Get a Sample
Schedule a Meeting
Get a Sample
Table Of Content
July 2025
The global friction stir welding market size is calculated at USD 277.73 million in 2025 and is forecasted to reach around USD 460.92 million by 2034, accelerating at a CAGR of 5.79% from 2025 to 2034. The North America market size surpassed USD 94.51 million in 2024 and is expanding at a CAGR of 5.94% during the forecast period. The market sizing and forecasts are revenue-based (USD Million/Billion), with 2024 as the base year.
The global friction stir welding market size accounted for USD 262.53 million in 2024 and is predicted to increase from USD 277.73 million in 2025 to approximately USD 460.92 million by 2034, expanding at a CAGR of 5.79% from 2025 to 2034. The market growth is attributed to the rising demand for defect-free, high-strength joints in lightweight materials across automotive, aerospace, and electric vehicle manufacturing.
Manufacturers currently also utilize AI-enabled applications to process live data of the welding process data including tool position, heat input, and flow of material. That maintains the effective and consistent state of the weld quality and has less dependence on manual work. Furthermore, the machine learning models allow the companies to identify anomalies when the welding occurs and take corrective measures in real-time and thus reducing the rework and improving the reliability of the products.
The U.S. friction stir welding market size was exhibited at USD 66.16 million in 2024 and is projected to be worth around USD 118.61 million by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 6.01% from 2025 to 2034.
What Positioned North America as the Leading Regional Market for Friction Stir Welding in 2024?
North America led the friction stir welding market, capturing the largest revenue share in 2024 accounting for an estimated 36% market share, due to energetic investments put in aerospace manufacturing, automotive manufacturing, and defense manufacturing options. The region was associated with well-developed infrastructure, adoption of early technologies, and excellent institutional backing by agencies, such as the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and NASA. They are aggressively funding R&D activities on high-integrity welding of space systems, hypersonic vehicles, and electric mobility platforms.
The American Welding Society (AWS) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) state that more than 70% of aerospace manufacturers in the United States used FSW to fabricate structural components in 2024. Other industry leaders, such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and General Motors, placed automated FSW units in more production lines to make the process more reliable. Additionally, growing demand for electric vehicles in North America promoted the use of aluminum-intensive designs, strengthening the demand for friction stir welding, thus boosting the market in this region.
Asia Pacific is anticipated to grow at the fastest rate in the market during the forecast period, owing to the increase in industrialization, development of modern infrastructure, and a corresponding growth of manufacturing ecosystems in China, India, South Korea, and Japan. Massive implementation of FSW technologies in the manufacturing of electric vehicles, shipbuilding, and rail modernization is expected by the government-backed programs of countries, such as Made in China 2025, GMI, and Green Mobility Plan.
Chinese aerospace companies such as AVIC and COMAC massively increased the application of CNC-combined FSW machines in constructing fuselages and bulkheads with 2000 series and 7000 series aluminum. Additionally, the development of a localized supply of robotic welding equipment on upcoming EV platforms of battery production further facilitates the market in the coming years.
The Friction Stir Welding (FSW) market involves the use of a solid-state joining process in which materials are fused without melting, by applying frictional heat and mechanical stirring using a non-consumable rotating tool. FSW is widely used for aluminum alloys, magnesium, copper, and dissimilar material joints, offering benefits such as low distortion, high weld strength, no filler requirement, and eco-friendly operation. It is gaining traction in aerospace, automotive, shipbuilding, railways, defense, and electronics sectors, driven by the demand for lightweight, high-strength structures and advanced joining solutions for modern engineering challenges.
The demand for lighter-weight material in the automotive and aerospace industries keeps on augmenting the development of the friction stir welding (FSW) market. In 2024, the U.S DOE highlighted the necessity of lightweight structural materials that be used to achieve national fuel economy regulations and clean transportation objectives.
