Aircraft Nuts Market Size, Share, Trend, Forecast, Competitive Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2024-2032

The aircraft nuts market was valued at US$ 1.4 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 2.9% reaching US$ 1.8 billion by 2032.

Market Dynamics

Introduction

Aircraft nuts are critical fastening parts utilized in aircraft applications to hold bolts and other fasteners in position. Aircraft nuts provide structural integrity and safety to aircraft along with the ability to resist high-stress and vibration. The increasing number of aircraft fleets, the need for lightweight materials, and strict safety regulations are propelling market growth. Sustainability is driving innovation in aerospace fasteners, leading to eco-friendly coatings and materials that reduce environmental impact.

The aircraft nuts market revolves around the specialized fasteners that hold aircraft together, ensuring safety, durability, and performance in the most demanding conditions. These high-strength nuts are designed to withstand extreme vibrations, temperature shifts, and intense mechanical stress, playing a crucial role in securing everything from airframes to engines.

These include a wide range of precision-engineered nuts-such as self-locking, castellated, and shear nuts-each built to meet strict aerospace industry standards. Manufacturers and suppliers focus on delivering corrosion-resistant, lightweight, and highly reliable fastening solutions that help aircraft operate safely and efficiently. As global air travel expands and aviation technology advances, the demand for top-quality aircraft nuts remains critical to keeping modern fleets in the air.

Drivers

The market's growth is driven by a rebound in aircraft deliveries, the development of new programs, rising military expenditure, an increase in MRO activities, and increasing new and aging aircraft fleet sizes. Also, the rapid advancements in aircraft design require high-precision nuts to attain safety standards which ultimately drives the long-term demand.

Market Challenges

While the future of the aircraft nuts market seems bright with prospective growth, there are challenges in the industry that can affect production, supply chain optimization, and market growth. The main source of these challenges is stringent regulatory needs and geopolitical tensions, which create short- and long-term obstacles for manufacturers and investors. To overcome these challenges, players in the industry will need to invest in regulatory compliance, simplify certification procedures, and work on geopolitical risk management. Partnering with certification organizations, supply chain diversification, and market positioning will be key to overcoming these challenges and maintaining growth in the aircraft nuts industry.

Key Market Trends:

• The development of lightweight and high-strength materials, such as titanium and composite alloys, has led to the production of specialized aircraft nuts that meet the stringent requirements of modern aircraft.
• Automation offers several advantages, including improved precision, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness.
• Aircraft nuts must meet rigorous performance and safety standards to ensure the safe operation of aircraft.
• As the aviation industry focuses on reducing its carbon footprint and minimizing environmental impact, there is a growing emphasis on sustainable practices in the production of aircraft components.

Recent Mergers & Acquisitions:

• Bollhoff Group acquired Gillis Aerospace in 2022: Bollhoff Group diversified its manufacturing capabilities by acquiring Gillis Aerospace, which brought specialized bolts, fasteners, and surface finishing operations to its folds.
• TriMas Aerospace acquired TFI Aerospace in 2021: The takeover of TFI Aerospace enabled TriMas Aerospace to expand strategically and enhance its fastener product offerings by adding complementary niche products.
• Bollhoff Group acquired SNEP SA in 2021: Bollhoff Group also strengthened its technical fastener market share by the acquisition of SNEP SA, a prominent French aerospace fastener producer, furthering its high-precision aerospace fastening solutions capabilities.

Segments Analysis

By Aircraft Type

"Commercial aircraft is expected to remain the dominant as well as the fastest-growing aircraft type of the market."

Based on aircraft type, the market is segmented into commercial aircraft, military aircraft, helicopter, regional aircraft, and general aviation. Commercial aircraft lead due to high passenger demand and frequent maintenance needs. Larger fleet sizes and higher usage frequency in commercial aviation, compared to military or general aviation, also contribute significantly to its dominance in the market. All the leading players, namely Howmet Aerospace, Lisi Aerospace, and PCC Corp., supply fasteners, nuts, rivets, etc. for major aircraft programs such as A350, A320, A330, B777, B787, and B737.

