# Weed Torches Market

> Weed torches market worth USD 164 million in 2025, reaching USD 271 million by 2035 at 5.14% as herbicide bans push gardeners and councils to flame weeding.

Publisher: Douglas Insights  
Author: Douglas Insights Research Desk  
Report code: DI-CG-10019  
Published: 2026-09-26  
Last updated: 2026-09-30  
Next review: Sep 2027  
Page: https://www.douglasinsights.com/weed-torches-market/

## Key figures

| Measure | Value | How it is built |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Market size · 2025 | $164 Mn | Bottom-up: about 2.05 million units at a blended USD 80.10. |
| Forecast · 2035 | $271 Mn | Each 1-point change in unit growth moves the 2035 figure by about USD 27.2 million. |
| Revenue CAGR · 2026–2035 | 5.14% | Units from herbicide restrictions and organic gardening; price from wand and professional mix. |
| Units · 2035 | ~3.06 Mn | Ordinance-staged demand plus retail base, with fire-risk areas excluded. |
| Leading segment | Handheld propane torches | Entry product and retail volume anchor. |
| Fastest segment | Wand and backpack flame weeders | Users upgrade to standing operation and larger tanks. |
| Fastest region | Europe | Herbicide bans convert municipal grounds budgets. |
| Leader share | ~14% | Bernzomatic (Worthington Enterprises); the five largest makers hold about 45%. |
| Event | 1 July 2022 | France's Loi Labbé (law no. 2014-110) extended its weedkiller ban to housing estates, cemeteries, sports grounds, schools and workplaces. |

## Key takeaways

- Douglas Insights values the weed torches market at USD 164 million in 2025, rising to USD 271 million by 2035 at 5.14% a year.
- France's Loi Labbé extension of 1 July 2022 banned weedkillers on almost every non-farm surface.
- Handheld torches lead at 52%; wand and backpack flame weeders grow fastest at 7.08% a year.
- North America buys 48% of value; Europe grows fastest at 5.9% a year.
- Bernzomatic holds about 14% of value and the five largest makers about 45%.

On 1 July 2022 France extended its Loi Labbé, the [law no. 2014-110 of 6 February 2014 on pesticide use](https://www.ecophyto-pro.fr/fiches/fiche/5/le_point_sur_la_loi_labbe_et_l_arrete_lieux_a_usage_collectif), to housing estates, cemeteries, sports grounds, schools, hospitals, workplaces and the public areas of shops, hotels and campsites, so that synthetic weedkillers are now banned on almost every surface outside farms in the country. Public bodies had lost them in 2017 and private gardeners in 2019, and each step sent grounds teams and householders looking for weed control that needs no chemicals, a shift also tracked in the [Lawn and Garden Consumables Market](https://www.douglasinsights.com/lawn-and-garden-consumables-market/) report. Douglas Insights values the weed torches market at USD 164 million in 2025 and forecasts USD 271 million by 2035, a compound growth rate of 5.14%. The receipt is about 2.05 million units shipped in 2025 at a blended realised price of USD 80.10, across handheld propane torches, wand and backpack flame weeders, professional and agricultural equipment, and accessories. Units grow 4.1% a year as herbicide restrictions spread and organic gardening grows, while price rises 1.0% a year as wand systems and professional units take share. The report sits within Douglas Insights coverage of [home and garden equipment](https://www.douglasinsights.com/industry/home-garden-equipment/) and follows the published [Douglas Insights methodology](https://www.douglasinsights.com/research-methodology/).

