Production

In 2024, a total of 1.918 million tons of asphalt mixtures were produced in Slovenia, confirming the continuation of a stable trend in recent years. Production took place in 18 asphalt plants, with annual output per plant ranging from 31,000 to 290,000 tons.

A total of 1.792 million tons of mineral aggregates were used in the production of asphalt mixtures, consisting of 1.480 million tons, or nearly 83%, of carbonate fractions and 311,600 tons, or 17%, of silicate fractions. The consumption of bituminous binders in 2024 amounted to 86,820 tons, including 70,650 tons of road construction bitumen and 16,170 tons, or 19%, of polymer-modified bitumen.

The production structure by type of asphalt mixture was similar to that of previous years. The largest share, almost half, was once again represented by asphalt mixtures for surface wearing courses (AC surf), totaling 901,000 tons. This was followed by base layers (AC base) with 752,000 tons and binder layers (AC bin) with 167,500 tons. In addition, 90,300 tons of stone mastic asphalt (SMA) and 7,100 tons of porous asphalt (PA) were produced.

In the area of recycling, the positive trend of incorporating recycled asphalt into production continues. In 2024, approximately 60,000 tons of reclaimed asphalt pavement (RAP) were reused, resulting in the production of around 226,000 tons of asphalt mixtures. This amount represents nearly 12% of total production, confirming the gradual increase in the share of recycled materials in the composition of Slovenian asphalt mixtures. The year before, this share was just under 10%.

At the European Union level, data is available for the year 2023, when total asphalt mixture production was estimated at 202.7 million tons in the EU-27 member states. Meanwhile, total European production — including the United Kingdom, Norway, Switzerland, Serbia, and Turkey — amounted to 269 million tons (source: EAPA Asphalt in Figures 2023).

Production was therefore about 10 million tons, or nearly 5%, lower than the previous year.

As usual, the largest producers were Germany (38.0 million tons), Turkey (31.6 million tons), Italy (31.2 million tons), and France (30.7 million tons). Among neighboring countries, Croatia produced 3.0 million tons, Austria 6.5 million tons, and Hungary 3.1 million tons of asphalt mixtures. Data for the United States for 2023 was not available in the publication, but production was estimated at approximately 350 million tons

Slovenian asphalt production remained stable in 2024, consistent with previous years, providing solid support for the construction sector and road infrastructure maintenance. The increasing share of recycled raw materials reflects the industry’s shift toward greater sustainability and production efficiency, as well as its commitment to promoting a circular economy.