At the 2002 San Diego International conference on SF6 and the Environment (http://www.epa.gov/highgwp1/sf6/proceedings/agenda.html), updated data on SF6 worldwide sales from the major manufacturers have been presented, including breakdown by primary end-use markets and trends for historical and recent uses.
The primary market sectors include: electric utilities, original equipment manufacturers (for electric power systems), magnesium industry, electronics industry, usage for adiabatic / shock absorbing properties (e.g., tires), and all other uses.
The data are important for analyzing trends, sources and applications of SF6 as well as calculating emissions. The current survey includes producers in Europe, United States, Japan and South Africa. Despite a recent global increase, sales in 2001 were still 15% below the peak year 1996.
Source and data:
http://www.epa.gov/highgwp1/sf6/proceedings/slidespdf/smythe_post.pdf
http://www.epa.gov/highgwp1/sf6/proceedings/paperspdf/smythe_data.pdf