Smokeless Rifle Powder Market Report 2025

The smokeless rifle powder market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $1.11 billion in 2024 to $1.18 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.7%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to rising military modernization programs, expanding law enforcement requirements, increasing popularity of recreational shooting, growth in hunting culture, and a surge in civilian firearm ownership. These factors collectively drove demand for smokeless rifle powder by enhancing ammunition production and usage across multiple sectors.

The smokeless rifle powder market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $1.45 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.3%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to increasing defense expenditure, rising participation in shooting sports, growing demand for high-performance ammunition, expanding hunting activities, and increasing civilian firearm ownership. Major trends in the forecast period include advancements in eco-friendly powder formulations, integration of biodegradable materials, technology-driven performance enhancements, developments in temperature-stable powders, and advancements in polymer-coated powders.

The growing popularity of hunting is anticipated to drive the expansion of the smokeless rifle powder market in the future. Hunting involves pursuing, capturing, or killing wild animals, often for food, sport, or population management. This increasing interest is fueled by a rising enthusiasm for outdoor recreation, wildlife conservation initiatives, cultural traditions, and the desire for sustainable, self-sourced food. Smokeless rifle powders aid hunters by providing cleaner combustion, enhanced accuracy, and dependable performance, allowing for consistent and effective results in the field. For example, a report by the Outdoor Industry Association, a U.S.-based non-profit, indicated that hunting participation in the U.S. grew by 1% in 2022 compared to 2021, with 14.7 million Americans hunting at least once using a bow or firearm. Hence, the rising popularity of hunting is contributing to the growth of the smokeless rifle powder market.

Leading companies in the smokeless rifle powder market are prioritizing the development of innovative products such as precision shooting smokeless rifle powders, designed to offer shooters reliable performance across various environmental conditions, improve accuracy, and provide consistent outcomes for hunting and competitive shooting alike. Precision shooting smokeless rifle powder is a specialized formulation intended to deliver stable, clean, and consistent performance for high-accuracy shooting. It is engineered to maintain uniform burn rates and pressure levels, essential for tight shot groupings and predictable ballistics. For instance, in August 2022, Alliant Powder, a U.S.-based company, introduced Reloder TS 15.5, a smokeless rifle powder aimed at delivering consistent performance for precision shooting and reloading. This innovative powder incorporates advanced formulation technology, optimized grain shape, and precise burn rates, enabling reliable ignition, enhanced shot-to-shot consistency, and improved accuracy for both competitive shooters and hunting enthusiasts. Reloder TS 15.5 is versatile and suitable for a wide variety of rifle calibers and shooting disciplines.

In November 2024, the Czech industrial technology company Czechoslovak Group (CSG) acquired The Kinetic Group for an undisclosed sum. This acquisition is intended to reinforce CSG’s position in the global defense and ammunition market by expanding its footprint in the U.S. and integrating leading small-caliber ammunition brands into its portfolio. The Kinetic Group is a U.S.-based manufacturer specializing in ammunition products, including smokeless gunpowder.

Major players in the smokeless rifle powder market are Maxam Outdoors S.A, EURENCO FRANCE SAS, Rheinmetall Denel Munition (Pty) Ltd., Graf & Sons, Shooters World, Nitrochemie Wimmis AG, Hodgdon Powder Company, ELEY HAWK LIMITED, Natchez Shooters Supplies, Explosia a.s, Nobel Sport Italia, Alliant Powder, Australian Munitions, Nammo Vihtavuori Oy, Baschieri & Pellagri Spa, Cartuchos SAGA SA, Spectre Enterprises Inc., Prvi Partizan AD, LHS-Germany GmbH, Maine Ammo Company.

North America was the largest region in the smokeless rifle powder market in 2024. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in smokeless rifle powder report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa. The countries covered in the smokeless rifle powder market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

Note that the outlook for this market is being affected by rapid changes in trade relations and tariffs globally. The report will be updated prior to delivery to reflect the latest status, including revised forecasts and quantified impact analysis. The report’s Recommendations and Conclusions sections will be updated to give strategies for entities dealing with the fast-moving international environment.

The sharp hike in U.S. tariffs and the associated trade disputes in spring 2025 are notably impacting the aerospace and defense sector by raising costs for titanium, carbon fiber composites, and avionics materials largely sourced from global suppliers. Defense contractors, locked into fixed-price government contracts, absorb these added costs, while commercial aerospace firms face airline pushback on higher aircraft prices. Delays in component shipments due to customs bottlenecks further disrupt tight production schedules for jets and satellites. The industry is responding by stockpiling critical materials, seeking waivers for defense-related imports, and collaborating with allied nations to diversify supply chain.

Smokeless rifle powder is a modern propellant used mainly in rifles that produces minimal smoke upon ignition, unlike traditional black powder. It is generally made from nitrocellulose alone or combined with nitroglycerin, enabling more efficient and cleaner burning. Due to its better ballistic performance and cleaner combustion, smokeless powder has largely replaced black powder in contemporary ammunition.

The primary types of smokeless rifle powder include single base powder, double base powder, ball powder, and extruded powder. Single base powder consists mainly of nitrocellulose as its active component. These powders come in various formulations, such as stabilized smokeless powder, non-stabilized variants, and eco-friendly options. They are used in multiple applications, including hunting, sport shooting, military and law enforcement operations, and reloading, serving end users like individual shooters, commercial manufacturers, government and defense agencies, as well as retailers and distributors.

The smokeless rifle powder market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides smokeless rifle powder market statistics, including the smokeless rifle powder industry's global market size, regional shares, competitors with an smokeless rifle powder market share, detailed smokeless rifle powder market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the smokeless rifle powder industry. This smokeless rifle powder market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenarios of the industry.

The smokeless rifle powder market consists of sales of flake powder, progressive-burning powder, and high-energy powder. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD, unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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