Friction stir welding aids such efforts, which are currently made with high-integrity welds in the enclosures of electric vehicle batteries, aerospace fuselages, and the construction of high-speed rail. Furthermore, the increased attention on high-value energy-efficient and emission-reducing manufacturing systems is likely to contribute even further to the use of friction stir welding in the progressive industrial segments.
| Report Coverage | Details |
| Market Size by 2034 | USD 460.92 Million |
| Market Size in 2025 | USD 277.73 Million |
| Market Size in 2024 | USD 262.53 Million |
| Market Growth Rate from 2025 to 2034 | CAGR of 5.79% |
| Dominating Region | North America |
| Fastest Growing Region | Asia Pacific |
| Base Year | 2024 |
| Forecast Period | 2025 to 2034 |
| Segments Covered | Equipment Type, Material Type, End Use Industry, Technology / Tool Type, Automation Level, and Region |
| Regions Covered | North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Middle East & Africa |
How is the growing preference for lightweight materials in the automotive and aerospace sectors accelerating the adoption of friction stir welding technology?
Increasing demand for lightweight materials in the automotive and aerospace industries is expected to drive the market. Solid-state welding is supplanting traditional joining techniques in the manufacture of aluminum and other lightweight alloys by bonding but not melting the base material. It provides high mechanical strength, better fatigue life, and little distortion, and as such is useful in controlling structural parts. Automotive organizations are spending their resources on weight-saving efforts to increase fuel efficiency and meet emission standards, whereas the aerospace OEMs work on payload capacity and efficiency.
Friction stir welding helps to achieve these objectives in that it makes seam-free connections on large panels and complicated assemblies. In 2024, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) cited aluminum alloys as one of the main enablers of mass reduction in vehicles through its lightweight materials strategy to sustainable transportation.
Limited Material Compatibility Restrains Broader Industrial Application
Limited material compatibility is anticipated to restrict the market. Fraction stir welding is best applied to the soft, non-ferrous materials such as aluminum and magnesium alloys. Despite efforts by research institutions to develop tool materials to harder metals such as the Fraunhofer Institute, the material is yet to find a commercial level scalability. Moreover, the high initial setup costs for specialized equipment are expected to limit adoption among small and mid-sized manufacturers, thus further hindering the market.
Why is the demand for durable, thermally stable joints in EV battery assemblies boosting the use of friction stir welding?
Spurring demand for high-strength joints in electric vehicle battery enclosures is likely to influence market growth and further creating immense opportunities for market. Ev manufacturers need joints that are safe, thermally stable, battery trays, housings and structures. These results are attained by friction stir welding which produces perfect connections in aluminum and other conductive metals without electrical degradation. It is also a method of minimizing the heat affected zones, essential in a sensitive thermal environment. The top European, Chinese, and American manufacturers of EVs are expanding their adoption of FSW to increase production and the manufacturing of batteries that are unsusceptible.
Why Did Stationary FSW Machines Dominate the Friction Stir Welding Market in 2024?
Fixed FSW Equipment (Stationary Machines) segment dominated the friction stir welding market in 2024, accounting for 42% market share, due to their capability to perform high-volume-precision-essential welding. Stationary machines were in use by manufacturers of aerospace, automotive, shipbuilding, and defense industries. These have the advantage of consistency of process control, great mechanical accuracy, and are compatible with automation and robotic arms. Furthermore, the fixed equipment was the most favourable in a production environment where multi-axis control was required and real-time data monitoring.
The portable FSW equipment segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR in the coming years, owing to the increase in demand for flexibility, gear that can be used in a field, and economical fabrication. These small units enable the operators to execute high-integrity welds with direct mounting on any large or stationary structure. This includes pipelines, marine structures, bridges, and aerospace components, during each repair or on-site assembly.
How Did Aluminum Alloys Maintain Dominance in the Friction Stir Welding Market in 2024?
Aluminum alloys segment held the largest revenue share in the friction stir welding market in 2024 that held a market share of about 53%, as they gained widespread use in the automotive, aerospace, marine, and railway industries, where manufacturers are focusing on the lightweight structures of high strength-to-mass ratio.
