Cable Glands Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends and Forecast (2026 - 2031)

Global Cable Glands Market Trends and Insights

Upgrading and Renewal of Legacy Power Networks

Transmission and distribution operators are now channeling record budgets into underground cable replacement, substation digitization, and wildfire-mitigation programs. The International Energy Agency values the global grid-renewal requirement at USD 600 billion per year through 2030, and every project specification includes hundreds of glands for circuit entry.^{[1]International Energy Agency, “World Energy Investment 2024,” iea.org} The European Union’s grid action plan earmarks EUR 584 billion for cross-border interconnectors, which mandates ATEX Zone 1 approvals in many switching stations. In the United States, the Department of Energy’s Transmission Facilitation Program provides USD 2.5 billion in loans that call for UL-listed flameproof terminations. Urban utilities are also burying feeders to cut outage risk, a choice that multiplies the number of cable entries per vault and elevates demand for IP69K ingress protection. Prefabricated, skid-mounted substations further streamline supply chains, favoring vendors that can deliver factory-installed glands with full traceability to ISO 9001 standards.

Surge in Global Construction Activity

Rebounding infrastructure spending in emerging economies is driving orders for termination hardware in HVAC panels, elevator drives, and building automation racks. World Bank data show project starts returning to pre-pandemic levels in South and East Asia. India’s National Infrastructure Pipeline schedules massive metro and airport additions, each embedding hundreds of cable entries that must adhere to IEC 60331 fire-survival standards. In Mexico, nearshoring is driving the expansion of industrial real estate, prompting contractors to specify IP66 and IP67 brass glands for use in dusty production halls. Revised European and Gulf building codes now require outdoor-grade ingress protection in indoor wash-down zones, which drives the adoption of stainless-steel IP69K variants. Higher fire-safety expectations also favor glands with integral sealing elements that hold integrity during high-temperature events, nudging buyers toward premium designs despite cost sensitivity.

Expansion of Offshore Renewable Energy Installations

Global offshore wind capacity reached 83 GW in 2024 and is projected to quintuple by 2034, resulting in significant demand for stainless-steel glands that can withstand salt spray, vibration, and UV aging. Germany awarded 7 GW of new leases in the North and Baltic Seas in 2024, specifying IEC 61892 compliance for all electrical penetrations. The United Kingdom’s seabed round in 2025 added 8 GW, stipulating ATEX Zone 1 protections in turbine nacelles. In the Asia-Pacific region, Taiwan’s 20-GW program requires vendors to localize stainless-steel machining in order to meet the lead-time targets set by the Bureau of Energy. Floating platforms destined for water depths beyond 60 m introduce cyclic bending stresses at the entry point, prompting innovation in dynamic-seal technologies that legacy compression fittings cannot match.

Growth in Manufacturing Investments in Emerging Economies

Foreign direct investment of USD 71 billion in India and USD 36.6 billion in Vietnam in 2024 is translating into fresh demand for motor-control centers, programmable logic controller panels, and clean-energy converters. India’s Production-Linked Incentive scheme triggered 32 electronics plants that require both IP68 and ATEX Zone 2 terminations in solvent-handling sections. Multinational battery-cell manufacturers are requesting IECEx-certified IIC glands in cathode-mixing rooms to meet global insurance requirements. As modern factories pursue zero-downtime targets, operators are increasingly specifying modular glands that facilitate rapid field replacement without disrupting neighboring circuits. These orders favor suppliers capable of shipping mixed material lots, brass for dry zones and stainless steel for corrosive work cells, from a single regional warehouse.

Fragmentation of Regional Supplier Base

End users often juggle divergent certification labels, screw threads, and material codes when sourcing glands across multi-country projects. The Asia-Pacific and African markets are especially fragmented, with hundreds of small machine shops supplying unbranded hardware that often lacks cross-border documentation. Engineering, procurement, and construction contractors lose schedule certainty when identical part numbers carry different seismic or flameproof ratings, forcing costly requalification. The absence of universal interchangeability compounds the complexity of maintenance in global asset portfolios.

Volatility in Non-Ferrous Metal Prices

Metal price swings compress margins in product lines where brass, copper, and aluminum account for more than half of the manufacturing cost. International Monetary Fund data showed copper jumping 8.1% between February and August 2024 before moderating. Low-lead brass alloys that meet drinking-water rules trade at a 15-20% premium over C36000, and the premium widens when smelters curtail output during energy spikes. Suppliers are adopting surcharge clauses and bigger hedge books, yet sharp quarterly moves still derail fixed-price framework agreements and slow project award cycles.

