Foundry Market Size, Share, Growth and Forecast, 2025-2035

Foundry market value rises while world tonnage stays flat

The global foundry market was valued at USD 156.10 billion in 2025 and is projected to increase from USD 166.01 billion in 2026 to USD 288.92 billion by 2035, registering a CAGR of 6.35% during 2026–2035. Demand comes from automakers, machinery builders, aircraft engine programs, water utilities and power equipment makers, which buy shapes that are too complex to stamp or machine economically. World output held near 111.1 million tons in 2024, according to the journal Casting Processes, so value growth depends more on alloy mix, part complexity and automation than on tonnage. Asia Pacific held the largest regional share, 45.6% in 2025, because China alone poured 50.75 million tons in 2024. Asia Pacific is also the fastest-growing region at 7.11% a year as Indian producers add capacity. The largest commercial change came in September 2026, when GE Aerospace agreed to buy Consolidated Precision Products for $11.75 billion, which priced aerospace casting capacity as a strategic asset.

What does the foundry market count and leave out?

The report counts the value of finished ferrous and non-ferrous castings poured by sand, die, investment and permanent mold foundries, including captive shops inside vehicle and machinery groups. Buyers usually purchase castings under multiyear part programs, with prices tied to metal surcharges, so reported value moves with both alloy costs and order mix.

Chip fabrication is excluded, although the word foundry also describes contract semiconductor manufacturing, and that is where TSMC and GlobalFoundries belong. Forging, stamping and raw metal production also sit outside the count. Molding equipment, binders, coatings and foundry sand are upstream purchases, so this report discusses them as cost and technology factors and does not add their sales to the casting total.

Sand molds lead value as die casting gains on them

Why does sand casting still lead the process mix?

Based on casting process, the market is categorized into sand casting, die casting, permanent mold casting and investment casting. Sand Casting led with 42.0% of 2025 value because large iron parts still need expendable molds, and the DISAMATIC C5 vertical line launched in May 2026 makes 400 uncored molds an hour, according to Foundry-Planet. Die Casting grows fastest at 7.31% a year as automakers consolidate vehicle structures, and AL Circle reported in May 2026 that Volvo ordered two 9,000-ton presses for Kosice, Slovakia, in November 2023.

How far can aluminum cut into iron and steel castings?

Based on material, the market is categorized into ferrous and non-ferrous castings, which cover iron and steel on one side and aluminum and magnesium on the other. Ferrous metals led with 62.0% of 2025 value because pipe, machinery and truck work still rely on iron, and Electrosteel Castings alone reported volumes of 584,000 tons of pipes and fittings in the year to March 2026. Non-Ferrous metals grow fastest at 7.38% a year as electric platforms remove engine iron, and Foundry Frontier, the Institute of Indian Foundrymen newsletter, warned in January 2026 that roughly a third of ferrous capacity could fall idle.

Which buyers set the volume and which set the margin?

Based on end use, the market is categorized into automotive, construction and infrastructure, energy, aerospace and others, including machinery and farm equipment. Automotive led with 38.0% of 2025 value because vehicle programs fill the largest lines, and Foundry Frontier reported in January 2026 that 40% of Indian foundry units depend on the auto sector. Aerospace grows fastest at 7.72% a year as engine makers secure superalloy capacity, with Howmet Aerospace carrying more than $325 million of active and proposed projects worldwide in November 2026, including its Wichita Falls, Texas, foundry.

Do small foundries keep their place as automation costs rise?

Based on foundry size, the market is categorized into large foundries and small and medium foundries, which differ mainly in capital access and customer reach. Large Foundries led with 58.0% of 2025 value because automation favors scale, and AL Circle put a full giant die-casting cell at USD 50 million to USD 100 million in May 2026. Small & Medium Foundries grow fastest at 6.64% a year from a fragmented base, as India counts about 4,500 units, 85% of them small, according to the Bharat Foundry 360 report of February 2026, and smaller units supply over half of Indian casting exports.

Vehicle redesign and turbine capacity pull casting orders

How is vehicle redesign changing casting orders?

