MANCHESTER CENTER, Vt. - Impact Marketing Consultants predicts that certain sectors of the U.S. paint industry will grow at strong rates for the next several years. Overall, domestic consumption of all paint and coatings will grow by 4.5% annually in current dollars to 2008, reaching $20.1 billion, up from $16.1 billion in 2003. Unit volume is forecast to grow at 3% annually during this time, from 1,339 million gal to 1,555 million gal.

Impact Marketing Consultants further indicates that powder coatings and radiation-cured paints will grow substantially above the industry average as they continue to replace solventborne paints. Powders, with consumption of 390 million lb valued at $785 million in 2003, are forecast to grow by 5% annually for the next five years.

The report states that U.S. consumption of UV/EB coatings for all applications is estimated at about 90 million lb valued at $350 million. Coatings, the largest segment, accounts for about 45% of all uses. Forecast growth varies by major market sector. Architectural coatings, the largest of three paint categories with 47% of the industry total, will increase over the next five years at 3% annually in dollars. Consumption closely follows housing starts, which account for 12% of consumption.

The Rauch Paint Guide provides a comprehensive overview of the industry, containing five chapters in 316 pages. For information on purchasing a hard copy or an online version, phone 802/362.2325, fax 802/609.1041, e-mail comments@impactmarket.com or visit www.impactmarket.com.

For more information on the coatings industry, see the article by Impact Marketing on page 32.