Demand for chemicals used in construction caulks and adhesives will advance 5.0 percent annually to over $2 billion in the year 2003. These and other trends are presented in a 216-page study, Construction Chemicals, from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industrial market-research firm.

Overall demand for construction chemicals in the United States will advance 5.3 percent annually to $7.5 billion in the year 2003. While growth will slow from the pace set in the mid-1990s, advances will continue to be healthy based on the introduction of new formulations and expansion into new applications. In addition, the large repair and improvement market will offer steady growth opportunities, especially for products that are easy-to-use, environmentally acceptable and cost-effective.

Protective coatings and sealers will continue to dominate the market for construction chemicals, based on their widespread use and importance in protective structures and roads from the detrimental effects of water, sunlight, pollution and fire. Growth will be driven by use in repair and improvement applications.

The fastest growth in the construction chemical market will continue to come from cement and asphalt additives, although these products now face an increasingly mature marketplace, according to the report.

The nonresidential construction market will continue to lead demand – about 45 percent of the total in 2003 – despite slow growth in the important commercial segment.

The fastest growth will be registered in non-building applications, based on increasing federal spending on highway and bridge maintenance. This will boost demand for cement and asphalt additives, protective coatings for bridges and roads, and a number of other chemical products.

Construction Chemicals is available from The Freedonia Group, Inc., 767 Beta Drive, Cleveland, OH 44143-2326; phone 440-684-9600; or e-mail pr@freedoniagroup.com.