Air Duct Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Type (Galvanized Steel, Aluminum, Flexible, Fabric and Others), By Shape (Round, Half Round, Square/Rectangular, Triangular and Others), By Application (Public Facilities, Commercial Facilities, Industrial Facilities and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2021-2028

The global air duct market size was USD 8.60 billion in 2020. The global impact of COVID-19 has been unprecedented and staggering, with air ducts witnessing a positive impact on demand across all regions amid the pandemic. Based on our analysis, the global market exhibited a lower growth of 3.8% in 2020 as compared to the average year-on-year growth during 2017-2019. The market is projected to grow from USD 8.94 billion in 2021 to USD 12.16 billion in 2028 at a CAGR of 4.5% during the 2021-2028 period. The rise in CAGR is attributable to this market’s demand and growth returning to pre-pandemic levels once the pandemic is over.

An air duct is designed to distribute airflow from heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) equipment across the entire commercial, public, or industrial facility. These ducts are pipelines that are utilized to transport cooled or heated air to living spaces and return the same amount of air back to the HVAC system, thus minimizing suffocation across the room space.

The rapid augmentation in the installation of smart HVAC systems is a growing trend. The imbibed smart technologies in these systems are strengthening efforts towards sustainability. Such systems are helping to increase energy conservation, save money, and achieve efficiency across commercial, public, and other facilities.

Increasing Installation of Air Ducts amid COVID-19 to Uphold Market Growth

The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has moderately affected the air duct market growth. This is owing to the rising adoption of HVAC systems for maintaining pleasant air quality in commercial and essential buildings, such as healthcare facilities and grocery stores. However, the pandemic has challenged the new installation and maintenance process of the ducting system at every possible facility in the 1^st and 2^nd quarters of 2020.

Additionally, the sudden rise in the average selling price of HVAC units, owing to the higher demand for improved indoor as well as outdoor air quality, has also challenged the new installation processes across India, China, the United Kingdom, the U.S., Italy, France, and Spain.

The Federation of European Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Associations (REHVA) has published guidelines to mitigate the impact of the virus outbreak by installing HVAC systems in buildings that are located in the affected areas. Thus, the demand for the installation of these systems is experiencing rapid ascent to provide fresh indoor air quality (IAQ) as industrialization and urbanization sped up after the 3^rd quarter of 2020.

LATEST TRENDS

Increasing Installation of Smart HVAC Technologies is Laying Foundation for Future Market Growth

Technological advancements in HVAC systems are enabling the delivery of energy-efficient ventilation solutions across spaces. The introduction of smart technologies such as geothermal heat pumps, Smart thermostats, sustainable retrofit, and others is supporting the environment and strengthening sustainability efforts. These smart HVAC systems expand connectivity with global networks to provide greater control, transparency, and data collection. Additionally, these technologies have added benefits such as reduced overall functional costs and energy savings. As per the reports published by the ACEEE (American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy), smart building technologies save up to 18% of energy in offices, 15% in retail outlets, 18% in hotels, and 28% in hospitals.

Moreover, industry 4.0, smart manufacturing, industrial automation systems, green building initiatives, and others are progressing at a rapid pace. Moreover, industry 4.0, smart manufacturing, industrial automation systems, green building initiatives, and others are progressing at a rapid pace. In such a scenario, the integration of a smart HVAC system is vital as the heating, ventilation, and conditioning system operates automatically and in the required proportion. Thus, the escalating installation of smart HVAC technologies is boosting the market’s growth.

DRIVING FACTORS

Adoption of High-Efficiency HVAC Systems to Fuel Market Growth

Prominent players are emphasizing highly efficient HVAC systems to contribute to environment-friendly fresh air quality (AQ) solutions. These systems supply cleaner and healthier air through the carefully located fresh air intake ducts, UVC emitters, and installed automatic condenser tube cleaning systems. This contributes to improved indoor living & working environments, better living comfort, and increased productivity with the reduction of the sick building syndrome. Rising prices of oil and electricity are also stimulating public awareness for energy efficiency, pushing the demand towards the adoption of efficient ventilation systems.

Considering all these factors, the adoption of efficient HVAC systems is certainly boosting revenue generation in the market.

RESTRAINING FACTORS

Complex Installation Process and High Maintenance Cost May Hinder Market Growth

The demand for air ducts is mounting with the increasing installation of HVAC systems. However, complex installation procedures are a major factor that is limiting the market growth. The old constructed projects where the space for ducting is not designed appropriately make it difficult to service, along with the installation of modern ducts. Moreover, depending on the design and installation, HVAC systems require an additional substantial length of air ducting that eventually impacts the direct and indirect cost of the product. Furthermore, the total cost required for the installation of the above-mentioned ducts is estimated to be high, thus affecting the average selling price of these systems.

SEGMENTATION

By Type Analysis

Increasing Infrastructural Development to Ensure High CAGR for Galvanized Steel Ducts Segment

The type segment is categorized into galvanized steel duct, aluminum (Al) duct, flexible duct, fabric duct, and others (PVC duct, etc.).

The galvanized steel duct segment is estimated to witness the highest CAGR in the forecast period. This is because these types of ducts do not tear easily and last for approximately 50 years with minimum maintenance.

Aluminum (Al) ducts are convenient for late modifications in the air intake and air outlet pipeline.

The fabric air duct segment is expected to witness substantial growth, attributed to the improved thermal conduction of these ducts as compared to other duct types.

The flexible duct segment is expected to witness steady growth in the forecast period, owing to the ability of these ducts to stretch up to the required length.

By Shape Analysis

Fit to Design Manufacturing to Depict Higher Air Duct Market Share for Square/Rectangular Ducts

By shape analysis, the market is categorized round duct, half-round duct, square/rectangular duct, triangular duct, and others (customized duct, etc.).

The square/rectangular sub-segment is anticipated to witness exponential growth by virtue of its design to fit perfectly in any construction work. Moreover, square or rectangular ducts are mostly preferred for low-pressure systems.

Round-shaped ducts utilize fewer materials than other ducts to transfer the same amount of air, which increases their air transportation efficiency.

Half-round ducts are utilized in case of less headspace available to install a full-round duct. Round and half-round ducts have a smaller cross-sectional area that results in less duct wall exposure to moving air.

Triangular air ducts are mostly utilized in identifying the gas or air type and flow direction within the air conditioning and ventilation systems.

By Application Analysis

Commercial Facilities Sub-segment to Boost Market Growth

Based on application, the market is divided into public facilities, commercial facilities, industrial facilities, and others (Government Buildings, etc.).

The commercial facilities sub-segment is anticipated to witness strong growth. It is attributed to the installation of air ducts in facilities including airports, infrastructure development projects, hotels, conference centers, and others, where it is necessary to maintain proper habitable temperature.

On the other hand, the public facilities sub-segment is expected to witness steady growth by virtue of increasing interior construction applications, whereas the industrial facilities sub-segment is anticipated to witness slow growth attributed to its longer shelf life and usage factor.

REGIONAL INSIGHTS

Asia Pacific is in the best position to experience the highest growth rate in the global market. This is attributable to massive investments in infrastructure projects across countries such as India, China, Malaysia, and others. Additionally, to accommodate the escalating air travel demand across Southeast Asian countries, various infrastructure projects such as new terminal buildings and airports are either planned or underway, fueling the demand for fresh air quality. Moreover, private investments in the hospitality and tourism industry are also boosting the regional market growth.

India Witnessing Highest CAGR Backed by Fast-growing Constructional Activities

India is expected to witness the highest CAGR owing to the increasing number of hypermarkets, shopping complexes in Tier-II cities where HVAC systems are of utmost importance. Additionally, the market is predicted to progress due to the ongoing smart city projects and rising infrastructure development spending across railways and airport projects. For instance, government bodies are collaborating with international associations and banks such as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) to carry out metro rail projects across the country.

The market in Europe is experiencing a considerable rise, primarily owing to the presence of leading HVAC systems manufacturers in countries such as Sweden, Germany, Denmark, and the U.K. Thermal conductivity is a major priority in Europe as several countries experience extreme cold weathers, while some countries experience moderate to hot weather conditions throughout the year. To cope up with the thermal conductivity factor, new housing construction projects have increased in countries including Germany, Spain, Italy, France, Denmark, Sweden, and others.

The market in North America is likely to witness stable growth. The growth is attributable to the several infrastructural and public transport development projects across countries such as Canada and the U.S. The United States Department of Energy (DOE), for example, has invested in improving energy conservation standards throughout the country that has ultimately boosted the demand for HVAC air ducts across the country.

The market in Latin America and the Middle East & Africa is anticipated to experience healthy growth in the forthcoming years. This is attributable to the rising investments in public transport facilities across countries such as UAE, Kuwait, Brazil, and South Africa.

KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS

Key Players to Strengthen Product Portfolio with Smart Ducting Systems

Key players have adopted several business strategies such as partnerships with governmental authorities, heavy investment in research and development, and participation in exhibitions to introduce novel HVAC solutions to potential clients. Additionally, these players are strengthening their product portfolios by implementing industry 4.0 technologies, industrial automation systems, and smart manufacturing to offer automated HVAC products to their end-users.

THERMAFLEX to Focus on Providing Innovative HVAC Products to Its End-users

THERMAFLEX is continuously developing innovative HVAC products to meet customer demands in commercial and residential ducting applications. The company is offering ‘EverClean’ and ‘M-KC Flexible Air Duct’ to its end-users. EverClean ducts provide superior indoor air quality (IAQ) in residential applications.

LIST OF KEY COMPANIES PROFILED:

• Lindab (Sweden)


• Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics (ISOVER) (France)


• CMS Group of Companies (United Arab Emirates)


• Imperial Manufacturing Group (Canada)


• FabricAir (Denmark)


• THERMAFLEX (United States)


• Durkeesox (Wuhan)Air Dispersion System Co., LTD (China)


• Aldes Group (France)


• KAD AIR CONDITIONING (BIN DASMAL GROUP) (United Arab Emirates)


• DMI Companies (United States)

KEY INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS:

• December 2019 – Aldes Group announced that it has combined ‘American Aldes’ and ‘Aldes Canada’ under one unified brand, named ‘Aldes North America.’ The new entity opened the market in Canada for automatic airflow controls.


• August 2019 – CMS Group of Companies launched ‘EXCELAIR’, the Fire Resistant Duct Systems in compliance with international and local fire safety and protection standards.

REPORT COVERAGE

The global market research report provides detailed insights into important aspects of the market, such as growth drivers, restraints, competitive landscape, regional industry analysis, and challenges. It further offers an analytical depiction of the market, current trends, and estimations to illustrate the forthcoming investment pockets. The market is quantitatively analyzed from 2021 to 2028 to provide the financial competency of the market. The information gathered in this report has been taken from several primary and secondary sources.

REPORT SCOPE & SEGMENTATION