Automakers are replacing welded assemblies with single large castings, which moves value from stamping plants into casting cells. AL Circle reported in May 2026 that presses have advanced from 6,000 tons in 2020 to 16,000 tons, with 20,000-ton machines announced. BYD paid about RMB 390.5 million for one 9,000-ton press, while Toyota plans the method for electric vehicles on sale in 2026, starting in Shanghai. Supply is consolidating too, because Nemak announced on July 30, 2025 that it would buy nine GF Casting Solutions plants for an enterprise value of $336 million, and it announced the closing on Feb. 12, 2026. As a result, high-pressure aluminum components now anchor multiyear supply contracts, and Nemak told investors in July 2026 that its Augusta, Georgia, plant would start production in the second half of that year.

Why are engine makers competing for casting capacity?

Jet engine and gas turbine programs have turned superalloy casting into a scarce capacity that buyers now want to own or lock in. The Howmet Aerospace 2025 annual filing lists investment castings for jet engines and industrial gas turbines among its products, and the company operates in 19 countries. Its Whitehall, Michigan, expansion finished in April 2026 and added ceramic core production, and the Wichita Falls City Council approved $5.275 million in support in September 2026. Turbomachinery Magazine reported that GE Aerospace will pay $11.75 billion for Consolidated Precision Products, with closing expected in the second half of 2027. SpaceX is also building its own blade and vane foundry in Bastrop, Texas, which shows how far vertical integration has spread among engine buyers.

Download Free Sample

How much capacity is India adding for export programs?

India has become the main volume addition outside China, and its producers are funding plants against export and domestic vehicle programs. The journal Casting Processes shows Indian output rising from 12.44 million tons in fiscal 2021–22 to 15.16 million tons in fiscal 2023–24, while world output stayed flat. Kirloskar Ferrous Industries is working toward a 300,000-ton annual casting target and commissioning a sixth foundry, according to its May 2026 disclosures. JS Auto Cast announced in December 2024 that it would lift Perundurai capacity from 72,000 tons to 116,000 tons, and Brakes India said in July 2024 that it would double its Gujarat foundry to 60,000 tons. These additions explain why Asia Pacific remains the fastest-growing region in the forecast.

What is lifting U.S. casting orders and spending?

U.S. foundries are entering a modest upturn that combines reshored work with a broad round of plant spending. The American Foundry Society outlook published Jan. 5, 2026 projects casting sales growth of 4.1% in 2026 and an average of 4.6% a year through 2030. More than 41% of respondents reported more reshored orders because of tariffs, and more than 60% expected higher sales over the following 12 months. The same survey found that 96% of foundries planned capital investments in 2026, led by grinding equipment, Industry 4.0 systems, robotics and molding equipment. North America, with 24.4% of 2025 value, carries much of this spending.

Molding lines and binders change the foundry floor

The shift to faster molding lines and digital core making

Foundry equipment purchases are moving toward lines that raise output per worker and cut rework. DISA launched the DISAMATIC C5 in May 2026, rated at 340 cored molds an hour, and its first unit was pledged to a greenfield project at Niusu Science & Technology. The maker claims that grinding and rework fall by 50%, although that remains a vendor figure. Modern Casting reported in April 2022 that Kimura Foundry America was adding a fourth 3D sand printer in Shelbyville, Indiana, while its Japanese parent ran six. In turn, solidification modeling software now shapes tooling decisions earlier, because printed cores let engineers test designs without new patterns.

The rise of regional binder and coating supply

Foundry chemicals suppliers are moving production closer to customers as local casting clusters grow and environmental rules tighten. HA Group opened a coatings plant in Miryang, South Korea, which it describes as strengthening its presence in Asia. Foundry Frontier, the Institute of Indian Foundrymen newsletter, sized the Indian foundry chemicals market at INR 1,500 crore to INR 2,000 crore a year in February 2026, with growth of at least 6% a year over the next decade. ASK Chemicals had already bought resin plants in Brazil, India and South Africa from SI Group under an agreement announced in July 2021. Foundries are also budgeting for VOC mitigation systems and dust collectors, the same newsletter noted, which keeps demand for lower-emission binders tied to compliance spending.