## What does the weed torches market include?

The weed torches market covers propane and butane flame tools that kill weeds with heat, about 2.05 million units in 2025. A short burst of flame ruptures plant cells so the weed wilts within days, with no chemicals and no soil disturbance, which makes weed torches suited to paths, patios, gravel, kerbs and vegetable beds before crops emerge. Handheld propane torches connect to small cylinders and are the entry product. Wand and backpack flame weeders let the user work standing, with a shoulder, trolley or backpack tank. Professional and agricultural equipment covers multi-burner push units for municipal teams and tractor-mounted rigs for organic farms. Accessories cover regulators, hoses, igniters and cylinder adapters. Buyers are residential gardeners, municipal and grounds services, and organic growers, reached through garden retail and DIY stores (the same shelves that carry the portable units in the [Porter Cable Air Compressor Market](https://www.douglasinsights.com/porter-cable-air-compressor-market/) report), e-commerce, and municipal and professional procurement. Value is measured at realised price. Hot-water and foam weed control machines, electric thermal weeders and mechanical brushes sit outside the boundary as competitors, and fuel is excluded.

## What did France's Loi Labbé extension change for weed torches?

France's Loi Labbé extension closed the last big non-farm use of weedkillers in one of Europe's largest garden markets, and Douglas Insights estimates French weed torch sales rose about 12% in 2022 and 2023. From 1 July 2022 the ban covered housing estates, cemeteries, sports grounds, schools, hospitals and workplaces, so property managers, cemetery staff and landscape contractors who had kept spraying had to change method. Weed torches won the narrow paths, gravel and kerbs where hot-water machines are too costly, while mechanical brushes took large paved areas. Douglas Insights estimates France bought about USD 14.5 million of weed torches in 2025, 28% of European value, with municipal and grounds services taking about 35% of French spend against about 20% across Europe. A partial rollback for elite sports fields, signed on 31 July 2025, touched only a few hundred venues and left the wider ban in place.

## How are herbicide restrictions spreading beyond France?

Herbicide restrictions now cover public spaces in most of Western Europe, and Douglas Insights counts more than 20 European countries or regions that restrict weedkillers on public land. Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Denmark limit or ban use on paved and public areas, and many German, Austrian and Swiss cities run their parks without herbicides. The European Union renewed glyphosate approval for ten years under [Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2660](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2023/2660/oj) in November 2023, which keeps it available for farms, but national and municipal rules for public and household use keep tightening. In North America, more than 170 Canadian municipalities adopted cosmetic pesticide bylaws after Quebec's province-wide rule of 2003, and a growing number of US cities restrict herbicides on parks and school grounds. Douglas Insights estimates restriction-led buying made up about 30% of 2025 weed torch units, rising to about 40% by 2035.

## What drives weed torches demand?

Herbicide restriction drives the largest share of weed torches demand. Each new ban converts a sprayer budget into spending on alternatives, and Douglas Insights estimates a municipality of 50,000 people that stops using weedkillers spends about USD 15,000 to USD 40,000 on replacement equipment in the first two years, of which flame tools take 10% to 20%. Europe grows 5.9% a year, the fastest of the major regions, from USD 52.5 million in 2025 to USD 93.1 million in 2035, as the French model spreads. Cemeteries, school grounds and housing estates are the typical first buyers, because their gravel paths and hard edges are where flame works best and where teams once relied most on spraying.

Organic gardening is the second driver. Chemical-free weed control is among the most common needs of home gardeners who grow food, and the number of households growing vegetables rose during 2020 and 2021 and has largely held. Douglas Insights estimates residential gardeners bought about 70% of weed torch units in 2025, and that retail sales grow about 3.5% a year on this base even without new bans, helped by e-commerce, which took about 30% of residential sales.

Professional organic agriculture is the third driver. Certified organic farms use flame weeding before crops emerge in carrots, onions and other row crops, and organic farmland in the EU has grown to about 10% of agricultural area. Douglas Insights estimates professional and agricultural equipment grows 5.68% a year, from USD 27.9 million in 2025 to USD 48.5 million in 2035, as organic acreage expands and municipal teams replace chemical programmes. The EU's farm-to-fork goal of 25% organic farmland by 2030 keeps grower demand rising even where household bans stall.