Segment Analysis

By Type: Hazardous-Area Variants Capture High-Value Hydrogen Projects

Hazardous-area glands are poised to erode the 65.10% share held by non-hazardous designs by 2025, as the cable glands market shifts toward hydrogen electrolyzers, floating LNG units, and advanced refineries that require wide footprints to be classified as Zone 1 or Zone 2. Premium price tags result from dual ATEX and IECEx testing protocols, flame-path machining, and stainless-steel or nickel-plated brass bodies that are resistant to corrosive media. Vendors with in-house explosion-lab capacity, such as R. Stahl, gain faster certification turnarounds, an edge when fast-tracking projects under climate-funding deadlines. Conversely, non-hazardous variants remain indispensable in data centers, renewable inverters, and smart building panels, where IP66 or IP67 suffices. Even so, longer replacement cycles and price competition temper their revenue potential. The migration of value toward hazardous-location assemblies underscores the strategic imperative for generalist suppliers to upgrade their test rigs and partner with notified bodies to retain their share.

Demand for non-hazardous glands will continue to grow in absolute volume; however, average selling prices will erode under pressure from plastic substitutes and simplified compression fittings. Original-equipment manufacturers lean on large-volume brass catalogs to shave bill-of-materials costs in low-risk environments. Nevertheless, the emergence of new fire-survival and hygiene codes prompts some specifiers to jump directly from basic IP66 brass to IP69K stainless steel, bypassing mid-tier options and challenging legacy pricing ladders in the cable glands market.

By Cable Type: Unarmored Demand Surges in Space-Constrained Racks

Armored glands preserved 54.20% of 2025 sales, driven by oil, gas, and mining circuits that need armor termination for earth continuity. Yet unarmored devices will log a 6.10% CAGR, fueled by hyperscale data halls where every millimeter of rack space counts. Miniaturized cast-metal bodies with integral EMI gaskets slot neatly into overhead tray layouts, and installers appreciate the quicker torque cycle compared with armor clamping. Data-center builders also value the lower weight of unarmored cable bundles, which reduces the need for ladder-rack reinforcement. These factors collectively swing procurement policies toward compact unarmored SKUs without compromising shielding effectiveness against high-frequency switching noise.

Heavy-industry operators remain loyal to armored glands, notably in the Middle East, where 30-year design lives and sand-storm exposure justify steel-wire or aluminum-tape armor. In these sites, utility crews prefer double-seal designs that maintain ingress protection even after repeated torque checks. The bifurcation thus pits high-volume, low-margin unarmored orders in commercial technology sectors against high-spec, high-margin armored projects in greenfield hydrocarbon complexes, keeping the overall cable glands market balanced but competitive.

By Material: Stainless Steel Climbs on Offshore and Desalination Growth

Brass led materials revenue in 2025, yet stainless steel is outpacing at a 4.90% CAGR as developers pursue corrosion-proof solutions in offshore wind substations, subsea umbilical terminations, and Middle Eastern desalination lines. Grade 316L and duplex alloys withstand chloride attack and stress corrosion cracking, delivering a lower life-cycle cost than brass, despite a higher upfront investment. Additionally, new European recyclability directives favor stainless steel due to its high scrap recovery rate, which provides a sustainability credit in project bids.

Brass persists in indoor switchgear and machine tools due to its unparalleled machinability, which keeps part pricing low in high-volume runs. Nickel-plated aluminum remains a niche option in weight-sensitive rail and aerospace cabins, while plastic glands serve low-voltage sensor loops that have no grounding requirements. Brewing environmental pressure to eliminate lead pigments in C36000 brass may further increase machining costs, nudging even conservative buyers toward stainless steel sooner than previously forecast, and reinforcing the premium tier within the cable glands market.

By End-User Industry: Chemicals Segment Accelerates on New Complexes

Oil and gas dominated demand with 29.40% share in 2025, but chemicals plants stand out with a projected 4.70% CAGR. Integrated ethylene-to-polyethylene complexes in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and coastal China require thousands of stainless-steel glands approved for hydrogen sulfide and high-temperature solvents. The weight of capital is shifting toward value-added intermediates and specialty derivatives, each of which demands Zone 1 flameproof equipment. Insurers often insist on dual ATEX and IECEx marks, a requirement that filters out low-tier suppliers and supports higher margins.

Utility, mining, marine, and aerospace orders remain steady, though each follows unique specification dialects that limit part commonality. Power utilities are retrofitting flood-prone substations with IP69K stainless-steel entries, whereas aircraft builders favor anodized-aluminum bodies meeting AS85049. As the chemicals boom plays out, it reconfigures the regional sales mix, anchoring an enlarged premium segment within the cable glands market.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Ingress Protection Rating: IP69K Becomes the Hygiene Benchmark

IP68 dominated 36.00% of 2025 turnover, yet IP69/IP69K will post a 5.80% CAGR as regulators and brand owners tighten sanitation protocols in food and pharma packaging halls. DIN 40050-9 water-jet tests at 80 °C validate glands for caustic-foam clean-downs, cutting microbial risk. Equipment exporters to the European Union and the United States embed IP69K glands to streamline market access, and Asian producers emulate the requirement to win co-packing contracts from multinational brands. Modular seal inserts now enable field upgrades from IP66 to IP69K, reducing installer inventory but increasing unit price.

