ChemQuest Forecasts $35.3B U.S. Coatings Market in 2026
Need to Know
- ChemQuest estimates that the U.S. paint and coatings market will reach $35.3 billion on 1.33 billion gallons in 2026.
- Market volume is forecast to increase 0.6%, while value rises 3.5%.
- Industrial OEM and special-purpose coatings are expected to grow faster than architectural coatings.
The U.S. paint and coatings market is expected to produce approximately 1.33 billion gallons valued at $35.3 billion in 2026, according to a new analysis from The ChemQuest Group published by the American Coatings Association.
That forecast represents a 0.6% increase in volume and a 3.5% increase in value compared with 2025. ChemQuest estimates that the industry produced 1.33 billion gallons valued at $34.1 billion in 2025, with volume declining 1.1% while value increased 0.6%.
The outlook varies significantly by segment. ChemQuest forecasts architectural coatings volume will decline 0.3% in 2026, while value increases 1.9%. The analysis cites housing availability, affordability, interest rates and consumer movement toward lower-priced paint products as continuing headwinds.
Industrial OEM coatings are forecast to generate $10.7 billion in sales on 372 million gallons, representing growth of 4.5% in value and 1.4% in volume. The segment includes automotive, coil and extrusion, wood, appliance, equipment and powder coatings.
Special-purpose coatings are expected to increase 5.4% in value to $8.3 billion and 2.6% in volume to 202 million gallons. This category includes automotive refinish, industrial maintenance and protective, marine, traffic-marking and aerosol coatings.
ChemQuest forecasts automotive refinish sales of $3.33 billion on 41.6 million gallons in 2026. Industrial maintenance and protective coatings are expected to reach $2.81 billion on 65.2 million gallons.
The report also says powder coatings account for approximately 14% of the industrial OEM market. ChemQuest expects improvements in formulation coverage and application efficiency to slow powder volume growth, potentially resulting in flat or negative growth beginning in 2027.
For the overall market, ChemQuest forecasts faster growth in 2027, with volume increasing 2.2% to 1.36 billion gallons and value increasing 4.5% to $36.9 billion.
The figures are ChemQuest estimates based on industry data, economic information, company reporting and its proprietary TraQr resource. They should not be characterized as official ACA production statistics.
Primary source: The State of the U.S. Paint and Coatings Industry 2026: Geopolitics on Steroids, by George R. Pilcher of The ChemQuest Group.
The analysis is relevant to PCI readers following paint and coating market reports across architectural, industrial OEM and special-purpose segments.
Looking for a reprint of this article?
From high-res PDFs to custom plaques, order your copy today!