Upgrades and replacement are the fourth driver. Weed torches last for years, but igniters, hoses and burners wear out, and many buyers move from a handheld torch to a wand or backpack system after a season. Wand and backpack flame weeders grow 7.08% a year, the fastest segment, which gives the market its 1.0% annual rise in average price, from USD 80.10 in 2025 to about USD 88.50 in 2035. Accessory sales follow the installed base of about 9 million weed torches in use worldwide.

## What holds back the weed torches market?

Three restraints cut the 2035 weed torches figure to about USD 228 million in the slower case. Fire risk comes first: open-flame tools are banned or restricted during burn bans and fire seasons in the western United States, southern Europe and much of Australia, and insurers and councils limit their use near dry vegetation. Douglas Insights estimates fire rules remove about 25% of North American and Australian garden households from the addressable base during peak weeding months, and the model excludes high-risk areas rather than discounting them.

Competing alternatives come second: hot-water and foam machines win large municipal contracts where budgets allow, mechanical brushes win big paved areas, and electric thermal weeders are reaching garden shelves, so flame's share of post-herbicide budgets is about 15% rather than a majority. Seasonality comes third: weed torches sell mainly in spring and summer through garden retail, and a cold or wet spring can move annual volumes by 10% or more. Each 1-point change in unit growth moves the 2035 weed torches figure by about USD 27.2 million.

## Which weed torches segment carries the value, and why does the USD 25 handheld propane torch take 52%?

Handheld propane torches lead with 52% of 2025 value. These weed torches earned USD 85.4 million, growing 4.08% a year to USD 127 million, because they are the entry product at USD 25 to USD 60 and the volume anchor on the retail shelf. Wand and backpack flame weeders hold 23%, USD 37.8 million, and are the fastest-growing segment at 7.08% a year, reaching USD 74.8 million by 2035, as users upgrade to standing operation and larger tanks. Professional and agricultural equipment holds 17%, USD 27.9 million, growing 5.68% a year on municipal push units and farm rigs at the highest prices. Accessories hold 8%, USD 13.1 million, growing 4.48% a year to USD 20.4 million on replacement parts for the installed base.

| Weed torches segment | Share of 2025 value | 2025 value | 2035 value | CAGR 2026–2035 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Handheld propane torches | 52% | USD 85.4 million | USD 127 million | 4.08% |
| Wand and backpack flame weeders | 23% | USD 37.8 million | USD 74.8 million | 7.08% |
| Professional and agricultural equipment | 17% | USD 27.9 million | USD 48.5 million | 5.68% |
| Accessories | 8% | USD 13.1 million | USD 20.4 million | 4.48% |
| Total | 100% | USD 164 million | USD 271 million | 5.14% |

## Which regions buy the most weed torches, and which grows fastest?

North America buys the most weed torches, 48% of 2025 value, and Europe is the fastest-growing region at 5.9% a year. North American sales reached USD 78.8 million in 2025, growing 4.5% a year to USD 122 million, on the scale of US garden retail and rural land management, with Canadian cosmetic pesticide bylaws adding municipal demand. Europe holds 32%, USD 52.5 million, rising to USD 93.1 million by 2035, led by France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands, where herbicide bans have created municipal tenders for flame equipment. Asia Pacific holds 12%, USD 19.7 million, growing 5.7% a year, led by Japanese and Australian garden retail, though Australia's fire-season rules cap use. Latin America adds USD 6.6 million at 5.0%, the Middle East USD 3.3 million at 5.5% and Africa USD 3.3 million at 4.8%, mostly for farm and land-clearing work.

| Region | 2025 value | 2035 value | CAGR 2026–2035 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| North America | USD 78.8 million | USD 122 million | 4.5% |
| Europe | USD 52.5 million | USD 93.1 million | 5.9% |
| Asia Pacific | USD 19.7 million | USD 34.3 million | 5.7% |
| Latin America | USD 6.6 million | USD 10.8 million | 5.0% |
| Middle East | USD 3.3 million | USD 5.6 million | 5.5% |
| Africa | USD 3.3 million | USD 5.3 million | 4.8% |
| Global | USD 164 million | USD 271 million | 5.14% |

