Malted Barley Market Size, Share, Growth, and Industry Analysis, By Type (Basic Malt,Special Malt), By Application (Brewing,Food Industry,Others), Regional Insights and Forecast to 2033

Malted Barley Market Overview

The Malted Barley Market size was valued at USD 13722.76 million in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 18384.87 million by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 3.3% from 2025 to 2033.

The global malted barley market reached a production volume of approximately 24 million metric tonnes in 2024, showing steady annual volume changes. Barley production for malting accounted for nearly 40% of global barley output, which totaled over 60 million metric tonnes in 2024. Distinctive varietal usage includes two major categories: basic malt, representing about 65% of total malted barley output (≈15.6 million tonnes), and special malt, comprising around 8.4 million tonnes. Brewing applications absorbed an estimated 18 million tonnes of malted barley in 2024, while food industry and other uses accounted for roughly 4 million and 2 million tonnes respectively.

Average malt extract yield per tonne of barley stands at close to 820 kg, translating to over 19.6 million tonnes of malt extract produced in 2024. Key growing regions recorded sizable hectare allocations: North America accounted for about 5.2 million ha, Europe cultivated roughly 7.5 million ha, and Asia-Pacific planted close to 8.3 million ha under barley for malting. Yield rates vary from 3.1 t/ha in Asia-Pacific to 3.8 t/ha in Europe and 3.6 t/ha in North America, averaging around 3.5 t/ha globally. This substantive numeric data emphasizes the scale and segmentation of the malted barley market worldwide.

Key Findings

Driver: Rising consumption of craft beer and specialty spirits driving malted barley demand.

Top Country/Region: Europe leads with approximately 7.5 million tonnes of barley under malting cultivation.

Top Segment: Brewing applications dominate with around 18 million tonnes of malted barley usage in 2024.

Malted Barley Market Trends

The malted barley market in 2024 experienced significant trends driven by changing beverage consumption, varietal development and sustainability efforts. Craft beer production increased globally to about 270,000 breweries by mid‑2024, up from 210,000 in 2021, boosting demand for both basic malt and specialty malt varieties. The specialty malt category, including caramel, chocolate and roasted malts, rose from 7 million tonnes in 2021 to about 8.4 million tonnes in 2024—an increase of 20%. Another key trend is the adoption of high‑yield barley hybrids. Yields of 3.8 t/ha in Europe reflect adoption of new malting barleys that deliver 10–15% higher extract per hectare compared to conventional varieties. In Australia, average extract yields improved from 800 kg/tonne to 840 kg/tonne between 2020 and 2024 through genetic advances. Sustainability is another notable trend. Over 30% of malt houses now have certified sustainable sourcing programs, covering approximately 7 million tonnes of malted barley as of 2024.

Water usage reduction efforts have cut average water consumption per tonne of malt from 5.8 m³ in 2018 to 5.2 m³ in 2024, a decrease of around 10%. Industrial automation in malting plants increased sharply, with digital sensors and smart kilning implemented in over 60% of facilities in North America and Europe. Average plant capacity rose from 120,000 tonnes per annum to about 135,000 tonnes between 2020 and 2024—a 12.5% boost. Regionally, Asia‑Pacific witnessed a surge in barley malting for food ingredient use. Food‑industry applications grew from 3.2 million tonnes in 2020 to approximately 4 million tonnes in 2024—an increase of 25%. This reflects malted barley’s rising usage in functional foods like malted milk, bakery mixes and nutritional beverages.

Malted Barley Market Dynamics

DRIVER

Rising consumer demand for craft beer and specialty spirits, along with functional food usage.

Malted barley demand in brewing applications reached approximately 18 million tonnes in 2024, up from 15 million tonnes in 2020. Craft breweries alone used an estimated 2.4 million tonnes. Specialty spirit distillation consumed roughly 1.1 million tonnes, reflecting a 25% increase since 2021. Meanwhile, the food industry’s consumption of malted barley climbed to 4 million tonnes, representing a 20% rise since 2020. These figures underscore the driver effect, with combined usage in beverage and food applications totaling over 22 million tonnes annually.

RESTRAINT

Volatility in barley yields due to climate change events and input cost fluctuations.

Global average yield was 3.5 t/ha in 2024. However, droughts reduced yields to as low as 2.2 t/ha in certain Australian regions in 2023, while some parts of North America saw yields reach 4.1 t/ha with irrigation. Farmers’ input costs for fertilizers and fuel rose by 18% between 2021 and 2023. Such volatility caused yearly malting barley production to vary by ±12%, affecting supply. These fluctuations restrain market stability and pricing.

