Glass market analysis
According to Statistics Poland (GUS), sold production of glass and glass products in Poland was worth PLN 17,709.1 m in 2024. Poland is also one of the largest glass exporters in the European Union: in 2025 it exported glass and glass products worth EUR 2,923.4 m (Eurostat). This brief brings together data on production, the largest glassworks, foreign trade, energy costs, recycling and the European market. It also covers the outlook for the coming years.
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How much glass is produced in Poland?
According to GUS, Polish plants produced 173 km² of float glass and 70,700 t of tempered glass in 2024, as well as 17.7 m m² of insulating glass units.
Float glass output has grown for years. It was 86.9 km² in 2010, 166 km² in 2020 and 173 km² in 2024, twice as much as 14 years earlier. Float glass is the base for windows, façades and car glazing.
Tempered glass output was 70,700 t in 2024. That is below the record 78,300 t in 2023, but above 2020 (69,400 t).
The insulating glass unit market is changing clearly. Output of single-chamber units fell from 13,388 thousand m² in 2010 to 10,408 thousand m² in 2024, down 22.3%. Output of multi-chamber units grew more than sevenfold over the same period, from 1,011 to 7,285 thousand m². This reflects energy-efficiency requirements for buildings, which favour triple-glazed windows.
Less and less wired cast or rolled glass is made: 2,600 t in 2024, compared with 9,000 t in 2010.
Poland has its own raw material base. In 2024, 2,432 thousand t of glass sand was extracted and processed in the country.
| Product | 2010 | 2015 | 2020 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Float glass (km²) | 86.9 | 98.5 | 166 | 166 | 173 |
| Tempered glass (thousand t) | 51 | 72.9 | 69.4 | 78.3 | 70.7 |
| Single-chamber insulating glass units (thousand m²) | 13,388 | 13,685 | 12,989 | 10,511 | 10,408 |
| Multi-chamber insulating glass units (thousand m²) | 1,011 | 3,226 | 7,191 | 6,694 | 7,285 |
| Wired cast or rolled glass (thousand t) | 9 | 7.1 | 4.1 | 1.4 | 2.6 |
02
How big is the glass market in Poland?
According to GUS, sold production of glass and glass products in Poland was worth PLN 17,709.1 m in 2024, 1.0% of total industrial sold production.
Glass accounts for a quarter (25%) of sold production in the “other non-metallic mineral products” division, which also includes cement, ceramics and building materials.
GUS also publishes data on companies whose main activity is making glass and glass products. In 2024 there were 92 such entities with at least 50 workers. Their sold production was PLN 19,493 m and average employment was 32,600 FTEs. The average gross monthly wage was PLN 8,032.48, below the industry average (PLN 8,580.84). The gross value of their fixed assets was PLN 21,520.6 m.
The two figures differ because GUS counts them differently. The first (PLN 17,709.1 m) is the value of glass products regardless of who made them. The second (PLN 19,493 m) is the total sales of large and medium glass companies, including other products.
Glassmaking is capital-intensive. Sold production per employee is PLN 598,400, compared with PLN 898,400 across industry.
| Indicator | Value |
|---|---|
| Sold production of glass products (PLN m) | 17,709.1 |
| Share of total industrial sold production | 1.0% |
| Entities with 50 or more workers (NACE: manufacture of glass and glass products) | 92 |
| Sold production of these entities (PLN m) | 19,493 |
| Average employment (thousand FTEs) | 32.6 |
| Average gross monthly wage (PLN) | 8,032.48 |
03
Who makes glass in Poland?
According to Glass International, Guardian Glass’s float line in Częstochowa, launched in 2020, can melt 1,000 t of glass a day. At least four foreign-owned groups make float glass in Poland: Guardian, Saint-Gobain, NSG (Pilkington) and Glas Trösch (Euroglas).
