Clay Product & Refractory Manufacturers
Industry Profile Report
Dive Deep into the industry with a 25+ page industry report (pdf format) including the following chapters
Industry Overview Current Conditions, Industry Structure, How Firms Operate, Industry Trends, Credit Underwriting & Risks, and Industry Forecast.
Call Preparation Call Prep Questions, Industry Terms, and Weblinks.
Financial Insights Working Capital, Capital Financing, Business Valuation, and Financial Benchmarks.
Industry Profile Excerpts
Industry Overview
The 860 clay product and refractory manufacturers in the US produce structural products, refractories, whitewares, and technical or engineered goods. Structural products include brick, roofing tiles, pipes, and flooring tiles. Refractories are made to withstand high temperatures - over 1,000 degrees - and include fireplace liner bricks, kiln and forge lining materials, crucibles for metal and glass melting, and gas burner components. Whitewares tend to be more delicate and include dishes, china, wall tiles, lamp bases, statuary, pottery, and sanitary porcelain (sinks, toilets, and urinals). Technical or engineered products include ceramic disk brakes, ballistic protection, biomedical implants, mechanical bearings, and missile nose cones.
Competition from Alternative Materials
Manufacturers of clay products compete for market share against manufacturers making similar products from alternative materials.
Volatile Energy Costs
Clay product and refractory manufacturers have high energy expenses because materials are baked or fired to obtain their rigid form.
Industry size & Structure
A typical clay product and refractory manufacturer operates out of 1-2 locations, employs 41-42 workers, and generates about $10 million annually.
- The clay product and refractory manufacturing industry consists of about 860 companies which employ about 35,800 workers and generate about $8.9 billion annually.
- Pottery, ceramics, and plumbing fixture manufacturers represent 60% of firms but employ just 35% of workers and generate 31% of industry revenue. Clay building materials and refractory product manufacturers represent 40% of firms and employ 65% of workers and generate 69% of industry revenue.
- Customer industries include building materials distributors, construction firms, utilities (water/sewer/power), oil and gas producers, government (military/law enforcement), hardware and home improvement stores, electrical supplies distributors, electronic component manufacturers, home furnishings wholesalers and retailers, foodservice providers (restaurants, caterers, hotels), kiln manufacturers, and manufacturers of products that requiring kiln-firing or extremely high temperature to cure.
- Large companies include General Shale Brick, Corning, Lenox, CoorsTek, Ortech Ceramics, American Standard, and Mohawk Industries (Daltile, Marazzi).
- The industry is concentrated with the 20 largest firms representing about 52% of industry revenue.
Industry Forecast
Clay Product & Refractory Manufacturers Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Mar 20, 2025 - Wages Rising Amid Flat Employment
- Residential construction spending – a driver of demand for sanitary porcelain and brick and tile building materials – rose a modest 0.9% in November compared to a year ago but fell 6.8% from October, according to the latest data from the Census Bureau. A decade of under-building that began following the Great Recession has created a US housing deficit of some 1.5 million homes, according to the National Association of Home Builders, signaling significant future demand for the industry’s products. Employment by clay product and refractory manufacturers was relatively flat year over year in January, while average wages at nonmetallic mineral product manufacturers rose 7.8% YoY in February to a new high of $27.72 per hour, BLS data show.
- Tariff and housing cost concerns are causing confidence among US home builders to decline, the National Association of Home Builders reports. Builder confidence in the market for newly built single-family homes measured 42 in February, down five points from January and the lowest level in five months, according to the NAHB/Wells Fargo Housing Market Index (HMI) released on February 18. “Uncertainty on the tariff front helped push builders’ expectations for future sales volume down to the lowest level since December 2023,” said said NAHB Chairman Carl Harris, adding “Incentive use may also be weakening as a sales strategy as elevated interest rates reduce the pool of eligible home buyers.” New home construction drives demand for sanitary products such as sinks and toilets, brick, roofing and flooring tiles, whitewares, and other products produced by the industry.
- The devastating loss of life and property caused by the January wildfires in Los Angeles is drawing attention to fire-resistant building materials. Materials including brick, concrete, and steel are designed to withstand high temperatures and resist ignition, reducing the risk of fire damage and increasing safety. ”Brick is a safer building material than others for a very simple reason,” according to brickmaker and distributor Acme Brick. “With its main component being clay, brick can withstand heat over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, depending on its composition and purpose. Brick is classified as a non-combustible material, meaning it can serve to both resist and contain fire.” Fire testing performed at the National Brick Research Center found that brick, on average, provides 1.5 hours of protection before a fire breaches a home, compared to less than 30 minutes for vinyl and fiber-cement siding.
- Shop floor injuries needn’t be serious to be costly. In its 2024 Injury Impact Report, the insurer The Travelers Companies found the most common workplace accidents accounted for the majority of claim costs. The most frequent causes of injury identified in the report included overexertion (29% of claims analyzed); slips, trips, and falls (23%); being struck by an object (12%). Those injuries were also the top drivers of severe claims, defined as $250,000 or more. Slips, trips, and falls, which include falls from height, topped that list. Injuries related to overexertion can result in extended absences with injuries like dislocations having the highest number of average lost-time days at 142 days, followed by fractures (92 days), and inflammation (85 days). Improving shop floor ergonomics, eliminating trip/fall hazards, and material handling mishaps are three areas manufacturers can focus on to reduce injuries and time lost.
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