Gigacasting Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends & Forecasts (2025 - 2030)

Global Gigacasting Market Trends and Insights

Rapid Scale-up of BEV Production Volumes

Global BEV assembly plants are adding giga press cells faster than conventional weld lines. Hyundai earmarked USD 21 billion for North American electrification that includes high-tonnage casting lines at its Metaplant America complex ^{[1]“Investment Plan for North American Electrification,” Hyundai Motor Group, hyundaimotorgroup.com}. Ford re-tooled Cologne into an all-electric center using more than 600 robots to shorten body shop flow time. Battery housing demands deep, one-piece structures for crash and thermal performance, and gigacasting offers the shortest path to those geometries. As annual BEV volumes climb toward multi-million-unit levels, economies of scale lift the gigacasting market well beyond niche status.

Demand for Lightweight, Consolidated Vehicle Structures

Gigacasting lets automakers pull mass out of the body-in-white without sacrificing stiffness. Tesla’s rear casting lowered part count by 70 components and saved material, welding, and logistics costs. Aluminum’s high strength-to-weight ratio pairs with design freedom, so a single large casting can integrate crash-energy paths that once required dozens of stampings. Japanese Tier-one Ryobi is shifting capacity toward large aluminum castings, targeting 20% total-manufacturing-cost relief. Weight savings dovetail with stricter fleet-average CO₂ limits and range expectations in battery vehicles. As more models adopt skateboard battery packs, under-body castings become natural enablers for load-path optimization and packaging efficiency.

Per-part Cost & Takt-time Reductions vs. Multi-part Body-in-White

Replacing hundreds of welded steel parts with one casting slashes cycle time per vehicle. Tesla removed 1,600 welds and 300 robots, trimming direct cost by 40% on the Model Y line. A giga-press can drop sixty castings an hour, while Toyota’s trial cell forms large body modules in roughly three minutes. Lower part inventories shrink in-plant logistics, quality-check stations, and supplier tooling—creating a cascading cost advantage. Capital avoidance also enters the equation: fewer framing gates and welding fixtures mean smaller body shops for the same nameplate volume.

Shortage of Skilled Welders Pushing OEMs to Casting Automation

In mature markets, welding talent is aging out faster than new tradespeople enter. Eliminating hundreds of welds with a giga-casting simplifies labor planning and reduces defect risk. Tesla’s switch carved out an entire welding sub-line and lifted dimensional precision at the same time. Japanese supplier Aisin has mirrored the strategy as it prepares next-generation e-powertrain brackets. The automation pushes steadies’ production even during labor crunches and aligns with industry-wide moves toward lights-out manufacturing.

High Upfront CAPEX for ≥ 6,000 t Presses

A single 9,000 t giga-press carries a price tag in the tens of millions. Volvo’s Slovakian plant ordered twin IDRA units and budgeted EUR 855 million for the surrounding foundry, trim line, and infrastructure ^{[2]“9,000-ton Giga Press for Volvo Cars,” IDRA Group, idragroup.com}. Tier-one Nemak spent USD 18 million just to add two 4,500 t machines inside an existing facility—illustrating that even mid-range tonnage means deep pockets. Smaller brands struggle to amortize that spend over modest volumes, slowing widespread adoption and nudging the gigacasting market toward financially robust players.

Energy-price-driven Aluminum-alloy Supply Tightness

Electricity can exceed 60% of the total smelter cost. A study in Energy & Environment pegged aluminum’s energy intensity at up to 65 GJ per ton. High power tariffs pushed several European smelters offline in 2024, creating a 4-million-ton supply gap in the United States that would need five new smelters to close ^{[3]“Closing the U.S. Aluminum Supply Gap,” Aluminum Association, aluminum.org}. Tight billet supply hardens price volatility and complicates the feedstock model for high-volume gigacasting cells.

Segment Analysis

By Application: Battery Housings Drive Structural Innovation

Body assemblies held 58.72% of the gigacasting market share in 2024 and remain core to most rollouts, yet battery and under-body castings are expanding at 48.05% CAGR. The gigacasting market size tied to battery housing is forecast to widen sharply as every BEV adopts a floor-mounted pack needing rapid heat dissipation and crash load pathways. Tesla’s rear casting success story quickened the transition, while Handtmann installed Bühler Carat-610 cells to mass-produce pack frames for European EV programs.