In 2024, Boeing and Airbus delivered 1,114 aircraft (Boeing delivered 348 aircraft and Airbus delivered 766 aircraft), a 12% decline from 2023 deliveries (1,263 aircraft delivered in 2023, Boeing delivered 528 aircraft and Airbus delivered 735 aircraft).

By Application Type

"Airframe is likely to remain at the forefront throughout the study period."

The market has been segmented into airframe, engine, flight control surfaces, interiors, and other applications. The airframe is the central framework of the aircraft, consisting of the fuselage, wings, empennage (tail section), and landing gear. Nuts are used in various airframe applications where secure fastening is essential, such as in joints & braces and panels & skins. The fuselage is the biggest section of the airframe, a typical narrow-body aircraft fuselage has a length of about 33.6 meters and a height of about 4 meters. It deploys hundreds of thousands to millions of fasteners. The fuselage houses the crew, passengers, and cargo, and nuts secure the panels, frame assemblies, and structural elements like the vertical stabilizer or horizontal stabilizer.

With the growing interest in titanium parts, owing to their lightweight and galvanic compatibility with composite structures, there is a rising demand for titanium nuts in airframe applications.

By Nut Type

"Wrenchable nuts are likely to remain the largest as well as the fastest-growing nut type during the forecast period."

The market has been segmented into wrenchable nuts, barrel nuts, nut plates, and other nuts. Wrenchable nuts are standard nuts with a threaded design that can be tightened and loosened using a wrench, offering a reliable and easily accessible fastening method. They are commonly used in aircraft structural assemblies, engine mounts, landing gear, and control linkages, where secure and precise fastening is required. Landing gear to fuselage, engine pods to wings, and nacelle and fuel tank attachments are typical of the many places barrel nuts are used.

By Material Type

"Steel nuts are likely to maintain their dominance in the market throughout the study period."

The market has been segmented into steel nuts, titanium nuts, aluminum nuts, and other nuts. The aerospace industry primarily relies on alloy steel and stainless steel for their strength, durability, and corrosion resistance. Among stainless steels, 304 and 316 grades are the most widely used grades due to their high performance, excellent resistance to harsh environments, and reliability in critical applications.

CRES series C300 stainless steel is a popular choice for aerospace fastener covers, screws, bolts, and nuts due to its high strength and corrosion resistance. However, its heat resistance is relatively low, making it more suitable for applications where extreme temperatures are not a primary concern.

Fasteners used in aero-engines differ from those used in airframes or interiors as they have to withstand extreme temperature and pressure environments. Apart from titanium nuts, A286 alloy nuts are widely used in aircraft engines. These alloys are well known for their excellent oxidation resistance at elevated temperatures. Good compatibility exists between titanium and composite structures, creating a shift in industry players to switch toward titanium nuts despite their high cost.

By Locking Type

"Self-locking nuts took the throne in the market during 2024 and are likely to maintain their lead during the forecast period."

The market has been segmented into self-locking nuts and non-self-locking nuts. Self-locking nuts are widely used in aircraft to prevent loosening due to vibration, stress, and temperature variations. Key applications of self-locking nuts are engine components: all-metal lock nuts resist heat and vibration in engine nacelles, firewalls, and exhaust systems; landing gear: used in shock-absorber assemblies and wheel fasteners for high-load conditions; control surfaces: found in flaps, rudders, and stabilizers to ensure secure connections in dynamic loads; fuselage & wing structures: fastens structural joints, skin panels, and access covers; and avionics & interiors: nylon-insert nuts secure electrical components and cabin fittings.

By End-User Type

"OE is likely to remain the key demand-generator during the forecast period."

The market is segmented into OE and aftermarket. OE is estimated to maintain its momentum, driven by upcoming aircraft programs, rising air passenger traffic, and huge order backlogs at the leading aircraft giants.

