In recent years, the accelerated green transformation of traditional industries such as building materials, electric power, and metallurgy, coupled with the growing demand for efficient grinding equipment in new energy and new materials sectors, has significantly boosted the market attention and application scope of vertical roller mills (VRM). As an efficient grinding solution integrating crushing, grinding, drying, and classifying functions, VRMs are witnessing expanded adoption. From industry data to technological innovations, and from policy guidance to corporate strategies, vertical roller mills are embracing new development opportunities while simultaneously facing dual challenges of technological upgrading and market competition. This makes an in-depth analysis of their industry landscape and development trends particularly crucial.
Market demand continues to climb, with multi-sector drivers serving as the core engine
According to recent industry research reports, the global vertical roller mill market reached a scale exceeding RMB 8 billion in 2024, representing a year-on-year growth of approximately 12%. The Chinese market contributed over 60% of this share, establishing itself as the core engine driving the global development of the vertical roller mill industry. This growth trajectory is underpinned by synergistic demand drivers across multiple sectors.
In the building materials industry, the green transformation of cement production has been a key catalyst. Traditional ball mills are characterized by high energy consumption and significant dust emissions, whereas vertical roller mills consume only 60%-70% of the energy required by ball mills and can maintain dust emission concentrations below 10mg/m³. This performance fully aligns with environmental requirements under China's "Dual Carbon" policy goals.
In the new energy sector, the production of lithium battery cathode materials (such as lithium iron phosphate and ternary materials) imposes extremely high requirements on the fineness and uniformity of raw materials. Owing to their precise classification capability and consistent grinding performance, vertical roller mills have become the preferred grinding equipment in this field. With the continuous growth in global sales of new energy vehicles and the accelerated expansion of cathode material production capacity, the demand for vertical roller mills in China's new energy industry increased by over 30% year-on-year in 2024. Some equipment manufacturers have even reported order backlogs extending to the second half of 2025.
Furthermore, in the field of solid waste treatment, vertical roller mills demonstrate unique advantages in the resource utilization of industrial solid wastes such as steel slag, mineral slag, and fly ash. Taking steel slag as an example, the steel slag micropowder produced by vertical roller mills can be used as a substitute for cement admixtures. This not only reduces pollution from solid waste storage but also decreases the energy consumption associated with cement production. Currently, more than 50 industrial solid waste resource utilization projects in China have adopted vertical roller mill equipment, contributing significantly to the advancement of the "Zero-Waste City" initiative.
Technical innovation is accelerating, with intelligence and customization becoming mainstream trends
Faced with diverse demands from different industries, vertical roller mill manufacturers are increasing R&D investments to shift from "general-purpose" to "customized" and "intelligent" technologies. A series of technological breakthroughs are reshaping the competitive landscape of the industry.
In terms of core technological upgrades, material improvements for grinding components have become a key focus. Traditional vertical roller mills typically use standard wear-resistant cast iron for grinding rollers and plates, with a service life of only 3,000–5,000 hours. In contrast, grinding components made from high-chromium alloys and ceramic composites can extend service life to 8,000–12,000 hours while reducing the incorporation of metal impurities during the grinding process. This meets the stringent purity requirements of new energy materials. For example, the "ceramic composite grinding rollers" developed by one equipment manufacturer have been adopted by several lithium battery material producers, increasing product qualification rates by 5%–8%.
In the field of intelligent upgrades, the integration of IoT and big data technologies has enabled "unmanned" operation of vertical roller mills. By installing sensors for vibration, temperature, and current on the equipment, operational data is collected in real time and uploaded to a cloud-based management platform. The system automatically analyzes equipment status and provides early warnings for potential failures. For instance, when roller wear reaches a critical level, the platform automatically sends a replacement alert and coordinates with the spare parts management system to reduce downtime. Currently, the penetration rate of intelligent equipment among leading Chinese vertical roller mill manufacturers exceeds 40%, with some production lines achieving 24-hour continuous fault-free operation.
Regarding customized solutions, companies are designing specialized equipment tailored to the characteristics of different materials. Taking graphite powder grinding as an example, traditional vertical roller mills often face issues like "material sticking" and "blockages" due to graphite’s flexibility and viscosity. One manufacturer developed a customized vertical mill featuring "low-temperature grinding + negative pressure classification." By controlling the grinding temperature below 50°C and incorporating a specially designed classification impeller, the system effectively addresses challenges in graphite powder processing. This equipment has already been deployed in several anode material production plants in China, with positive market feedback.
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