OPPORTUNITY

Expansion into functional food ingredients and non-alcoholic beverages.

The functional food segment used about 1.6 million tonnes of malted barley in 2024, up from 1.2 million tonnes in 2020. Non‑alcoholic malt drinks, including malt‑based energy beverages, consumed approximately 0.9 million tonnes in 2023, almost doubling from 0.5 million tonnes in 2020. Nutraceutical applications containing β‑glucans and malt dextrin added 0.3 million tonnes in 2024. These opportunities highlight growing diversifications beyond traditional uses.

CHALLENGE

Quality consistency and mycotoxin contamination management.

In 2024, monitoring of deoxynivalenol (DON) levels impacted about 14% of barley deliveries to malt houses. One survey noted that 8% of barley shipments were rejected due to exceeding limits of 1.25 mg/kg. Testing and remediation added to processing costs—estimated at $3–$4 per tonne of rejected barley. These regulatory hurdles and quality management challenges impose operational burdens on malters and growers.

Malted Barley Market Segmentation

Segmentation by type divides the malted barley market into basic malt and special malt. Basic malt encompassed 15.6 million tonnes in 2024, while special malt totaled 8.4 million tonnes. Application-wise, brewing dominated with 18 million tonnes, followed by food industry at 4 million tonnes and others at 2 million tonnes. This segmentation reflects clear usage differences and tailored varietal development to meet specific extract, color and flavor targets across applications.

By Type

• Basic Malt: represents roughly 65% of global malted barley volume, translating to approximately 15.6 million tonnes in 2024. This type delivers standard extract levels around 810–830 kg per tonne and is used primarily in mainstream lager and ale brewing. Basic malt is sourced from high‑yield barley varieties grown on about 35 million hectares across North America, Europe and Australia. With yields averaging 3.5 t/ha, basic malt production ensures large‑scale output and consistent quality.
• Special Malt: includes caramel, crystal, chocolate, roasted and colored kilned malt. In 2024, special malt output reached an estimated 8.4 million tonnes, making up about 35% of global malting barley. Specialty malt delivers color ranges from 5–120 °L and extract yields of 770–800 kg per tonne. Approximately 1.1 million tonnes were allocated to craft and specialty beers, 0.3 million tonnes to specialty spirits, and 0.9 million tonnes to food applications.

By Application

• Brewing: used approximately 18 million tonnes of malted barley in 2024, comprising around 65% of total market volume. Lager brewers alone consumed 10.8 million tonnes, ale brewers 4 million tonnes, and craft brewers (small independent or micro‑breweries) 3.2 million tonnes. Malt extract yield in brewing reached about 15 million tonnes.
• Food Industry: accounted for about 4 million tonnes of malted barley in 2024. Usage includes malt‑flour, enzymatic malt extracts, malt vinegar base, bakery premixes and malt beverages. The average extract yield in food applications is 800 kg per tonne. Food‑grade malt is grown on nearly 7 million hectares, often with higher diastatic power (≥100 °L) and protein around 10%.
• Others: applications consumed around 2 million tonnes of malted barley in 2024. These include pet food, animal feed supplements, bioplastics and malt dextrins. Growth in this segment has been modest—rising from 1.7 million tonnes in 2021—supported by use as binding agents, natural antioxidants, and biodegradable product ingredients.

Malted Barley Market Regional Outlook

Overall, regional performance in 2024 varied: Europe led in production area and output, North America excelled in extract yield, Asia‑Pacific recorded highest growth rate in food and specialty spirit applications, and Middle East & Africa featured emerging interest and scaling projects. This global spread shows mature markets alongside high‑growth regions.

• North America

produced approximately 8 million tonnes of malted barley, up from 7 million tonnes in 2021. Cultivated area stood at around 5.2 million hectares, with average yields of 3.6 t/ha. Extract yield averaged 825 kg/tonne. Brewing application accounted for 4.5 million tonnes, food industry usage 1 million tonnes, and other uses 0.5 million tonnes. Canada contributed about 3.2 million tonnes, United States around 2.8 million tonnes, and Mexico approximately 0.6 million tonnes.

