The North American market for adhesives and sealants is expected to grow 2.2% over the next three years.

Figure 1. Global Adhesive and Sealant Market Segments

According to the Adhesive and Sealant Council’s (ASC) “North American Market Report” (NAMR), the North American market for adhesives and sealants is expected to grow in demand by 2.2% over the next three years and currently stands at $11 billion in sales. Globally, sales stand at $40.5 billion and are expected to grow 3.3% over the next three years.

“The market report comes out in an economic climate that might be considered ‘optimistic uncertainty,’ with general business conditions and sales forecasts showing positive signs, but unemployment and a slower-than-expected recovery for important market segments causing some anxiety,” reports Matthew E. Croson, president of ASC. “That said, most global markets are forecasted to grow, with emphasis on end use categories including packaging, building and construction, and footwear, while transportation will have slower growth.”

Figure 2. Global Adhesive and Sealant Technology Demand

Overview

From a global perspective, the adhesives and sealant supply chain supports a variety of market segments. The breakdown in Figure 1 provides the global market segmentation of the 26.6 billion pounds of wet formulated product that is shipped, which represents approximately $40.5 billion in sales.

From a technology perspective, Figure 2 shows that the majority of new product formulations are using waterborne products, with solventborne, reactive, and hot melts sharing a similar market penetration. An additional 5% use “other” technologies. In addition, the data in Figure 3 illustrates how the polymer demand is broken down.

Figure 3. Global Adhesive and Sealant Polymer Demand

This year’s report includes an expanded section focused on the $309 million DIY retail channel in the U.S., which includes sales within big box retailers, home centers, stationery stores, hardware stores, and hobby and craft stores. This market segment is expected to grow 3.5% over the next three years. The breakdown in sales per channel is shown in Figure 4.

“The adhesives and sealants sector continues to serve a broad array of industries, with a wide assortment of technologies leveraging a complex amount of polymers that combine for the strong, durable bonds and seals required by the design engineering community,” Croson said.

Figure 4. U.S. Consumer/DIY Retail Market Sales, 2010

About the Report

ASC’s NAMR is published every three years and covers market size and scope for both adhesives and sealants, including forecasting and trends analysis. The NAMR highlights the U.S., Canada and Mexico, and includes an analysis of Latin America and commentaries on Europe, Asia Pacific, and the rest of the world.

The NAMR is produced on behalf of the council by DPNA International, a leading market analyst and research firm that is also an affiliate member of the council. The data within the report was collected using primary research and market reports from a variety of sources and in collaboration with several trade organizations. The definitions used within the report are harmonized with the global adhesive and sealant community. For purchasing information and additional details, visit www.ascouncil.org.

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