Demand also grows for integrated tunnel castings that combine side rail, cross-member, and pack mounts in one pour. Engine and e-drive housings mark a transitional zone; internal-combustion castings taper while new e-motor mounts enter. Transmission castings decline as single-speed drivetrains rise. Niche aerospace and industrial uses surface in R&D pipelines, but automotive applications overwhelmingly steer the near-term gigacasting market.

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

By Material: Magnesium Alloys Challenge Aluminum Dominance

Aluminum retained 74.31% of 2024 revenue due to its favorable mix of weight, cost, and scrap-loop efficiency. Even so, magnesium’s 47.12% CAGR positions it as the stand-out gainer. Research published by SAE shows high-temperature Mg alloys holding structural integrity at 300 °C, opening doors for motor-inverter mounts. Concurrently, new super-ductile Al-Si-Mg grades meet crash performance while enabling thinner sections in giga-press molds.

Steel suppliers defend their share through advanced castable steels for battery enclosures; ArcelorMittal unveiled prototypes promising comparable crash metrics with easier recycling. Titanium or zinc remain niche options due to cost or density penalties. Whether aluminum keeps its lead will rest on scrap availability, energy prices, and multi-alloy press capabilities.

By Vehicle Type: Passenger Cars Sustain Dual Leadership

Passenger cars delivered 65.88% of 2024 revenue and are tracking a 48.93% CAGR, confirming their role as both volume anchor and growth engine for the gigacasting market. Ford’s BlueOval City will rely on giga-presses for next-generation electric pickups and crossovers. Hyundai’s Metaplant targets 1.2 million units yearly, likewise, structured around large-format die casting.

Light commercial vans join the curve as e-commerce pushes operators toward zero-emission fleets. Medium and heavy trucks inch forward, but battery mass remains a hurdle. Across all segments, lower total part count and tighter assembly real estate favor casting economics, ensuring passenger cars continue to headline adoption.

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

By Press Tonnage: Large Equipment Drives Future Growth

Presses above 10,000 t will gallop at 56.55% CAGR to 2030, even though 6,000-8,000 t remains the volume sweet spot today with 45.15% share. IDRA pioneered the 9,000-t class used by several OEMs, and Bühler’s Carat series reaches 92,000 kN, touting zero-scrap ambitions. Larger tonnages support one-piece SUV side structures and pick-up bed castings, edging the practical envelope outward. 

Yet, cost and plant-floor footprint slow universal uptake, keeping mid-range machines dominant for sedans and compact crossovers. The gigacasting market size for presses between 8,001-10,000 t is expected to expand steadily as global programs migrate from pilot to high-rate production.

Geography Analysis

Asia-Pacific held 48.94% of 2024 revenue and is projected to expand at 49.66% CAGR to 2030, powered by China’s dominance in lithium-ion battery supply and rapidly scaling BEV assembly capacity. Chinese foundries already operate multiple 6,000-8,000 t presses for local OEMs, and Ryobi aims for 20% cost relief by producing large aluminum castings in Hiroshima. Japan and South Korea add momentum through supplier-led investments and Hyundai’s USD 21 billion North American electrification commitment, which still leverages Asian equipment design. India remains at an early stage but offers policy support for EV supply-chain localization, suggesting future upside for regional giga-press installations.

North America follows with a concentrated wave of OEM capex that underpins the gigacasting market. Ford’s USD 2 billion Cologne Electric Vehicle Center overhaul and USD 5.6 billion BlueOval City complex integrate large-tonnage casting cells for next-generation pickups and crossovers. General Motors earmarked USD 4 billion for U.S. plant upgrades to reach 2-million-unit annual output, much of which relies on single-piece aluminum structures. Aluminum billet supply is a constraint, as the United States faces a 4 million t shortfall that keeps Canadian imports critical.

Europe balances strict carbon policy with elevated power prices, shaping a nuanced adoption curve. Volvo’s Kosice site committed EUR 855 million for twin 9,000 t IDRA presses to start production in 2026. Germany’s premium OEM cluster advances digital-twin foundries but must manage electricity-cost volatility. South America contributes limited volumes today, while Gulf energy exporters explore vertically integrated aluminum and casting projects; both regions hinge on foreign direct investment from global automakers seeking diversified footprints.