Download Free Sample

An opening in heavy ductile iron for wind and hydro

Heavy ductile iron for wind and hydro offers an opening for foundries that can pour large sections and machine them in-house. Baettr designed its Chennai foundry to reach 50,000 tons of annual output in 2025, with parts of up to 35 tons from the start, according to Giesserei Lexikon. Foundry Frontier reported in February 2026 that ductile iron castings for wind and hydro will lift demand for specialized coatings, riser sleeves, inoculants and fluxes. Hubs and frames for direct-drive turbines suit this work because few plants can handle the weight. Energy castings hold a modest position today, although the segment still outgrows the wider market, and buyers in Asia Pacific and Europe want suppliers outside a single country.

An opening in low-carbon melting and renewable power

Low-carbon melting offers foundries an opening to protect margins and qualify for customers that now price embedded emissions. The definitive regime of the EU carbon border mechanism has applied since Jan. 1, 2026, and it requires importers above 50 tons of covered goods to obtain declarant status. Kirloskar Ferrous Industries is investing in 90 MW of renewable power, and its May 2026 disclosures put the benefit of its power initiatives at INR 70 crore in the latest fiscal year. Foundry Frontier estimated captive solar at INR 3.5 crore to INR 4.5 crore per MW, and it said exchange-bought renewable power could be 20% to 30% cheaper than thermal power. Foundries with documented melt emissions can therefore use those records as a selling point with European engine and vehicle buyers.

Carbon costs and weak pipe orders squeeze margins

How much will carbon rules add to metal inputs?

Carbon pricing raises metal input costs for European foundries because finished imported castings face limited coverage while their raw materials face more. Foundry-Planet estimated in July 2026 that South African pig iron could cost about €210 a ton more in 2026 and Ukrainian pig iron about €100 more, assuming €80 per ton of carbon. Italy sources almost 90% of its pig iron outside the EU, so its foundries are exposed. Producers can respond by using more scrap, although that raises quality control costs.

What happens to iron foundries as engines disappear?

Electric vehicles threaten engine block and transmission work, which has long filled ferrous lines and paid for their fixed costs. Foundry Frontier warned in January 2026 that 30% to 35% of ferrous foundry capacity could become idle as vehicle platforms move toward aluminum. Hyundai pushed back its large casting program by two years, according to AL Circle in May 2026, so this transition is uneven and hard to plan around. Iron foundries therefore need to shift toward machinery, rail and energy work.

Why do pipe orders swing with public budgets?

Water pipe demand follows public budgets, which makes volumes for gray and ductile iron parts hard to predict. Electrosteel Castings reported on May 19, 2026, that its volume fell to 584,000 tons in fiscal 2026 from 781,000 tons a year earlier, and it cited lower government spending on water projects. Pipe makers carry heavy fixed costs, so a drop of that size hurts margins quickly. Export contracts and fittings work can soften the effect, although they rarely replace a national program.

How are tariffs splitting foundry opinion?

U.S. tariffs help some domestic foundries while raising input costs and disrupting export routes for others. Foundry Frontier listed a 50% U.S. duty on steel, aluminum and derivatives, and it said India ships about 800,000 tons of castings to the U.S. each year. American Foundry Society members were divided in their late 2025 survey, with 56.9% calling the effect mixed and 25.5% calling it negative. Indian exporters are responding by seeking European and domestic orders, although requalifying parts takes time.

China and India pour most metal, the U.S. earns more per ton

Asia Pacific leads on Chinese volume and Indian growth

Asia Pacific held 45.6% of 2025 value and grows at 7.11% a year, making it both the largest and the fastest region. China poured 50.75 million tons in 2024, close to 46% of world output, although its tonnage fell 1.6% a year from 2022, according to Casting Processes. India provides the growth instead, and Japan slipped to about 4.85 million tons in 2023. HA Group, Baettr and DISA have all placed recent capacity or products in this region to serve those buyers.

North America earns more per ton on aerospace work

North America held 24.4% of 2025 value and grows at 5.71% a year, supported by higher-value alloys rather than tonnage. The American Foundry Society counts more than 160,000 direct U.S. jobs, and it ranks the country third in world output behind China and India. Aerospace programs at Howmet Aerospace and Consolidated Precision Products lift average value, while Nemak adds structural aluminum work in Georgia. Reshored orders provide further support, although results vary widely by end market.

