Glass & Glass Product 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 1,310 glass manufacturers in the US produce glass products, including flat glass, containers, glassware, housewares, and specialty glass, and process glass via coating, laminating, tempering, and shaping to give the glass specified or regulated properties. The industry is concentrated with the 20 largest firms controlling 65% of revenue.
Volatile Energy Costs
Glass manufacturing is an energy-intensive activity and fluctuations in the price of natural gas and other fuels can have a significant impact on operating costs.
Recycled Raw Materials
Manufacturers can use cullet (recycled glass) to make new glass products while reducing energy costs and emissions.
Industry size & Structure
A typical glass and glass product manufacturer operates out of a single location, employs 65 workers, and generates about $19.5 million annually.
- The glass and glass product manufacturing industry comprises about 1,310 companies, employing more than 82,200 workers and generating about $26.4 billion annually.
- The average manufacturer of other blown or pressed glass operates out of a single location, employs about 32 workers, and generates $9 million annually.
- The average container manufacturer operates out of 1-2 locations, employs about 183 workers, and generates about $121 million annually.
- The industry is concentrated with the 20 largest firms controlling 65% of revenue.
- About 63% of establishments have fewer than 20 employees.
- Large US companies include O-I Glass, Owens Corning, Anchor Hocking, Apogee, and American Fiber Green Products. Some large companies operate internationally.
Industry Forecast
Glass & Glass Product Manufacturers Industry Growth
Recent Developments
Jan 30, 2025 - Prices Rise, Employment Falls
- The producer price index for glass and glass product manufacturers, which measures prices producers receive for their output, rose 2.8% in December compared to a year ago after climbing 4.7% in the previous December-versus-December annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Producer prices were at near record levels in December, supported by rising residential construction spending in November on an annual basis, according to the Census Bureau. Meanwhile, employment by the industry shrank 3.2% year over year in November and remains below pre-pandemic levels, BLS data shows. The US glass industry is struggling to hire amid an acute labor shortage.
- President Trump's tariffs threats, if realized, could worsen the existing labor shortage in the US manufacturing sector, Inc reported in December. If, as the president has suggested, 25% tariffs on exports from Mexico, Canada, the European Union, and other US trading partners, result in largescale reshoring of jobs to the US, it would add to the tally of US factory jobs that currently go unfilled. According to data cited by The Wall Street Journal, the number of available manufacturing jobs that went unfilled each month held steady at about 100,000 throughout 2024. Moreover, the domestic labor pool may not be able to fill millions of new positions expected to be created in the next few years, Inc writes. Trump’s promise to deport undocumented workers and restrict immigration would only exacerbate the current labor shortage, some business owners say.
- Manufacturers of glass and glass products are facing an acute labor shortage, which only looks to get worse, Glass Magazine reported recently. “Labor is the number one challenge for fabricators, glaziers, and full-service glass companies," says Jenni Chase, VP of Workforce Development for the National Glass Association, adding, "It is the biggest pain point for the glass industry,” Moreover, the construction and manufacturing industries are also facing a chronic labor shortage. Construction will need half a million workers on top of the normal hiring rate to keep up with labor demand in 2024 and again in 2025, per the Associated Builders and Contractors. A study by Deloitte and the National Association of Manufacturing reports that the ongoing shortage of skilled labor could lead to 2.1 million unfilled jobs by 2030. Recognizing the severity of the labor shortage, the NGA has added Workforce Development to its organizational goals.
- Shop floor injuries needn’t be serious to be costly, according to The Travelers Companies 2024 Injury Impact Report. The insurer 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, with slips, trips, and falls topping 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 that manufacturers of glass and glass products can focus on to reduce injuries and time lost.
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