Traditional IP66 and IP67 brass bodies will maintain a foothold in indoor industrial cabinets, although some specifiers skip directly to IP69K once they factor in the total cost of cleaning downtime. That leap further enlarges the premium layer of the cable glands market and encourages suppliers to refine machining tolerances that deliver repeatable jet-spray resistance.

By Thread Type: PG Retains Foothold in Central Europe

Metric threads anchored 42.70% of 2025 revenue through ISO standardization across Asia, Southern Europe, and much of South America. PG threads nevertheless secure a 5.60% CAGR, driven by Germany’s vast installed base. Machine builders in Baden-Württemberg and Bavaria ship equipment with DIN 40430 knockouts, obliging maintenance crews worldwide to stock matching glands. Export momentum in plastic extrusion, packaging, and automotive assembly lines keeps PG specifications alive.

Meanwhile, ANSI NPT threads dominate U.S. and Canadian oilfield hardware, and BSP threads persist in the United Kingdom and Australia. Multinational vendors answer this diversity by machining multi-thread inventory from shared billet stock, encouraging economies of scale even amid SKU proliferation in the cable glands market.

By Certification: IECEx Emerges as the Preferred Global Passport

ATEX accounted for 37.50% of 2025 turnover within the European Economic Area, but IECEx certificates are expected to grow at 5.20% as project owners seek a single test suite that unlocks multiple regions. The publicly searchable IECEx database of equipment and manufacturing sites streamlines due diligence checks for engineering firms. Suppliers achieve cost savings by running a single destructive test program and then layering on regional label printing for UL or CSA, where required by law.

North American buyers still demand UL 1203 or CSA C22.2 approvals; however, they often accept an IECEx test report as evidence of baseline conformity. As more regulators reference IEC standards directly, the gravitational pull toward IECEx gathers pace, positioning it as the default baseline for new product development within the cable glands market.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Installation Technique: Bulkhead Systems Win in Modular Builds

Industrial panel mounting captured 58.00% of the 2025 value, but bulkhead and barrier systems are expected to rise at a 6.00% CAGR, as modular data-center containers and offshore platforms increasingly favor pre-certified multi-cable transits. These frames seal multiple conductors through a single opening while maintaining fire, smoke, and water integrity in accordance with UL 2225 or IEC 60092-101. Factory integration slashes on-site labor and eliminates the risk of field mis-torque.

Direct equipment entry remains popular for pumps, motors, and instruments where a junction box would add cost and volume. Even so, the push for compartmentalized fire zones in lithium-ion battery plants and floating LNG hulls steers engineers toward bulkhead modules, reinforcing the premium diversification inside the cable glands market.

Geography Analysis

The Asia-Pacific region generated 38.90% of 2025 revenue and is tracking a 5.00% CAGR, as India, Vietnam, and Indonesia welcome record electronics and automotive investments. India’s Production-Linked Incentive scheme alone triggered 32 new factories that rely on metric-thread stainless-steel IP68 glands in solvent areas. China is adding over 10 million t per year of ethylene equivalent on the coast, requiring dual-certified flameproof terminations compliant with GB 3836 guidelines. Japan and South Korea are rolling out hydrogen refueling corridors that specify IECEx-listed equipment, further raising Asia-Pacific’s premium mix in the cable glands market.

Europe benefits from a strong offshore wind pipeline and stringent ATEX enforcement. The European Commission’s EUR 584 billion grid plan funnels stainless-steel orders into Baltic interconnectors, while Germany’s 7-GW auction in 2024 codified IEC 61892 ingress rules for all turbine decks.^{[2]European Commission, “EU Grid Action Plan,” europa.eu} The United Kingdom’s Crown Estate adds to momentum with 8 GW of new seabed leases slated for completion after 2028. These developments secure long visibility for explosion-proof gland suppliers and boost average selling prices across the region.

North America rides a dual narrative: data-center megaprojects in Virginia, Texas, and Quebec order compact multi-cable glands with EMI shielding, while grid resilience funds support UL-listed flameproof entries in high-voltage rebuilds. Mexico’s nearshoring wave spurs PG and metric demand in assembly corridors along the Bajío region. The Middle East commands outsized project values in petrochemicals, notably the Jafurah gas complex and Ghasha sour-gas field, each specifying stainless-steel, dual-certified glands for Zone 1 areas. Africa and South America exhibit smaller bases but demonstrate healthy growth tied to mining and renewable energy concessions, underscoring a diversified geographic runway for the cable glands market.