Fluid Catalytic Cracking Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, Segmented By Product Type (Lanthanum Oxide, and Zeolite), By Technical Configuration (Side-By-Side Type, and Stacked Type), By End User (Refinery, Environmental, and Others), By Region, and Competition. 2021-2031F

Forecast Period	2027-2031
Market Size (2025)	USD 7.67 Billion
CAGR (2026-2031)	3.32%
Fastest Growing Segment	Zeolite
Largest Market	Asia Pacific
Market Size (2031)	USD 9.33 Billion

Market Overview

The Global Fluid Catalytic Cracking Market will grow from USD 7.67 Billion in 2025 to USD 9.33 Billion by 2031 at a 3.32% CAGR. Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) is a critical secondary conversion process in petroleum refining used to transform heavy hydrocarbon fractions, such as vacuum gas oil, into high-value lighter products like gasoline, olefinic gases, and other distillates. The primary drivers supporting market growth include the sustained global demand for high-octane transportation fuels and the strategic integration of refineries with petrochemical operations to maximize propylene output. According to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, in 2024, world refining capacity expanded by 1.04 million barrels per day to stand at 103.80 million barrels per day, reflecting the continued infrastructure investment that necessitates efficient catalytic cracking units.

However, a significant challenge impeding market expansion is the accelerating global energy transition toward electric vehicles and renewable power sources, which threatens the long-term consumption of gasoline, the principal output of FCC units. This structural shift in automotive propulsion, combined with stringent environmental regulations regarding refinery carbon emissions and sulfur content, creates a complex operating environment that may limit future capital expenditure on conventional fossil fuel conversion technologies.

Key Market Drivers

The increasing global demand for high-octane gasoline and transportation fuels acts as the primary catalyst for the Fluid Catalytic Cracking (FCC) market, as these units remain the central conversion engine for producing gasoline in modern refineries. Despite the accelerating energy transition, the absolute consumption of transportation fuels continues to rise in developing economies, compelling refiners to maintain high utilization rates of cracking units to convert heavy vacuum gas oils into lighter, valuable fuel products. This reliance on conventional fuels ensures that FCC throughput remains a priority for downstream operators aiming to meet regional energy security needs. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), November 2024, in the 'Oil Market Report', global oil demand is on track to expand by 920,000 barrels per day in 2024, underscoring the sustained requirement for efficient fossil-based fuel processing.

Concurrently, the rapid expansion of petrochemical feedstock production, particularly propylene, is fundamentally reshaping FCC operational strategies and investment flows. Refiners are increasingly integrating with petrochemical complexes, shifting FCC operating modes toward high-severity cracking to maximize the yield of propylene, a critical precursor for plastics, rather than focusing solely on fuels. This strategic pivot is most evident in Asia, where new infrastructure is explicitly designed to boost chemical output. According to China Daily, December 2024, in the 'Global energy giants ramp up China presence' article, China alone is expected to contribute almost 60 percent of global propylene capacity additions from 2024 to 2030. This infrastructure growth is substantial across the region; according to the Economic Times, in 2024, India's total refining capacity reached 256.8 million metric tonnes per annum, reflecting the massive scale of capital investment supporting the market.

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Key Market Challenges

The accelerating global energy transition toward electric vehicles constitutes a structural impediment to the growth of the Global Fluid Catalytic Cracking Market. Since Fluid Catalytic Cracking units are primarily engineered to maximize the yield of high-octane gasoline from heavy crude fractions, the electrification of the automotive sector directly undermines the economic justification for these facilities. As the transportation industry shifts away from internal combustion engines, the long-term consumption of gasoline faces a permanent decline, creating substantial uncertainty regarding the return on investment for new or expanded cracking capacity. This declining dependency on fossil-fuel-based transportation reduces the operational necessity for conventional FCC units, causing refiners to hesitate in committing capital toward fossil-fuel-centric conversion technologies.

According to the 'International Energy Agency', in '2024', oil demand in advanced economies fell by 0.1 percent, a contraction driven principally by reduced road transport fuel consumption resulting from stricter efficiency standards and the expanding market share of electric vehicles. This verifiable contraction in the addressable market for refined distillates signals a reduced requirement for secondary conversion processes. Consequently, the tangible risk of stranded assets dissuades stakeholders from approving significant capital expenditures for fluid catalytic cracking infrastructure, thereby hampering the overall expansion of the market.

Key Market Trends

The integration of bio-feedstock and renewable co-processing is rapidly transforming the Global Fluid Catalytic Cracking Market as refiners adapt existing infrastructure to lower carbon intensity. Rather than constructing separate biofuel facilities, operators are increasingly modifying fluid catalytic cracking units to co-process lipid-based feedstocks, such as vegetable oils and pyrolysis oil, alongside conventional vacuum gas oil. This approach allows refineries to produce renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel components while leveraging their installed asset base, effectively extending the operational lifespan of these units during the energy transition. According to Rigzone, March 2025, in the 'Petrobras Achieves Successful Feedstock Co-Processing Test at Riograndense' article, Petrobras has allocated $1.5 billion to its BioRefining Program within its 2025-2029 Strategic Plan, explicitly targeting investments in co-processing technologies to upgrade renewable streams within existing refining assets.

