Demand for water-based coatings formulations continues to increase.
U.S. coatings consumption was 8.4 billion lbs solids (dry weight) worth $26.6 billion in 2015, and is growing at a mature 1% annual rate, according to “The U.S. Paint & Coatings Industry, 2015-2020,” a recent study from Kusumgar, Nerlfi & Growney. The architectural segment leads in volume with 47% of the dry weight and is equal to the OEM segment in value, with each representing 38% of the value. The OEM segment was 28% of the dry poundage. Special-purpose coatings were just over one-quarter of the volume and 24% of the value. The coatings industry is still recovering from the effects of the 2009 recession, with volume off more than 10% from the 2006 total.
The coatings industry continues to move to more environmentally friendly products. Water-based technology has gained share in the last 20 years, rising from 47% of the dry volume in 1996 to a 57% share in 2015. The water-based share of architectural paints has risen from 76% in 1996 to 83% in 2015; OEM’s share has increased from 23 to 30%, and special-purpose coatings have grown from 22 to 44%.