview.[74]
  • 10–15% of fuel used by road vehicles was estimated to be consumed by engine and driveline friction losses.[74]
  • Advanced lubricants for legacy vehicles targeted a 10% reduction in parasitic friction losses.[74]
  • Advanced lubricants for legacy vehicles targeted a 1–2% improvement in vehicle fuel economy.[74]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Sustainability reporting includes quantified circularity and emissions, including 98% of collected lubricating oil recycled in Italy in 2022.

Sustainability in the lubrication industry

  • More than 50% of electricity used at Shell’s global lubricant and grease plants came from renewable sources in 2024.[29]
  • 85% of the ingredients in WD-40 Specialist Bio Lubricant Multi-Use are bio-based.[78]
  • 30% reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions is Petrolube’s target for 2030.[79]
  • 20% reduction in energy intensity was Petrolube’s target for 2025.[79]
  • 2050 is Petrolube’s target year for full carbon neutrality.[79]

ESG in the lubrication industry

  • 2024 was the reference year for Petrolube’s materiality assessment covering health, safety, waste, energy, governance and emissions.[79]
  • 3 pillars—environment, social and governance—structure Petrolube’s sustainability framework.[79]
  • AAA is Petrolube’s targeted MSCI ESG rating for 2030.[79]
  • 17 priority ESG topics were identified in Petrolube’s 2024 materiality assessment.[79]

Ethics in the lubrication industry

  • 1 independent validation was assigned to the UEIL and ATIEL lubricant product-carbon-footprint methodology by TÜV Rheinland.[23]
  • 1 lubricant company, Petrolube, states that business ethics and conduct are part of its governance approach.[79]
  • ISO 14067:2018 and the GHG Protocol Product Standard were both used as reference standards in the validated lubricant PCF methodology.[23]
  • 1 lubricant company, WD-40 Company, reports a Responsible Sourcing Policy that sets expectations for suppliers.[78]

CSR in the lubrication industry

  • $23 million+ has been donated globally to charitable organizations by Lubrizol since 2020.[80]
  • 500,000+ people were reached across Lubrizol’s global communities in 2025.[80]
  • 14,800+ employee volunteer hours were reported by Lubrizol in its 2026 sustainability report.[80]
  • 1 core community objective identified by Lubrizol is improving lives where its employees live and work.[80]

Circular economy in the lubrication industry

  • 98.5% was the regeneration rate for collected oil in Italy in 2022 under the reported circular model.[81]
  • 103,000 workshop and factory sites were served by Italy’s used-oil collection network in 2022.[82]
  • 98% of collected lubricating oil was recycled in Italy in 2022.[82]
  • Approximately 2.3 million plastic bottles had been recycled into ExxonMobil’s lubricant pails in India by May 2024.[34]
  • 47% of Italy’s total used-oil collection came from micro-collection efforts in 2022.[82]

Carbon footprint in the lubrication industry

  • 15.3 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent were estimated as U.S. lubricant-production emissions in 2020.[83]
  • 1.34 kg of CO₂ was reported as the carbon footprint of producing 1 litre of lubricant at BPCL’s Wadilube facility.[84]
  • 9.2% was the estimated overall carbon-storage factor for U.S. lubricants produced in 2020.[83]
  • 4.6 million metric tonnes of carbon were contained in U.S. lubricant production in 2020.[83]
  • 900 tonnes of annual emissions are expected to be avoided at Shell’s Zhuhai lubricant plant through thermal-energy storage.[29]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Global operating footprints remain central, including Shell’s lubricants marketing volume of 44 thousand barrels per day in Asia in 2025.

Globalization in the lubrication industry

  • 44 thousand barrels per day was Shell’s lubricants marketing volume in Asia in 2025.[29]
  • 29% of FUCHS sales came from Asia-Pacific in 2023, compared with 17% in 2000.[92]
  • €3.541 billion was FUCHS sales by customer location in 2023, compared with €902 million in 2000.[92]
  • 30% of global lubricant demand was in the Americas in 2023, down from 35% in 2000.[92]
  • 3 thousand barrels per day was Shell’s lubricants marketing volume in Africa in 2025.[29]

Cultural adaptation in the lubrication industry

  • Almost 90% of FUCHS employees said they were proud to work for the company in its first global employee survey in 2025.[33]
  • 55 companies operated in the FUCHS Group worldwide, supporting local market presence in 2025.[33]
  • More than 6,000 employees worked for FUCHS worldwide in 2025, reflecting its multinational operating model.[33]
  • 34 production sites supported FUCHS’s global lubricant operations in 2022.[33]
  • 3 regional research and development centers—in Germany, the United States and China—formed FUCHS’s global research organization in 2025.[71]

Supplier management in the lubrication industry

  • 4 large additive companies had established manufacturing plants in Singapore to supply Asian markets in 2023.[31]
  • 26% of global lubricating-oil-additives consumption occurred in North America in 2023.[31]
  • 8% of global lubricating-oil-additives consumption occurred in the Middle East and Africa in 2023.[31]
  • 36 of 73 UEIL member companies volunteered to share sustainability reports or best practices in 2021.[23]
  • 89 lubricant marketers participated in the UEIL sustainability survey in 2021.[23]

Stakeholder management in the lubrication industry

  • 100,000 customers were served by FUCHS across industries including automotive, mining, aerospace and transport in 2025.[33]
  • €3.6 billion was FUCHS sales revenue in 2025.[33]
  • 641,000 MWh of energy-efficiency savings were delivered for Klüber Lubrication customers in 2024.[61]
  • €316 million was FUCHS free cash flow before acquisitions in 2025.[33]
  • 35% of FUCHS strategic suppliers improved their sustainability rating compared with the previous year in 2022.[71]

Distribution channels in the lubrication industry

  • 92,000 points of sale were reached by Moove’s exclusive distribution network in South America at December 31, 2022.[93]
  • 6.5 million litres was the increase in Moove lubricant sales in South America during the six months ended June 30, 2024.[93]
  • 3 distribution routes—direct sales, distributors and digital platforms—were identified in FUCHS’s lubricant value chain in 2025.[94]
  • 18 countries were covered by Kline’s Asia-Pacific finished-lubricants demand database in its 2023 edition.[55]
  • 102,000 points of sale were reached by Moove’s exclusive indirect distribution network in South America at December 31, 2023.[93]

Key questions about the lubrication industry

What is the global lubricants market size in 2026?
The global lubricants market is projected at $173.1 billion in 2026.
How fast is the lubricants market expected to grow after 2026?
Growth is forecast at a 3.2% CAGR from 2026–2035, increasing from $173.1 billion to $230.7 billion.
Which companies lead the lubrication industry?
The Lubrizol Corporation leads Gitnux's 2026 lubrication ranking with an Overall score of 9.0, with additive technologies that form the performance backbone of modern lubricants. PETRONAS is the highest-ranked finished lubricant producer at 8.9, backed by products available in more than 100 countries through PETRONAS Lubricants International.
What technology shifts are showing up in lubrication in 2026?
Lubrication R&D and testing increasingly use AI: 85% of lubricant-sales survey contributors already use AI occasionally or regularly in 2026.
How concentrated is the lubricating-oil-additives market?
It is highly concentrated: the top four additive suppliers accounted for 80%+ in 2023.
What regulatory checkpoints affect used-oil handling in the United States?
Used-oil handlers are governed by EPA standards in 40 CFR Part 279, and the EPA estimates 380 million gallons are recycled annually.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Lubrication Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/lubrication-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Lubrication Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 10 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/lubrication-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Lubrication Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/lubrication-industry-statistics.

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