According to a new study by the consulting firm Kusumgar, Nerlfi & Growney, global consumption of five of the leading coating and ink additives (rheology modifiers, dispersants, foam control, wetting, and slip & rub) was 2.53 billion pounds in 2017 worth $5.12 billion. A four% annual rate of growth is forecast for these additives through 2022 which about matches the overall growth of the 102 billion pounds of coatings and inks produced in 2017.
 
Resins, pigment and fillers, and water and solvent comprise over 95% of the ingredients employed in coatings and inks. However, it is the small volume additives that maximize the manufacture process, stability, appearance, performance and application properties of a formulation. The five leading additives comprised 2.5% of the world’s volume output of coatings and inks in 2017. Coatings and inks continue to change to meet application, performance, environmental and consumer demands. Additives are the small volume materials used to achieve successful products.
 
Table 1 summarizes additive consumption by coating and ink technology. Water-based technology took 70% of the additive volume and 59% of the value and is growing five%/yr. WB architectural coatings took 80% of the water-based additive pounds and 70% of the dollars. Solvent-based technology consumed 27% of the additive pounds and 37% of the dollars and is growing at a more modest 3% annual rate. The 100% solids technologies include powder, radcure and other 100% solid liquids. They utilized 3% of the additive pounds and 5% of the dollars and are increasing 5%/yr.
 
The above information is contained in Kusumgar, Nerlfi & Growney’s just released study, Global Coating & Ink Additives, 2017-2022 which is available through subscription: (201) 773-0785 or nerlfikng@cs.com.

Table 1  ADDITIVE USAGE BY COATING & INK TECHNOLOGY, IN MILLIONS
Technology	2017		2022		AGR
	LB	$	LB	$
Water-Based	1765	3000	2210	3700	5
Solvent-Based	690	1880	780	2110	3
100 percent Solids	75	240	96	310	5
Total	2530	5120	3086	6120	4