Friction stir welding is a better alternative that be used to perform welding on aluminum. This technique does not have the problems of porosity, distortion, and cracking that the fusion-based welding processes face. Moreover, this type of welding facilitates high-volume production, further making it popular and fuelling the segment's growth.
Steel & stainless steel segment is expected to grow at the fastest rate in the coming years, owing to the increased demand in the fields of shipbuilding, defense, energy, and infrastructure. These materials are highly strong and resistant to corrosion, as they are paramount in structural works that are subjected to unfavorable external conditions. Furthermore, the very high rate as industries attempt to switch over to more time-efficient methods of joining, which results in high performance for steels, further fuels the market growth.
What Enabled the Automotive & Transportation Sector to Lead the Friction Stir Welding Market in 2024?
Automotive & transportation segment dominated the friction stir welding market in 2024, accounting for an estimated 32% market share, due to the widespread implementation of FSW by automakers has been to join aluminum and other lightweight materials in vehicle chassis and body structures.
In 2024, the automobile industry players are shifting towards friction stir welding on the electric vehicle platforms. They are utilizing this technology to strengthen these vehicles so that they can be made lighter and thinner in a manner that does not compromise the safety of such vehicles. Additionally, the use of FSW as the next generation of EVs that are to be designed to enhance lightweighting strategies to meet the CAF, thus further driving the market growth in this sector.
Aerospace & defense segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR in the coming years, owing to the rapidly growing end-use sector of friction stir welding technologies for increasing mission-critical parts demands. Fuselages, wings, and tank fuel structures that make use of aluminum and other advanced alloys are also joined with FSW in aircraft and defense systems. Furthermore, the increased spending to modernize its defense and upgrade its aerospace manufacturing sector is expected to drive further growth within this segment in the coming years.
What Factors Contributed to the Dominance of Conventional FSW Tools in 2024?
Conventional FSW tools segment held the largest revenue share in the friction stir welding market in 2024, as they are consumed by the broad application of forming bonds between such low to medium-melting-point materials. This equipment finds wide application in various industries for its cost, availability, and compatibility with most standard rotary FSW machines. Additionally, the high level of utilization within cost-sensitive and volume-centered industries in the medium term further propels the segment.
Advanced tool materials segment is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR in the coming years, owing to the increased demand for welding high-temperature and difficult-to-stir materials, such as titanium, steel, and nickel-based alloys. These new high-tech tools are made of polycrystalline cubic boron nitride (PCBN), tungsten-rhenium, and silicon nitride and were developed to extend tool life under heavy process temperature conditions. Furthermore, the utilization of advanced stir welding offers better weld penetration and improved fatigue strength than using conventional tools, further boosting the market in the coming years.
How Did Fully Automated & CNC-Integrated Systems Become Both the Leading and Fastest Growing Automation Level in the FSW Market?
Fully automated & CNC-integrated systems segment dominated the global market in 2024, and is expected to sustain the growth in the coming years, due to the rapidly growing component in the foreseeable future. Producers in industries such as aerospace, automotive, shipbuilding, and rail continually turned to these systems for critical manufacturing conditions. A study carried out in 2024 by the International Institute of Welding (IIW Global) and TWI Ltd. discovered that almost 60% of the on-demand lines built within the industrial sector were fully automated. This represents the need to have unwinationally programmable procedures occurring at the same time with the ability to control quality costs.
Firms like Airbus, Tesla, and GKN Aerospace have increased the use of robotic FSW cells combined with CNC controls and in-process monitoring systems to add complex geometries and lessen the cycle. The further sustenance of this segment is projected owing to the increasing demand for digital manufacturing incorporation and Industry 4.0 conformance. Additionally, the growing demand for consistency of welds and tight geometric tolerances further propels the market in the coming years.(Source: https://iiwelding.org)
By Equipment Type
By Material Type
By End Use Industry
By Technology / Tool Type
By Automation Level
By Region
For inquiries regarding discounts, bulk purchases, or customization requests, please contact us at sales@precedenceresearch.com
No cookie-cutter, only authentic analysis – take the 1st step to become a Precedence Research client
July 2025