Simultaneously, the market is witnessing a profound structural shift toward crude-to-chemicals (CTC) refinery configurations, which fundamentally alters the role of catalytic cracking technologies. Unlike traditional refining, which prioritizes transportation fuels, CTC designs utilize advanced catalytic processes, such as Thermal Crude-to-Chemicals (TC2C), to convert whole crude directly into petrochemical feedstocks, significantly bypassing the conventional distillate yield. This trend represents a technological evolution aimed at maximizing chemical value over fuel volume, safeguarding refineries against declining gasoline demand. According to The Korea Herald, October 2025, in the 'S-Oil's Shaheen project nears finish, fueling petrochemical ambitions' article, the $6.47 billion Shaheen project in Ulsan reached 85 percent completion, utilizing world-first TC2C technology to dramatically increase the facility's chemical yield relative to fuel production.

Segmental Insights

The Zeolite segment is identified as the fastest-growing category within the Global Fluid Catalytic Cracking Market due to its critical role in maximizing refinery yield and efficiency. These catalysts are essential for converting heavy crude oil feedstocks into high-value products like gasoline and propylene, directly addressing the rising global demand for petrochemicals. Furthermore, stringent fuel quality standards enforced by organizations such as the Environmental Protection Agency compel refiners to utilize zeolite-based solutions to reduce emissions and ensure regulatory compliance. This capacity to deliver superior thermal stability and selectivity drives the widespread adoption of zeolites across the industry.

Regional Insights

Asia Pacific holds the leading position in the global Fluid Catalytic Cracking market due to extensive investments in refinery infrastructure across major economies like China and India. This dominance is primarily driven by the rising demand for transportation fuels and the strategic integration of petrochemical operations to increase propylene production. Furthermore, mandates for cleaner fuel standards from authorities such as the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas in India necessitate the upgrading of existing facilities. These factors collectively ensure the region remains the primary hub for downstream processing requirements.

Recent Developments

• In August 2025, Ketjen Corporation launched SaFeGuard, a new catalyst technology specifically designed to mitigate the effects of iron poisoning in fluid catalytic cracking units. The company reported that during a thirty-day full commercial trial, the technology demonstrated a significant improvement in accessibility and unit activity while processing heavy, iron-rich feedstocks. The technology was developed to minimize eutectic formation, thereby keeping catalyst pores open and enabling higher bottoms cracking capabilities. Ketjen executives noted that this solution offered refiners a way to process opportunity crudes and bio-feeds more efficiently by tolerating contaminants such as iron and calcium.
• In October 2024, Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) inaugurated the commercial use of its indigenously developed FCC Bottoms Cracking Additive, branded as BHARAT BCA, at its Mumbai Refinery. The additive was engineered by the company’s Corporate Research and Development Centre to optimize the conversion of heavy clarified oil, often referred to as bottoms, into higher-value lighter products. This development marked a significant milestone in the company's efforts to create cost-effective and sustainable refining technologies. BPCL highlighted that this product was capable of being applied in refineries beyond its own operations, positioning it as a competitive solution in the global refining sector.
• In August 2024, BASF announced the commercial launch of Fourtiva, a new fluid catalytic cracking (FCC) catalyst designed specifically for refiners processing gasoil to mild resid feedstocks. This product incorporates the company’s Advanced Innovative Matrix (AIM) and Multiple Frameworks Topology (MFT) technologies to optimize catalyst performance. The design focused on maximizing butylene yields and selectivity over propylene while simultaneously enhancing naphtha octane and minimizing the production of coke and dry gas. BASF stated that commercial refinery trials confirmed the catalyst's ability to deliver superior economic performance and assist refiners in reducing the carbon footprint of their FCC units.
• In August 2024, W.R. Grace & Co. introduced a new solution to address iron contamination in the fuel refining process, responding to the industry trend of processing heavier, more economic crude feedstocks. The company leveraged its research to develop a three-pronged approach that included the optimization of matrix surface area in its base catalysts and the use of a new iron deactivation protocol known as Grace-IDP. This innovation allowed the company to simulate iron deactivation in a laboratory setting, enabling the development of catalysts with enhanced tolerance to iron poisoning. The advancement aimed to provide refiners with greater flexibility in feedstock selection and to optimize the operating window of fluid catalytic cracking units.

Key Market Players

• Albemarle Corporation
• W.R. Grace & Co
• BASF SE
• Johnson Matthey Plc
• Arkema SA
• JGC CORPORATION
• Flour Corporation
• Shell Plc
• Honeywell International Inc.
• Exxon Mobil Corporation

By Product Type	By Technical Configuration	By End User	By Region
Lanthanum Oxide and Zeolite	Side-	Refinery Environmental and Others	North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa

Report Scope:

In this report, the Global Fluid Catalytic Cracking Market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

• Fluid Catalytic Cracking Market, By Product Type:

• Lanthanum Oxide
• and Zeolite

• Fluid Catalytic Cracking Market, By Technical Configuration:

• Side-

• Fluid Catalytic Cracking Market, By End User:

• Refinery
• Environmental
• and Others

• Fluid Catalytic Cracking Market, By Region:

• North America
• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• Europe
• France
• United Kingdom
• Italy
• Germany
• Spain
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• Australia
• South Korea
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Middle East & Africa
• South Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE