ELMWOOD PARK, NJ – According to a soon-to-be released study by the consulting firm Kusumgar, Nerlfi & Growney, U.S. coating consumption was 8.4 billion pound solids (dry weight) worth $26.6 billion in 2015 and is growing at a mature 1 percent annual rate. The architectural segment leads in pounds with 47 percent of the dry weight and is equal to the OEM segment in dollars with each representing 38 percent of the value. The OEM segment was 28 percent of the dry poundage. Special-purpose coatings were just over one-quarter of the volume and 24 percent of the dollars. The coating industry is still recovering from the effects of the 2009 recession with volume off more than 10 percent from the 2006 total.

The coating industry continues to move to more environmentally friendly products. Water-based technology has gained share in the last 20 years rising from 47 percent of the dry pounds in 1996 to a 57 percent share in 2015. The water-based share of architectural paints has risen from 76 percent in 1996 to 83 percent in 2015; OEM’s share has increased from 23 percent to 30 percent; and special-purpose coatings from 22 percent to 44 percent. In the OEM segment, powder technology has grown from 14 percent of the dry weight in 1996 to 22 percent in 2015. Radiation-cured technology remains a small percentage of the OEM volume, but it has grown from 3 percent of the pounds to 5 percent.

Alkyds remain the largest volume solvent-based coating in volume with 27 percent of the solids in 2015. They continue to lose share in solvent-based technology but new technology has increased alkyd activity in water-based formulations. Polyurethanes and epoxies each capture 9-10 percent of the solvent-based dry pounds with polyurethanes the leader in dollars with a 21 percent share and epoxies behind at 10 percent. Acrylics comprised 7 percent of the solvent-based weight but their share of dollars is 19 percent. In water-based technology acrylic and vinyl-acrylic-based products predominate and combined for three-quarters of the dry weight and two-thirds of the value. Water-based alkyds, epoxies and polyurethanes are a small percentage of the volume but a higher percentage of the value.

The above information is part of Kusumgar, Nerlfi & Growney’s soon to be released study, The U.S. Paint & Coatings Industry, 2015-2020, which is available through subscription. Call 201/773.0785 or e-mail at nerlfikng@cs.com for more information.