Name

Norlite

Legal name

Norlite

Website

https://norliteagg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Norlite is a privately held US manufacturer founded in 1956 that produces lightweight expanded shale aggregate via rotary kiln vitrification at its Cohoes, New York facility, serving construction and infrastructure end markets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cohoes

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Infrastructure

Core offering

Norlite manufactures a lightweight, porous ceramic material produced by expanding and vitrifying select shale in a rotary kiln. The resulting aggregate is supplied for use in concrete, masonry, and other construction applications requiring reduced weight and thermal/acoustic properties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Norlite Lightweight Aggregate Manufactured lightweight, porous ceramic aggregate produced by expanding and vitrifying select shale in a rotary kiln, supplied to construction, concrete, and masonry industry buyers for use in structural and non-structural applications.

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Direct peers

• Stalite Lightweight Aggregate: Stalite produces expanded slate lightweight aggregate using a rotary kiln process nearly identical to Norlite's, serving structural concrete, geotechnical, and masonry markets in the US Southeast. It is the closest direct manufacturing peer to Norlite.
• Trinity Lightweight: Trinity Lightweight produces expanded clay lightweight aggregate for structural and masonry concrete applications, primarily in the southern US. Operates rotary kilns to expand raw materials into ceramic aggregate, mirroring Norlite's process and end-use focus.
• Arcosa Lightweight: Arcosa Lightweight (formerly Texas Industries' lightweight aggregate business) manufactures expanded shale and clay lightweight aggregate for concrete, masonry, and asphalt markets across multiple US plants. Direct competitor in product, process, and customer base to Norlite.
• Solite International: Solite manufactures expanded shale lightweight aggregate primarily for the US East Coast and Mid-Atlantic markets, supplying concrete block, structural concrete, and geotechnical applications. Direct manufacturing peer to Norlite with overlapping process technology and customers.

Broad incumbents

• Boral Limited: Boral is a large diversified building materials and construction aggregates company with lightweight aggregate exposure alongside cement, asphalt, and masonry. A broad incumbent offering overlapping capability but on a much larger portfolio scale than Norlite.
• Saint-Gobain (Lightweight Aggregate): Saint-Gobain operates lightweight aggregate and related construction materials businesses as part of a global building products portfolio. Broad incumbent providing relevant scale and end-market benchmarking for Norlite.
• LafargeHolcim: LafargeHolcim is a global building materials giant with significant lightweight aggregate, cement, and concrete product operations. Comparable as an incumbent player in the broader lightweight aggregates category, though Norlite is far more specialized.
• CEMEX: CEMEX is a multinational cement and aggregates producer offering lightweight aggregates within its broader portfolio. A broad incumbent for benchmarking scale, vertical integration, and end-market exposure against Norlite.

Emerging players

• Buildex (Lightweight Division): Buildex is a Canadian manufacturer of expanded shale lightweight aggregate serving masonry and ready-mix concrete markets. Niche peer with similar process technology and end-use applications as Norlite, though operating in a different geography.
• Big River Industries: Big River Industries (Boral Lightweight) produces expanded clay lightweight aggregate in the southern US, focused on masonry and concrete block customers. Comparable emerging-to-mid-scale producer in adjacent geographies to Norlite.

Market position

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Norlite