Industrial gases
Industrial gases are chemicals that can be either elemental gases, chemical compounds, organic or inorganic. They are known by different names across different industries, such as; specialty gases, medical gases, fuel gases and refrigerant gases.
Nitrogen, oxygen, carbon dioxide, argon, hydrogen, helium and acetylene are some of the more common industrial gases. Balloon helium and medical oxygen are two well-known industrial gases used by general population at large.
Oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, petrochemicals, steelmaking, water, food, fertilizers, chemicals, power, mining, metals, environmental protection, medicine, biotechnology, nuclear power, electronics and aerospace are some of the major end-user industries for industrial gases. They are also used by the medical and food industries as medical gases and processing and packaging gases for food.
The chemical and refining-related industrial processing market leads the global industrial gases market followed by metal manufacturing and fabrication industry.
Asia-Pacific has the largest market share for industrial gases, followed by North America and Europe. Demand for industrial gases in the Asia-Pacific market is expected to dominate the global market in the future due to increasing domestic consumption in the developing markets of India and China.
Increasing international and domestic trade may create a boom in the industrial sector in developing countries such as India and Brazil. Industries such as transportation, food and beverages, metal fabrication and chemical are expected to grow. This might provide growth opportunities. In addition, the increasing industrialisation of the Asia-Pacific and Middle East is expected to provide growth opportunities.
Increasing urbanisation may be a major driver for the growth of the market in developing countries, increasing demand from the utilities and process industries such as oil and gas, energy, and petroleum. Strict environment regulations however might hamper the growth.
The industrial gases market is dominated by a few major players who held more than two third of the market share in 2012. L'Air Liquide S.A dominated the global industrial gases market with more than one fifth of the market share. Other major players are; Air Products and Chemicals Inc., Linde AG, Praxair Inc., Taiyo Nippon Sanso Corp., Airgas Inc., Matheson tri-Gas Inc. and Air Gas Inc.
Featured articles and news
ECA digital series unveils road to net-zero.
Retrofit and Decarbonisation framework N9 launched
Aligned with LHCPG social value strategy and the Gold Standard.
Competence framework for sustainability
In the built environment launched by CIC and the Edge.
Institute of Roofing members welcomed into CIOB
IoR members transition to CIOB membership based on individual expertise and qualifications.
Join the Building Safety Linkedin group to stay up-to-date and join the debate.
Government responds to the final Grenfell Inquiry report
A with a brief summary with reactions to their response.
A brief description and background to this new February law.
Everything you need to know about building conservation and the historic environment.
NFCC publishes Industry White Paper on Remediation
Calling for a coordinated approach and cross-departmental Construction Skills Strategy to manage workforce development.
'who blames whom and for what, and there are three reasons for doing that: legal , cultural and moral"
How the Home Energy Model will be different from SAP
Comparing different building energy models.
Mapping approaches for standardisation.
UK Construction contract spending up at the start of 2025
New construction orders increase by 69 percent on December.
Preparing for the future: how specifiers can lead the way
As the construction industry prepares for the updated home and building efficiency standards.
Embodied Carbon in the Built Environment
A practical guide for built environment professionals.
Updating the minimum energy efficiency standards
Background and key points to the current consultation.
Heritage building skills and live-site training.