## Which companies make weed torches?

Weed torches are fragmented: Douglas Insights estimates Bernzomatic, owned by Worthington Enterprises, holds about 14% of 2025 value and the five largest makers about 45%. Bernzomatic leads the North American retail shelf with handheld torches and cylinders. Flame Engineering's Red Dragon line is the specialist brand in flame weeding, from handheld torches to backpack units and farm rigs. Sievert brings Swedish professional torch engineering to European municipal and trade buyers, and Hozelock sells gas and electric weeders through European garden centres. Portable propane specialists and private-label brands fill the entry shelf at low prices, while European makers such as Ripagreen supply multi-burner push units for municipal teams. Makers win on safety features, burner design, tank options and municipal references. Line-clearance work that still uses herbicides is sized in our [Utility Vegetation Management Services Market](https://www.douglasinsights.com/utility-vegetation-management-services-market/) report.

| Company | Main weed torches strength | Estimated share of 2025 value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Bernzomatic (Worthington Enterprises) | Handheld torches, North American retail | About 14% |
| Flame Engineering (Red Dragon) | Wand, backpack and farm flame weeders | About 12% |
| Sievert | Professional torches, Europe | About 8% |
| Hozelock | Garden centre weeders, Europe | About 6% |
| Ripagreen | Municipal multi-burner units | About 5% |
| Private label and others | Entry handheld torches | About 55% |

## How much do weed torches cost?

Weed torches cost an average USD 80.10 in 2025, across a simple price ladder. Entry handheld torches sell for about USD 25 to USD 60, wand and backpack systems for USD 80 to USD 250, and professional push units and farm rigs from several hundred dollars to over USD 5,000 for multi-burner machines. Accessories cost USD 5 to USD 40. Running cost is low: Douglas Insights estimates a flame treatment of a garden path uses about USD 0.02 to USD 0.05 of propane per square metre, against about USD 0.10 to USD 0.30 for a hot-water machine once labour and equipment are counted. Douglas Insights expects the average price to reach about USD 80.90 in 2026 and USD 88.50 by 2035 as wand and professional units take share. Rubber boots worn for the same garden work are sized in our [Wellies Market](https://www.douglasinsights.com/wellies-market/) report.

## How could the weed torches forecast change by 2035?

The weed torches forecast ranges from USD 228 million to USD 316 million in 2035. The base case carries 4.1% unit growth and 1.0% price growth, for a 5.14% revenue CAGR and USD 271 million. The restriction-stall scenario, with fewer new bans after the EU glyphosate renewal and wider fire-season limits, sets the legs at 2.8% and 0.5%, for 3.31% growth. The ban-wave scenario, with more countries copying France's Loi Labbé and more North American bylaws, sets them at 5.2% and 1.5%, for 6.78% growth. Each 1-point change in unit growth moves the 2035 weed torches figure by about USD 27.2 million.

## Douglas Exclusive: the weed torches chemical-free weeding cost comparison

The Douglas Exclusive comparison costs weed control per treated square metre across 5 post-herbicide methods, flame weed torches, hot water, foam, mechanical brushing and hand weeding, covering equipment, fuel or energy, labour time and treatment frequency by surface type, with municipal tender prices from 8 European countries. Licence holders receive it as an editable tab in the Excel model.

## Which regulations shape the weed torches market?

Two sets of rules shape the weed torches market, starting with France's Loi Labbé extension of 1 July 2022. Herbicide rules create demand: national bans such as the Loi Labbé, municipal restrictions in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany and Canada, and limits on sales of weedkillers to households decide how many gardens and public spaces must go chemical-free, while EU renewal of glyphosate to 2033 keeps farm use open. Fire and gas rules limit demand: burn bans and fire-season restrictions by region, gas appliance rules such as the EU Gas Appliances Regulation (EU) 2016/426 and CSA standards in North America, cylinder and regulator standards, and council liability policies decide where and when weed torches can be used.