Download Free Sample

Europe defends value under carbon and energy pressure

Europe held 18.4% of 2025 value and grows at 5.01% a year, the slowest pace of the five regions. Casting Processes reports that the 22 member countries of the European foundry association CAEF produced 12.634 million tons in 2024, with Germany pouring 3.364 million tons, and German output fell 5% a year from 2022. Carbon border costs now weigh on pig iron and ferronickel inputs. Volvo in Slovakia and GF Altenmarkt in Austria show that large aluminum casting investment continues despite that pressure.

Latin America follows vehicle and machinery programs

Latin America held 7.1% of 2025 value and grows at 6.41% a year, with demand centered on Mexico and Brazil. Mexico-based Nemak gives the region a global aluminum casting leader with plants across several continents. Brazil poured 3.07 million tons in 2013, according to the Modern Casting census carried by Foundry-Planet, the latest country figure opened for this report, so current Brazilian tonnage remains an estimate. Vehicle programs and farm machinery continue to account for much of the regional order book.

Middle East and Africa remains a small import-led market

Middle East & Africa held 4.4% of 2025 value and grows at 6.81% a year from a small base. In the Credence Research assessment, local casting serves mining, oil and gas, water and valve work, while vehicle parts are largely imported. Indian supplier Brakes India announced a plan in October 2008 to double its Oman plant to 36,000 tons, which remains an example of export-oriented capacity in the Gulf. South Africa also matters upstream, because its pig iron faces the highest increase among the pig iron origins cited under the EU carbon rules.

Download Free Sample

Deals and plants that reset casting capacity since 2024

Process choices that decide casting cost and yield

• Green sand molding remains the low-cost route for iron parts, and vertical lines now reach 400 uncored molds an hour.
• High-pressure die casting gives fast cycles for aluminum, although large cells need heavy capital and dedicated power supply.
• Investment casting produces airfoils with internal cooling passages, which depend on ceramic cores such as those made at Whitehall, Michigan.
• 3D sand printing removes the need for patterns on complex cores, which suits low-volume and prototype work at plants such as Shelbyville, Indiana.

Scale buyers and engine suppliers reshape competition

Competition splits along process lines, because a pipe maker, an aluminum structure supplier and a turbine blade foundry rarely bid for the same work. Consolidation is strongest where customers need scale, as the Nemak purchase of GF plants and the GE Aerospace agreement for Consolidated Precision Products both show. Howmet Aerospace competes on superalloy know-how and qualified airfoil lines, while Kirloskar Ferrous Industries and Brakes India compete on iron capacity and machining for vehicle customers. Electrosteel Castings depends more on public water programs, and Baettr focuses on heavy wind parts. Companies in contract chipmaking share only the name with this industry, so market share comparisons that include TSMC measure a different business. The castings field stays fragmented overall, and no single producer holds a large global share.

Companies profiled and their roles in this market

Why value outruns tonnage through 2035

Credence Research's view is that the forecast depends on price and mix rather than on pouring more metal, because world tonnage barely moved from 2022 to 2024. Aluminum structures, superalloy airfoils and heavy wind parts carry far more value per ton than the gray iron they partly replace. The main risk is that the 6.35% rate proves optimistic if ferrous capacity closes faster than new work arrives, since the outlook published by the American Foundry Society shows 4.6% a year in the U.S. through 2030. Buyers should therefore secure qualified capacity early in aerospace and large aluminum parts, where the recent deals show that supply is tightening.

How the casting value model was built

The report uses 2025 as the base year, 2026 as the first forecast year and 2035 as the final year. Market values come from the Credence Research model, which was checked against published world output, national production statistics and American Foundry Society sales data. Segment and regional splits are Credence Research estimates based on those sources, on company filings and on trade press reports. No interviews or surveys were conducted for this report, and semiconductor fabrication is excluded from every figure.

Alloy mix and part complexity set the 2035 outcome

The market should reach USD 288.92 billion by 2035, with the gain coming mainly from non-ferrous parts, aerospace alloys and Indian capacity. Iron foundries will need new work as engine programs decline, so machinery, rail, water and wind orders matter more over the period. European producers should keep investing in lower-carbon melting while the carbon border rules develop, and U.S. producers will watch whether reshored orders outlast current tariffs. Foundries that combine automation with documented emissions data are best placed, although smaller units can still hold specialized regional work.

Note: The depth of individual sections depends on data availability for this market. Volume, capacity, trade and other unit-based metrics are included where applicable.