Flat glass. Float plants are in Częstochowa (Guardian Glass), Dąbrowa Górnicza (Saint-Gobain), Sandomierz (Pilkington Polska, part of NSG) and Ujazd (Euroglas Polska, part of Glas Trösch). Guardian runs two float lines in Częstochowa. In 2019 Saint-Gobain opened a second float line in Dąbrowa Górnicza, worth EUR 85 m, with a capacity of 900 t a day. In 2018 Euroglas began building a second float line in Ujazd. Pilkington Polska is building a glass coating line in Sandomierz worth about PLN 160 m, due to start in Q1 2027.
Glass packaging. Bottles and jars are made by, among others, O-I (the Antoninek glassworks in Poznań, part of the group since 1998) and Ardagh (including its Gostyń glassworks). Stoelzle Częstochowa makes premium packaging for spirits, cosmetics and pharmaceutical producers. Glass has been made on the site since 1897, and it has belonged to the Austrian Stoelzle group since 2001.
Processors. Float glass also goes to processors that turn it into insulating glass units, tempered and laminated glass. Poland sells a large share of these products abroad (see section 04).
| Producer | Group | Plant | Segment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Guardian Glass | Guardian Industries | Częstochowa | float glass |
| Saint-Gobain Glass | Saint-Gobain | Dąbrowa Górnicza | float glass |
| Pilkington Polska | NSG | Sandomierz | float glass, coated glass |
| Euroglas Polska | Glas Trösch | Ujazd | float glass |
| O-I | O-I Glass | Poznań (Antoninek) | glass packaging |
| Ardagh Glass | Ardagh Group | Gostyń | glass packaging |
| Stoelzle Częstochowa | Stoelzle Glass Group | Częstochowa | premium packaging (spirits, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals) |
For foreign suppliers: float glass in Poland comes from four foreign-owned groups. Processors that make tempered, laminated and insulating glass are the main buyers of equipment, coatings and components.
04
How much glass does Poland export and import?
According to Eurostat, Poland exported glass and glass products worth EUR 2,923.4 m in 2025 and imported EUR 1,732.9 m. The trade surplus was EUR 1,190.5 m.
Exports are growing. Between 2021 and 2025 their value rose by 29.4%, from EUR 2,259.9 m to EUR 2,923.4 m (MarketHub calculations). Volumes have stayed at about 1.9 m t a year, so the growth comes mainly from higher prices and higher-value products.
Poland is the EU’s third-largest glass exporter, after Germany (EUR 7,295.2 m) and France (EUR 3,172.2 m). It accounts for 9.5% of exports by all EU member states and has the second-largest trade surplus, after Germany (MarketHub calculations).
Safety glass, i.e. tempered and laminated glass, is the largest export: EUR 893.2 m in 2025, 30.6% of the total. It is followed by glass packaging (18.5%), insulating glass units (10.8%), tableware and decorative glass (9.9%), float glass (9.6%), mirrors (9.4%) and glass fibres (8.1%). Since 2022, exports of mirrors (+39.4%) and glass fibres (+19.2%) have grown fastest. Exports of insulating units, tableware and float glass each fell by about 10–11%.
Most exports (83.2%) go to the EU. Germany is the largest buyer (24.7%), followed by Czechia (8.8%) and France (6.7%).
Germany (22.4%) and China (22.2%) are the main import sources. China’s share has risen from 17.7% in 2022 (MarketHub calculations). Glass fibres are the largest import item (EUR 365.0 m, 21.1%), followed by glass packaging (17.2%) and safety glass (12.5%).