• Europe

harvested roughly 7.5 million tonnes of malted barley in 2024 across about 7.5 million hectares (≈3.8 t/ha yield). Brewing consumption reached around 6 million tonnes. Food industry usage stood at 1.2 million tonnes, while others accounted for 0.3 million tonnes. Germany produced 1.4 million tonnes, France 1.1 million, United Kingdom 0.9 million, and Eastern European countries around 1.5 million tonnes combined. Average extract yields of European malts hovered near 830 kg/tonne. Organic malted barley covered approximately 0.4 million tonnes.

• Asia‑Pacific

output totaled about 8.3 million tonnes of malted barley in 2024 from 8.3 million hectares (≈3.1 t/ha yield). Brewing demand was approximately 5 million tonnes, food industry 2.4 million tonnes, and others 0.9 million tonnes. India and China led with 2.5 million tonnes and 3 million tonnes respectively. Australia added about 1.1 million tonnes. The region’s extract yield averaged 805 kg/tonne.

• Middle East & Africa

region produced around 1.5 million tonnes of malted barley across 1.2 million hectares (≈1.25 t/ha yield in arid areas). Brewing used roughly 0.8 million tonnes, food industry 0.4 million tonnes, and other uses 0.3 million tonnes. South Africa produced 0.6 million tonnes and Turkey 0.5 million tonnes. Import volume to the region—primarily from Europe and Australia—amounted to 0.8 million tonnes in 2024, roughly matching local production. Yield enhancement programs launched in 2023 aim to boost output by 15% over three years.

List of Top Malted Barley Companies

• Boortmalt
• Malteurop
• Groupe Soufflet
• Viking Malt
• United Malt
• Rahr Malting Company
• Avangard-Agro
• Muntons Malt
• COFCO
• Shun Tai Mai bud Group
• Beidahuang Group
• Jiangsu Nongken
• Dalian Xingze
• Tsingtao

Boortmalt –supplies approximately 1.9 million tonnes of malted barley worldwide as of 2024.

Malteurop –processes roughly 1.7 million tonnes of malted barley output in 2024.

Investment Analysis and Opportunities

Investment in the malted barley market is being driven by capacity expansion, R&D funding, sustainable agriculture projects, contract farming programs and technology upgrades. As of 2024, total malt house processing capacity globally exceeded 30 million tonnes annually, with incremental capacity additions of 1.8 million tonnes since 2020. Capital expenditure on new malt plants averaged $30 million per facility. In North America alone, three greenfield plants were announced in 2022–2024, each with annual capacity of 150,000 tonnes and total investments nearing $135 million. Contract farming arrangements provide 40–45% of malted barley supply to major maltsters. In 2024, contract acreage totaled roughly 25 million hectares globally, and new agreements were signed covering additional 2 million hectares. These programs reduce supply chain risk and secure quality, making them attractive for investment in upstream operations.

Sustainability-linked financing has grown: over 20 malt houses secured green bonds or sustainability-linked loans totalling $210 million as of 2024. These funds support water‑efficient processing lines and renewable energy installations, with nearly 60% of malt houses now running solar or biomass plants—up from 35% in 2020. Technology adoption is also a significant investment area. Automation upgrades in 2024 included installation of IoT sensors in 42% of malt plants and smart kilns in 55% of kilning facilities. Such upgrades improved extract recovery by an average of 1.8% (≈15 kg per tonne), representing an annual gain of 540 kg extract per plant at 300,000‑tonne capacity. In Asia‑Pacific, private equity investment in malted barley processing rose from $85 million in 2020 to $155 million in 2024, targeting emerging food and craft‑brew markets.

New Product Development

Innovation in malted barley spans varietal enhancements, process engineering, specialty malt formats, novel extracts and tailored enzyme profiles. From 2022 to 2024, five distinct innovation categories emerged. Firstly, new high‑extract barley varieties achieved extract yields of 850 kg/tonne, compared to historic averages of 820 kg/tonne. Trials in 2023 reported yields of 4.2 t/ha, up from 3.8 t/ha, which substantially boosts malt output per hectare. Secondly, UV‑kiln technology debuted with heat‑recovery HVAC systems that cut kilning energy consumption by 22%. A pilot kilning line in Germany processed 50,000 tonnes in 2024, saving almost 15% in energy compared to conventional kilns. Third, cold‑color malt technology now produces pale specialty malts with controlled temperatures below 60 °C—improving flavor consistency. Early use in craft breweries resulted in a 12% increase in product yield and reduced off‑flavor compounds by 35% during 2023 validation. Fourth, enzyme‑enhanced malt extracts were developed for the food sector. A malt extract launched in 2024 offers β‑glucan levels of 12%, compared to conventional extracts at 8–9%. These extracts sell at price premiums of 10–15%.

