Global consumption of coatings, adhesives, sealants and inks (CASI) was 54.1 million tons in 2014, worth $182.6 billion, according to Kusumgar, Nerlfi & Growney. Volume growth is forecast at a 5% annual rate, with coatings, adhesives and sealants matching the overall growth, but inks trailing at only 2% per year.

As shown in Figure 1, the coatings industry is the largest segment and accounts for 69% of the value. Adhesives are second with a 16% share, followed by inks at 10% and sealants with 5%.

Table 1 shows CASI consumption in metric tons by region and industry in 2014. The coatings industry is the largest outlet, representing just over 70% of the volume, followed by adhesives with a 19% share.  The Asia-Pacific region consumes 46% of the global volume of CASI products, with China alone taking 28% of the global tonnage.

Construction applications represented nearly 60% of the global volume of CASI products in 2014 and 44% of the value. Coatings represent over three-quarters of the construction volume, with architectural paint being the major outlet. The automotive industry is the second-largest end use for CASI products in value, with a 15% share, and is third in volume (8%). Coatings represent about 80% of the automotive volume and value. Packaging end uses took 9% of the volume and 10% of the value; inks represented about one-half of the value and 30% of the volume. Adhesives comprise 44% of the packaging tonnage and 28% of the value.