| Year | Exports (EUR m) | Imports (EUR m) | Exports (thousand t) | Imports (thousand t) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2,259.9 | 1,505.0 | 1,910.4 | 1,467.3 |
| 2022 | 2,793.9 | 1,738.9 | 1,916.0 | 1,400.4 |
| 2023 | 2,937.8 | 1,698.4 | 1,835.5 | 1,242.5 |
| 2024 | 2,882.9 | 1,737.4 | 1,943.9 | 1,265.5 |
| 2025 | 2,923.4 | 1,732.9 | 1,921.0 | 1,407.0 |
| Product group (CN code) | 2022 | 2025 | Share 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety glass, tempered and laminated (7007) | 832.7 | 893.2 | 30.6% |
| Glass packaging (7010) | 494.5 | 541.2 | 18.5% |
| Insulating glass units (7008) | 351.4 | 316.1 | 10.8% |
| Tableware and decorative glass (7013) | 323.2 | 290.1 | 9.9% |
| Float glass (7005) | 315.8 | 280.1 | 9.6% |
| Mirrors (7009) | 196.2 | 273.6 | 9.4% |
| Glass fibres (7019) | 198.5 | 236.6 | 8.1% |
Eurostat revises past data every year, so the 2021 figure differs from earlier publications.
For foreign buyers: Poland is an established source of processed glass for the EU market, especially safety glass, mirrors and glass packaging, with short delivery routes to Germany and Central Europe.
05
What does the European glass market look like?
According to Glass Alliance Europe, glass production in the EU and the UK was 37.5 m t in 2025, the same as a year earlier and 10.1% less than in 2022.
Germany is the largest producer, followed by Italy, Turkey, France, Spain, Poland and the UK. Within the EU, Poland ranks fifth.
Sectors moved in different directions in 2025. Output of glass packaging (+1.45%) and mineral wool (+2.96%) grew. Output of flat glass (−4.76%), continuous filament fibres (−2.6%), tableware (−3.6%) and special glass (−20.7%) fell. Compared with 2019, flat glass output is at 87.7%, packaging at 93.8% and tableware at only 60.4%.
According to FEVE, European glassworks produced 20.3 m t of food and beverage glass packaging in 2025, or 73.3 bn units, 2% more than a year earlier. That puts the average container at about 277 g (MarketHub calculations).
Trade with non-EU countries is balanced in euros but not in tonnes. In 2025 the EU exported 3.52 m t of glass worth EUR 8.4 bn and imported 5.27 m t worth EUR 8.4 bn. 42% of imports come from the Far East, including 35% from China. The main export destinations are the UK (23%), Switzerland (12%), the USA (9.3%), Turkey (7.5%) and Ukraine (7%).
The industry directly employs about 128,500 people. Glass Alliance Europe reports plant closures.
| Year | Production (m t) | Change y/y |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 41.57 | n/a |
| 2022 | 41.72 | +0.4% |
| 2023 | 38.60 | −7.5% |
| 2024 | 37.77 | −2.2% |
| 2025 | 37.50 | −0.7% |
06
How do energy costs affect glassmaking?
According to Eurostat, large industrial gas users in Poland paid 5.52 euro cents per kWh excluding VAT in H1 2026, more than twice as much as in H1 2021 (2.44 euro cents).
Melting glass takes a lot of energy, so energy is one of the main costs for glassworks. According to GUS, electricity use per PLN 100 of sold production in glassmaking was 8.4 kWh in 2024, almost twice the industry average (4.5 kWh). Each employee accounted for 52.3 MWh, compared with 42.6 MWh across industry.
Industrial gas prices rose most sharply in 2022. In H2 2022 large users in Poland paid 9.40 euro cents per kWh. Prices have fallen since, but remain clearly above pre-crisis levels. In H1 2026 they were higher in Poland than the EU average (5.16 euro cents) and Germany (5.44 euro cents).
Climate policy adds to the costs. Glassworks with a melting capacity above 20 t a day are covered by the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS). They must buy allowances for CO2 emitted from burning gas and from decomposing raw materials such as soda ash and limestone.
Glass Alliance Europe names high energy costs as the first problem for the European industry, alongside imports from Asia. One way to cut energy use is a higher share of cullet in the batch (see section 07).
| Period | Poland | Germany | EU |
|---|---|---|---|
| H1 2021 | 2.44 | 2.65 | 2.44 |
| H2 2022 | 9.40 | 7.03 | 8.65 |
| H2 2023 | 7.77 | 6.84 | 6.00 |
| H2 2024 | 6.05 | 5.86 | 5.23 |
| H2 2025 | 5.14 | 5.46 | 4.83 |
| H1 2026 | 5.52 | 5.44 | 5.16 |
07
How are recycling and the deposit return scheme changing glass packaging?
