The Resin Developments Defining 2026
PCI’s coverage through early September shows how resin suppliers and formulators are balancing higher performance, renewable content and a changing supply base.
Need to Know
- PCI’s 2026 coverage shows resin development focusing on waterborne durability, pigment efficiency and formulation-specific performance.
- New products and research programs are advancing photoactive, hybrid and biobased resin systems, although application-specific testing remains important.
- Capacity additions, business exits, plant closures and intermediate price increases are changing the supply picture for coatings formulators.
Resins rarely solve one problem at a time. Formulators expect binders to support durability, appearance and adhesion while accommodating lower VOCs, faster cures, renewable content and the realities of cost and availability. PCI’s 2026 coverage shows how much chemistry, and how many tradeoffs, now sit inside that balancing act.
A 2026 MarketsandMarkets analysis placed the global coating resins market at $44.7 billion in 2023 and projected it to reach $57.3 billion by 2029, a 4.8% compound annual growth rate. It cited construction, automotive and infrastructure demand, along with the shift toward waterborne, powder, high-solids and UV- and electron beam-curable systems.
More Precise Waterborne Performance
An April review of architectural resin technologies showed that acrylic, vinyl acrylic, composite-forming and self-matting polymers were each positioned for different needs. In one example, a composite-forming binder was reported to maintain equivalent hiding with 15% to 20% less titanium dioxide, influencing pigment efficiency as well as film formation.
Similarly, in a July technical article on exterior durability researchers described how core-shell morphology can balance film formation and long-term hardness, while functional monomers and composite binders strengthen interactions with the substrate and pigment. A hydrophobic shell can also limit water retention and surfactant leaching.
A September comparison of three commercial PVDF latex emulsions added a practical caution. One resin was the most consistent in storage stability and accelerated weathering, but adhesion and corrosion performance still varied with the formula and substrate. Resin selection still has to be validated in the coating that will be made and applied.
Functional Resins
Product development has followed the same logic: ask the resin to carry more of the formulation load. A Type II photoactive resin incorporates photoinitiator functionality into the acrylate backbone. According to the product announcement, the design can reduce or eliminate the need for a separate photoinitiator in some UV mercury and LED systems while lowering migration potential for sensitive applications. The resin still requires an amine or other hydrogen donor, so it expands formulation options without eliminating the need for system-level evaluation.
A triple-resin direct-to-metal coating combines epoxy chemistry, polyurethane weathering resistance and a third resin in a co-cured, single-coat system. Reported lab testing found limited color and gloss change, and the coating met most ISO 12944 C4 criteria. It did not meet the C4 Very High, Regime 2 classification because of scribe creep, reinforcing the need to match hybrid chemistry to the intended exposure.
Renewable Content
A water-based acrylic coating for metal protection was introduced with 27% USDA-certified biobased content. The example shows renewable resin content moving into a commercially available protective coating.
Further upstream, a 42-month, €8.4 million research project is working to demonstrate continuous production of biobased aniline at semi-industrial scale. The stated goal is a drop-in MDI raw material containing 100% plant-based carbon. This is a longer-horizon effort focused on a high-volume polyurethane building block.
Chitosan sits earlier in development. PCI’s March Innovation Insights column examined its film-forming, antimicrobial and metal-chelating potential, along with acidic solubility, moisture sensitivity, brittleness and interactions with anionic ingredients.
Supply Strategy
Good chemistry still has to be made and delivered. BASF expanded dispersion capacity in Durban, South Africa and added an application laboratory. allnex announced its first Asia-Pacific production capacity for sag control agent resins in Thailand, with startup scheduled for January 2028. The project targets automotive clearcoats, including high-solids and low-bake technologies, and shorter regional lead times.
The year also brought retrenchment. Evonik said it will discontinue its global polyester business in 2027 after years of losses. Perstorp ended production at its Toledo, Ohio, plant, which made trimethylolpropane, pentaerythritol and other resin building blocks. Perstorp said U.S. supply will continue through its broader network, but the closure changes its North American manufacturing footprint.
What to Watch Next
PCI’s 2026 coverage points to more exacting expectations. A binder may need to make a waterborne system tougher, improve hiding, support a lower-energy cure, carry renewable carbon or simplify the package, all at a cost and scale the market can accept.
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