Proppants Market Report by Product Type (Resin Coated Sand, Ceramic Proppants, Frac Sand), Application (Shale Gas, Tight Gas, Coal Bed Methane, and Others), and Region 2025-2033

The global proppants market size reached USD 9.3 Billion in 2024. Looking forward, IMARC Group expects the market to reach USD 13.9 Billion by 2033, exhibiting a growth rate (CAGR) of 4.32% during 2025-2033.

Proppants are abrasive materials that are employed in the process of hydraulic fracturing, also known as fracking, to keep fissures open in shale rock. They assist in the extraction of oil and gas by forming a channel through which hydrocarbons can flow more freely. It’s widely available in different shapes, sizes, densities and qualities and play a vital role in influencing the final permeability of fissures. These are two types available in the market are naturally occurring (frac sand) and human-made/engineered. Amongst these, man-made proppants are further bifurcated into resin-coated and ceramic variants. It is extensively utilized in the oil and gas industry as they are conductive and crush resistant.

Market Drivers:

The rising demand for oil and natural gas in both developed and emerging economies represents one of the significant growth-inducing factors in the proppants industry. Earlier, oil and natural gas were procured using traditional extraction techniques. As these resources are depleting, there has been a subsequent rise in the adoption of unconventional oil and gas extraction techniques that involve the usage of proppants for smooth flow of resources. Besides this, manufacturers are also introducing new fracking techniques such as horizontal multistage fracturing. Since these techniques are anticipated to gain traction in the coming years, they are creating a positive outlook for the market. Furthermore, enhanced research and development (R&D) to develop lightweight proppant variants are also contributing to the market growth.

Key Market Segmentation:

IMARC Group provides an analysis of the key trends in each sub-segment of the global proppants market report, along with forecasts at the global and regional level from 2025-2033. Our report has categorized the market based on product type and application.

Breakup by Product Type:

• Resin Coated Sand
• Ceramic Proppants
• Frac Sand

Frac sand currently represents the most preferred product type owing to its low price.

Breakup by Application:

• Shale Gas
• Tight Gas
• Coal Bed Methane
• Others

At present, shale gas accounts for the majority of the total market share on account of its extensive usage in power generation and transportation.

Regional Insights:

• North America
• Asia Pacific
• Europe
• Middle East and Africa
• Latin America

On the geographical front, North America represents the largest market. This can be accredited to the moderate recovery in oil prices and the introduction of longer laterals to increase natural gas production in the region.

Competitive Landscape:

The competitive landscape of the market has been analyzed in the report, along with the detailed profiles of the major players operating in the industry. Some of the leading players are:

• Carbo Ceramics Inc.
• Saint-Gobain Proppants Inc.
• U.S. Silica Holdings, Inc.
• Borovichi Refractories Plant
• Yixing Orient Petroleum Proppant Co., Ltd.
• Mineração Curimbaba Ltda.
• China GengSheng Minerals, Inc.
• Fairmount Santrol Holdings Inc.
• Superior Silica Sands LLC
• Hi-Crush Inc.
• Hexion Inc.
• Unimin Corporation
• Preferred Sands LLC
• Fores Ltd.
• Badger Mining Corporation (BMC)
• Smart Sand Inc.
• Mississippi Sand LLC
• ChangQing Proppant Corporation
• Yangquan Changqing Petroleum Proppants Co., Ltd.
• Eagle Materials Inc.

Key Questions Answered in This Report:

• How has the global proppants market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?
• What has been the impact of COVID-19 on the global proppants market?
• What are the key regions?
• Which are the popular product types?
• What are the key application segments?
• What are the various stages in the value chain of the global proppants market?
• What are the key driving factors and challenges in the global proppants market?
• What is the structure of the global proppants market and who are the key players?
• What is the degree of competition in the global proppants market?
• How are proppants manufactured?