Ceresana Publishes Market Report on Pigments

For the fourth time now, the market research company Ceresana analyzes the market for pigments: Global demand amounts to almost 9.7 million tonnes. The most important sales market in 2014 was the production of paints and varnishes which accounted for 45% of total global demand. Processing of pigments in plastics ranked second at a considerable distance, followed by the application areas construction material, printing inks, and paper.

The global pigment market is dominated by titanium dioxide (TiO2). This pigment type accounted for 59% of total demand. Thereby, paints and varnishes register the major share of TiO2 demand. The presence of titanium dioxide enables the protective potential of the coating material to be fully exploited. Coatings measuring just a few micrometers are enough to fully cover the substrate. Titanium dioxide pigments are also used on a large scale for very white paper and for production of plastics.

Second largest sales market are iron oxide pigments, followed closely by carbon black. Iron oxides are the most commonly used inorganic color pigments. The continually increasing importance of iron oxide pigments is based on their non-toxicity, chemical stability, wide variety of colors (ranging from yellow, orange, red, and brown to black), and good performance-price ratio. About 1.9 million tonnes of iron oxide were processed worldwide in 2014.

Carbon black is mainly used as filler for rubber applications, especially in car tires. However, the present study deals with the use of carbon black as a pigment. Carbon black is the most common black pigment used in the painting industry. The smaller the particle size, the deeper the black.

Registering a total volume of less than 1 million tonnes, organic pigments as well as other inorganic pigments only account for a small share on global pigment market. However, they are suitable for a wide range of applications. Depending on the chemical composition, inorganic and organic pigments can be differentiated: Organic pigments are based on carbon; inorganic pigments usually are metallic salts. They can be combined at times. Organic pigments have a lower coverage, but exhibit higher color strength and gloss than inorganic pigments. Compared to many inorganic pigments, organic pigments are much more expensive. Most often, they are used as printing inks, followed by paints and plastics. Organic pigments constitute a small group of pigments. The amount used and the range of application is increasing significantly at present.

The Study in Brief:
Chapter 1 provides a description and analysis of the global pigment market, including forecasts up to 2022: The development of revenues, demand volumes and production is analyzed for each region.

Chapter 2 offers a detailed analysis of 16 countries: Demand, export, import, production, and revenues. Additionally, demand split by applications is examined in regard to these countries. Market data on demand volume for each country is split by the single types of pigments.

Chapter 3: Regional markets for pigments are analyzed in detail: Data and influential factors of application in paints and varnishes, plastics, paper, construction materials, printing inks, and other application areas.

Chapter 4 examines the demand for pigments – split by the types titanium dioxide, carbon black, iron oxide, other inorganic pigments, and organic pigments.

Chapter 5 offers a useful directory of the 95 most important producers of pigments, clearly arranged according to contact details, revenues, profit, product range, production sites, and profile summary. The most important manufacturers include: BASF SE, Akzo Nobel N.V., Altana AG, Clariant International Ltd., Cristal Global, DIC Corporation, Evonik Industries, Ferro Corporation, Huntsman International LLC, Kronos Worldwide, Inc., Lanxess AG, Merck KGaA, ,Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation (MCC), and Tronox Limited.