They are more than their appearance: Paints and coatings are more and more often equipped with anti-bacterial properties when they are used in hospitals and doctor’s surgeries; they help to inhibit the spread of dangerous germs. “Facade coatings can also be more than just colorful”, explains Oliver Kutsch, CEO of the market research company Ceresana. “Some of them use the lotus effect and clean themselves. Other coatings protect materials, for example, against rust or provide thermal insulation.” Currently about 42 million tonnes paints and coatings are sold per year.

Construction Industry Is the Major Consumer

Currently, almost half of all paints and coatings consumed in 2017 were utilized in the construction industry. This market is mainly supported by the rising demand for living space in densely populated countries but also by major projects in infrastructure and commercial construction. In addition to traditional interior and house paints, the construction sector is increasingly processing innovative products that have various uses. In the case of paints and coatings for industrial products, such as vehicles, sales are strongly dependent on macroeconomic developments. Market researchers at Ceresana expect demand for paints and coatings in this segment to continue to increase in the upcoming eight years. The region Asia-Pacific is likely to further expand its leading position on the world market. Already today, more than 50% of revenues are generated in this region. The second largest consumer of paints and coatings in 2017 was North America.

Acrylic Paints Are the Largest Submarket

The current market report also analyzes demand for individual product types: ranging from paints and coatings based on acrylics, vinyls, alkyd, epoxy, and polyurethane up to polyester and paints and coatings based on other products. Acrylic paints were by far the most used type in 2017. Vinyl paints followed. Demand for acrylic paints was highest in Asia-Pacific and North America, followed by Western Europe and South America. Coatings based on acrylic resins are very often used in the construction industry: As wall or facade paints, acrylic resins are highly resistant to light and weather and remain breathable. In combination with water-repellent silicone resins, they are used for exterior facades. Further applications include wood, plastic or metal coatings.

Environmentally Friendly Water-Based Paints Gain Momentum

Water-based and solvent-based paints and coatings dominate the market. Powder coatings only account for a small share of the market for paints and coatings. Water-based coatings are used for wood, plastics, leather, and textile coatings. Moreover, environmentally friendly water coatings are frequently used as machine and automotive paints. The lower VOC levels of water-based coating systems and, in some applications, the possibility to be recycled are a great advantage. These and other advantages will help water-based paints and coatings to account for the highest average growth rate of the upcoming eight years.

The Study in Brief:

Chapter 1 provides a description and analysis of the global paints and coatings market, including forecasts up to 2025: The development of revenues, demand, and production is analyzed for each region of the world. Furthermore, demand is split by applications, product types, and technologies. Regional markets for paints and coatings are analyzed in detail: data and influential factors on applications in construction, transportation, wood processing, industry products as well as other applications. In addition, demand for paints and coatings – split by the types acrylics, vinyl, alkyd, epoxy, polyurethane, polyester, other polymers, and other products – is examined.
Chapter 2 offers a detailed analysis of 16 countries: demand, export, import, output, and turnover. In addition, these countries are also analyzed regarding application areas. Market data on demand volume per country is split by the individual paint types and technologies: waterborne, solventborne, powder coatings, and others.
Chapter 3 offers a useful directory of the 113 most important producers of paints and coatings, clearly arranged according to contact details, revenues, profit, product range, production sites, and profile summary.


About Ceresana
As one of the world’s leading market research companies, Ceresana is specialized in the plastics, chemicals, packaging, and industrial goods sectors. For 17 years, companies have benefited from high-quality industry analyses and forecasts. More than 170 market reports provide 10,000 customers with the knowledge base for their sustainable success.