Aerospace & defense equipment, including aircraft and military vehicles, are designed to operate over extended periods. As these assets age, they require regular maintenance and replacement of parts, including nuts, to ensure continued reliability and performance. A significant portion of the global aircraft fleet is aging, which increases the frequency of maintenance and the need for replacement parts, driving demand in the aftermarket.

Regional Analysis

"North America is expected to remain the largest market during the forecast period."

Despite several setbacks faced by Boeing over the past several years, North America still manages to maintain its leading position in the market. Airbus and its continuous success over the past couple of years are inevitably one of the key driving forces behind Europe's second position. The USA to drive North America's market, France and Germany to fuel Europe's market, and China and India to impact Asia-Pacific's market. A strong geographical foothold of leading players exists across regions. India, China, and the USA remain the thrust-bearers of the market in the long run.

Key Players

The market is highly fragmented, with <50 players. The following are the key players in the aircraft nuts market:

• Here is the list of the Top Players (Based on Dominance)
• Howmet Aerospace
• Precision CastParts Corp.
• LISI Aerospace
• Stanley Black & Decker
• TriMas Corp.
• Bollhoff Group
• PennEngineering

Report Features

This report provides market intelligence most comprehensively. The report structure has been kept so that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights into market dynamics and will enable strategic decision-making for existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report:

• Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis.
• Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter's five forces analysis, SWOT analysis.
• Market trend and forecast analysis.
• Market segment trend and forecast.
• Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, Service portfolio, New Product Launches, etc.
• COVID-19 impact and its recovery curve.
• Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities.
• Emerging trends.
• Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players.
• Key success factors.

The global aircraft nuts market is segmented into the following categories.

Aircraft Nuts Market, by Aircraft Type

• Commercial Aircraft (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
• Regional Aircraft (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
• Helicopter (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
• Military Aircraft (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
• General Aviation (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)

Aircraft Nuts Market by Application Type

• Airframe (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
• Engine (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
• Flight Control Surfaces (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
• Interiors (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
• Other Applications (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)

Aircraft Nuts Market by Nut Type

• Wrenchable Nuts (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
• Barrel Nuts (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
• Nut Plates (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
• Other Nuts (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)

Aircraft Nuts Market by Material Type

• Titanium Nuts (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
• Steel Nuts (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
• Aluminum Nuts (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
• Other Nuts (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)

Aircraft Nuts Market by Locking Type

• Self-Locking Nuts (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
• Non-Self-Locking Nuts (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)

Aircraft Nuts Market by End-User Type

• OE (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)
• Aftermarket (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of the World)

Aircraft Nuts Market by Region

• North America (Country Analysis: The USA, Canada, and Mexico)
• Europe (Country Analysis: Germany, France, The UK, Russia, and Rest of Europe)
• Asia-Pacific (Country Analysis: Japan, China, India, and Rest of Asia-Pacific)
• Rest of the World (Country Analysis: Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Others)

Research Methodology

• This strategic assessment report from Stratview Research provides a comprehensive analysis that reflects today's aircraft nuts market realities and future market possibilities for the forecast period.
• The report segments and analyzes the market in the most detailed manner in order to provide a panoramic view of the market.
• The vital data/information provided in the report can play a crucial role for market participants and investors in identifying the low-hanging fruits available in the market and formulating growth strategies to expedite their growth process.
• This report offers high-quality insights and is the outcome of a detailed research methodology comprising extensive secondary research, rigorous primary interviews with industry stakeholders, and validation and triangulation with Stratview Research's internal database and statistical tools.
• More than 1,000 authenticated secondary sources, such as company annual reports, fact books, press releases, journals, investor presentations, white papers, patents, and articles, have been leveraged to gather the data.
• We conducted more than 15 detailed primary interviews with market players across the value chain in all four regions and industry experts to obtain both qualitative and quantitative insights.