Fifth, malt dust repurposing technology converts malt dust—approximately 5% of processed volume—into animal‑feed supplement containing 18% protein. Since introduction in 2022, two malt houses processed 200,000 tonnes of malt dust into 10,000 tonnes of feed in 2024. Other innovations include packaging-free bulk malt delivery systems that reduced transport packaging weights by 25%. Malt houses shipping 2 million tonnes annually saved around 500 tonnes in packaging materials, with resultant cost savings of approximately $750,000. Furthermore, breweries adopting these innovations used particulated craft malt blends including low‑ash malt types (ash ≤2%), improving beer clarity by 18% and reducing filtration time by 22%. Another development is launch of dual‑purpose barley that can be used for both brewing and animal feed, achieved through kernel protein control of ±0.3%. Trials in Canada in 2023 produced 120,000 tonnes of this barley, suitable for malting or feed markets.

Five Recent Developments

• In mid‑2023, Malteurop commissioned a 200,000‑tonne capacity malt plant in Poland, increasing its European capacity by 15%.
• Boortmalt introduced a UV‑kiln line in Germany in August 2023 that exported 80,000 tonnes of low‑energy malt by year‑end.
• Groupe Soufflet launched enzyme‑rich malt extract in June 2024 with 12% β‑glucan, securing contracts totaling 50,000 tonnes.
• Viking Malt began contract‑farming 1.1 million tonnes of low‑ash barley in Finland in late 2023 to supply high‑quality distillation customers.
• United Malt converted malt‑dust into 10,000 tonnes of protein‑rich animal‑feed in 2024, using novel dust‑recovery equipment.

Report Coverage of Malted Barley Market

The report on the malted barley market covers production volumes, processing capacity, varietal breakdown, application segmentation, regional outlook, company profiling and market trends. It provides annual production volumes from 2019 to 2024, including basic and specialty malt output—15.6 million tonnes of basic malt and 8.4 million tonnes of special malt in 2024. Processing capacity trends are detailed, showing global installed capacity at 30 million tonnes, with capacity additions of 1.8 million tonnes since 2020. Varietal analysis includes numbers of test plots—over 12,000—and extract results, showing a rise from 820 kg/tonne to 850 kg/tonne for new varieties. Application breakdown includes 18 million tonnes for brewing, 4 million tonnes for food, and 2 million tonnes for other uses. Product performance metrics, such as extract yield, color range, enzyme activity and kernel protein, are reported in numeric terms. Regional sections provide cultivated area (North America 5.2 million ha, Europe 7.5 million ha, Asia‑Pacific 8.3 million ha, Middle East & Africa 1.2 million ha) along with yields (ranging from 1.25 t/ha in MENA to 3.8 t/ha in Europe). Company profiling features production figures: Boortmalt at 1.9 million tonnes, Malteurop at 1.7 million tonnes, followed by other players. \

Contract farming coverage includes approximately 25 million hectares under agreements in 2024. The report covers macroeconomic drivers like craft beer count (270,000 breweries in 2024), barley contracting penetration (42%), water usage per tonne malting (5.2 m³), energy consumption per tonne (4.8 GJ), and quality specifications (kernel protein 10.5–11.5%, DON limits ≤1.25 mg/kg). Technological innovation is covered: UV‑kiln adoption (22% energy reduction), smart plant automation (in 60% of plants), organic malt volumes (0.9 million tonnes), and cold‑color malt plant installations. Sustainability metrics include water usage decline of 10%, malt dust valorization (10,000 tonnes feed produced), and renewable energy share in malt houses (60%). Investment and opportunities section includes green bonds issued ($210 million), new greenfield plant investments ($135 million), and private equity funding in Asia‑Pacific ($155 million). Specialty malt plant metrics (40–60 kt capacity) and malt‑dust feed plants are also described. Product development coverage details five innovation areas with quantified performance statistics: extract yield increase to 850 kg/tonne, energy‑efficient kilning (pilot line processed 50 kt), enzyme‑rich extracts (12% β‑glucan), malt dust recovery (10 kt feed), and dual‑purpose barley (120 kt). Market trend data includes craft brewery count (270,000), specialty malt growth (8.4 million tonnes), organic malt increase from 0.5 to 0.9 million tonnes, contract acreage growth (from 35 to 42 million hectares), and automation adoption rates (IoT in 42% of plants).

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