Welding market seen topping $40B by 2030, led by Asia-Pacific and China

By AI, Created 5:20 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – The Business Research Company says the global welding equipment, accessories and consumables market will reach $40.3 billion by 2030, driven by infrastructure, automotive manufacturing and automation. Asia-Pacific is projected to lead the market, with China the largest national market and arc welding the biggest technology segment.

Why it matters: - The welding equipment, accessories and consumables market is moving with industrial output, construction spending and factory automation. - The market is forecast to reach $40.3 billion by 2030, making it a meaningful slice of the broader metal and mineral industry. - Growth in welding demand matters for automotive, construction, shipbuilding, rail and heavy engineering supply chains.

What happened: - The Business Research Company published its Welding Equipment, Accessories, and Consumables Market Report 2026, covering market size, trends and global forecasts for 2026-2035. - The report says the global market will surpass $40 billion by 2030. - The company pegs the broader metal and mineral industry at $9,886 billion by 2030, putting welding equipment, accessories and consumables at nearly 0.4% of total market value. - The report is available through the company’s announcement.

The details: - Asia-Pacific is projected to be the largest regional market in 2030 at $17 billion, up from $12 billion in 2025. - Asia-Pacific is expected to grow at a 7% CAGR through 2030. - China is forecast to be the largest country market in 2030 at $10 billion, up from $7 billion in 2025. - China is expected to grow at an 8% CAGR through 2030. - Arc welding is projected to be the largest technology segment in 2030, accounting for 68% of the market, or $28 billion. - The market is segmented by technology into arc welding, oxy-fuel welding and other technologies. - The market is segmented by equipment type into welding electrodes, filler metals and oxy-fuel gas. - The market is segmented by application into automotive, building and construction, heavy engineering, railway and shipbuilding, oil and gas, and other applications. - The report cites a 7% expected CAGR for the overall market through 2030. - The report says infrastructure and construction activity could contribute about 2.8% annual growth to the market. - Automotive and transportation manufacturing could add about 2.5% annual growth. - Adoption of automation and robotic welding systems could contribute around 2.2% annual growth. - The report says arc welding, oxy-fuel welding and other technologies together could add more than $10 billion in market value by 2030. - Arc welding is projected to grow by $7 billion from 2025 to 2030. - Oxy-fuel welding is projected to grow by $2 billion over the same period. - Other technologies are projected to grow by $1 billion.

Between the lines: - The regional and segment breakdown points to where industrial investment is concentrated: China, Asia-Pacific manufacturing hubs and automated welding systems. - The forecast also suggests demand is shifting toward higher-productivity welding methods that support large-scale fabrication and repeatable weld quality. - The strongest end markets are the same ones tied to infrastructure buildouts and industrial production, which helps explain why arc welding remains dominant.

What’s next: - More demand is expected from bridges, rail networks, commercial buildings, industrial facilities and shipbuilding projects. - Continued EV, commercial vehicle and rail production should support welding equipment and consumables demand. - Manufacturers are likely to keep expanding automated and robotic welding capacity as labor efficiency and production quality become more important.

The bottom line: - The welding market is on track for steady mid-single-digit growth, with Asia-Pacific and China doing the heaviest lifting and arc welding remaining the core technology.