Lincoln Electric holds 5% share as welding products market heads toward $25B

The Lincoln Electric Company led the global welding products market in 2024 with a 5% share, according to The Business Research Company. The market is projected to top $25 billion by 2030, driven by infrastructure spending, automation, and demand for higher-precision welding in automotive, construction, and heavy industry.

Why it matters: - The welding products market is growing alongside infrastructure buildouts, factory automation, and the shift to more precise manufacturing. - A market that tops $25 billion by 2030 would be a meaningful slice of the broader metal products industry. - Competitive share remains concentrated enough that small changes in automation, consumables, and regional expansion can move leaders.

What happened: - The Business Research Company said The Lincoln Electric Company held a 5% share of global welding product sales in 2024. - Illinois Tool Works Inc. and ESAB also held 5% each in 2024. - The top 10 companies controlled 23% of market revenue in 2024. - The report projects the welding products market will surpass $25 billion by 2030. - The market is forecast to grow at a 7% compound annual growth rate through 2030.

The details: - Welding products will make up nearly 0.3% of the broader metal and mineral sector by 2030, based on the report’s forecast of a $9,886 billion sector value. - The broader metal products industry is projected to reach about $3,469 billion in 2030. - Asia-Pacific is expected to be the largest regional market by 2030 at $11 billion, up from $8 billion in 2025. - China is projected to grow from $4 billion in 2025 to $6 billion in 2030. - Solid wires are projected to be the largest product segment in 2030 at 40% of the market, or $10 billion. - The report expects more than $7.4 billion in new market value across stick electrodes, solid wires, flux cored wires, saw wires, fluxes, and other products by 2030. - Solid wires are forecast to add $3 billion in value by 2030. - Flux cored wires are forecast to add $2 billion. - Stick electrodes, saw wires, and fluxes are each forecast to add about $1 billion. - Other products are expected to contribute about $0.4 billion. - The market includes arc welding, resistance welding, oxy fuel welding, laser beam welding, and other technologies. - Major applications include automotive and transportation, building and construction, and marine industries.

Between the lines: - Infrastructure growth in Asia-Pacific is boosting demand for welding consumables such as wires, electrodes, and fluxes. - The report ties about 1.8% annual growth to infrastructure expansion, smart cities, industrial corridors, and tighter construction schedules. - Skilled labor shortages are pushing manufacturers toward automated and semi-automated welding systems. - The report links about 1.7% annual growth to robotic welding demand in automotive, shipbuilding, and heavy engineering. - Lightweight vehicle production, including electric vehicles, is increasing demand for aluminum filler metals. - The report estimates that trend adds about 1.5% per year to market growth. - ESAB launched tracfinder rail and tracfinder wheel welding tractors and the ROBBI Mobile cobot welding system in December 2025, showing how automation vendors are targeting heavy fabrication use cases. - The competitive field remains fragmented, but quality standards, safety requirements, and reliability needs create barriers to entry.

What's next: - The report expects steady demand for high-performance welding materials as automation spreads across industrial sectors. - Asia-Pacific and China are likely to remain the main demand centers through 2030. - Leading suppliers are expected to keep investing in robotic systems, digital monitoring, and broader product lines to defend share. - The company’s 2026 report set includes market attractiveness scoring, TAM analysis, company scoring matrix graphics, Excel dashboards, and trend analysis.

The bottom line: - Lincoln Electric sits at the top of a market that is still fragmented, but automation and industrial expansion are setting up sustained growth through 2030. - The Business Research Company’s report says the welding products market is shifting toward larger, faster-growing segments like solid wires and robotic-compatible consumables.