According to GUS, Polish industry had 2,474,900 t of cullet and glass waste available in 2024. Half of it (1,244,000 t) it generated itself, and 1,201,500 t it bought.
Cullet is an important raw material for glassworks. Each tonne of cullet in the batch replaces some sand, soda ash and limestone, and the furnace melts it using less energy. Almost all cullet stays in Poland: in 2024 imports were 29,400 t and exports 40,000 t.
According to Eurostat, Poland generated 1,338,500 t of glass packaging waste in 2022, or 36.35 kg per person. The recycling rate was 69.7%, below the EU average (75.6% in 2022, 74.9% in 2023). 18.1% of the waste was recycled in other EU countries.
The EU recycling targets for glass packaging are 70% in 2025 and 75% in 2030. According to the Close the Glass Loop platform, EU collection of glass packaging for recycling reached 80.8% in 2023, more than 12 m t. The industry’s goal is 90% in 2030.
Poland’s deposit return scheme has been running since 1 October 2025. It covers plastic bottles up to 3 l, cans up to 1 l (deposit PLN 0.50) and reusable glass bottles up to 1.5 l (deposit PLN 1). Single-use glass bottles, including small spirits bottles, are outside the scheme. In April 2026 the Ministry of Climate and Environment said it was analysing their inclusion. By the end of March 2026, 185 beverage producers had joined the scheme.
| Item | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Generated in-house | 1,244.0 |
| Purchased | 1,201.5 |
| Imports | 29.4 |
| Total available | 2,474.9 |
| Used in-house | 1,214.2 |
| Sold | 1,200.4 |
| Exports | 40.0 |
| Total disposals | 2,455.3 |
08
What is the outlook for the glass market?
According to Glass Alliance Europe, European glass production in 2025 was 8.4% lower than in 2008, and in early 2026 the industry saw no sign of improvement yet.
What supports demand. Poland has a strong export position. Glass exports grew by 29.4% in 2021–2025, and the country has the EU’s second-largest surplus in glass trade. Output of multi-chamber insulating units is growing, driven by energy-efficient construction and building renovation. In Europe, glass packaging output is rising (+2% in 2025, according to FEVE). Investment continues, for example Pilkington’s glass coating line in Sandomierz, planned for 2027.
Challenges. The first is energy costs, which are higher in Poland than the EU average. The second is imports from Asia: China’s share of Polish glass imports has risen to 22.2%. The European Commission has imposed anti-dumping duties on glass fibre yarns from China. The third is the cost of climate policy (EU ETS). The fourth is the weak European construction market, which limits demand for flat glass (−4.76% in 2025).
Packaging and recycling. Poland needs to raise glass packaging recycling to meet EU targets (75% in 2030). Extending the deposit scheme to single-use glass would change how glass is collected and how much cullet reaches glassworks.
For foreign suppliers: the data point to processed and higher-value glass, energy-saving melting technology and cullet supply as the areas most exposed to change.
MarketHub expert comment
“For a company that sells glass or wants to enter this market, two things in these figures matter most. First, Poland today is above all an exporter. Most exports go to the EU, and one euro in four to Germany. So orders at many Polish plants depend on construction and industrial demand abroad, not only at home. Second, China’s share of imports is growing. Companies that compete mainly on price will be under increasing pressure. Suppliers of processed glass, such as tempered, laminated or coated glass, are in a better position, because delivery times, quality and proximity to the customer count here. Before investing in new capacity or approaching a glassworks or processor, check who buys in your segment, how much of the product is imported and how energy costs affect local suppliers’ prices.”
Author: Olga Łozińska · Updated by: Katarzyna Kucia, 17 October 2026
Sources:
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Source: MarketHub, “Glass market analysis”, markethub.pl, updated 10.2026