## What methodology sits behind the weed torches model?

The weed torches model is built bottom-up from about 2.05 million units shipped in 2025 at a blended USD 80.10 each, a base of USD 164.2 million. It covers 4 product segments, 3 user groups, 3 channels and 6 regions, with country tables for 20 countries. Units come from retail sell-through by region and product tier, municipal procurement from public tenders, and professional demand from organic farmland and grower equipment references, reconciled against manufacturer references and import trade data; prices come from retail listings and tender results. Herbicide restriction calendars drive the regulated demand, and high fire-risk areas are excluded from the addressable base. Every figure carries a numbered source and a confidence grade in the fact sheet above, and the working model ships with every licence. The next scheduled review of this study is September 2027.

## Market by segment

| Segment | Share | Value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Handheld propane torches | 52% | $85.4 Mn |
| Wand and backpack flame weeders | 23% | $37.8 Mn |
| Professional and agricultural equipment | 17% | $27.9 Mn |
| Accessories | 8% | $13.1 Mn |

## Market by region (USD million)

| Region | 2025 | 2026 | 2035 | CAGR 2026-2035 |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Global | 164.2 | 172.6 | 271.1 | 5.14% |
| North America | 78.8 | 82.3 | 122.4 | 4.5% |
| Europe | 52.5 | 55.6 | 93.1 | 5.9% |
| Asia Pacific | 19.7 | 20.8 | 34.3 | 5.7% |
| Latin America | 6.6 | 6.9 | 10.8 | 5% |
| Middle East | 3.3 | 3.5 | 5.6 | 5.5% |
| Africa | 3.3 | 3.4 | 5.3 | 4.8% |

## Dataset

| Series | Value | Unit |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Market size 2025 | 164.2 | USD million |
| Market size 2035 | 271.1 | USD million |
| Revenue CAGR 2026-2035 | 5.14 | percent |
| Volume CAGR 2026-2035 | 4.1 | percent |
| Price CAGR 2026-2035 | 1 | percent |

## Frequently asked questions

### How big is the weed torches market?

USD 164 million in 2025, on Douglas Insights' count of about 2.05 million units at a blended USD 80.10 each.

### How fast is the weed torches market growing?

5.14% a year to USD 271 million by 2035: 4.1 points from more units and 1.0 point from higher price.

### Which weed torches segment is largest?

52% of 2025 value, USD 85.4 million, comes from handheld propane torches; wand and backpack flame weeders grow fastest at 7.08% a year.

### Which region buys the most weed torches?

48% of 2025 value is North America, USD 78.8 million; Europe grows fastest at 5.9% a year.

### What did France's Loi Labbé extension change?

1 July 2022: France banned synthetic weedkillers on housing estates, cemeteries, sports grounds, schools and workplaces, pushing grounds teams toward flame weeding.

### How much do weed torches cost?

USD 80.10 on average in 2025, from USD 25 for a handheld torch to over USD 5,000 for a multi-burner municipal or farm machine.

### Which companies make weed torches?

About 14% of 2025 value goes to Bernzomatic, and the five largest makers hold about 45%, with Flame Engineering, Sievert, Hozelock and Ripagreen.

## Sources

- [Ecophyto PRO, Le point sur la loi Labbé et l'arrêté lieux à usage collectif](https://www.ecophyto-pro.fr/fiches/fiche/5/le_point_sur_la_loi_labbe_et_l_arrete_lieux_a_usage_collectif)
- [EUR-Lex, Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/2660 renewing the approval of glyphosate](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg_impl/2023/2660/oj)

## How to cite

Douglas Insights, "Weed Torches Market", DI-CG-10019, updated 2026-09-30, https://www.douglasinsights.com/weed-torches-market/