Demand for construction chemicals used in on-site applications is forecast to increase 3.4 percent per year in the US to $9.1 billion in 2013. A rebound in the housing market will promote growth, as the residential segment is a key outlet for construction chemicals. Demand will also benefit from a shift to higher value products and solid levels of residential improvement and repair spending. A significant deceleration in nonresidential building activity will limit aggregate gains. These and other trends, including market share and product segmentation, are presented in Construction Chemicals, a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry research firm.
The large protective coatings and sealers product category is expected to register subpar growth, partially due to their heavy use in industrial settings, which achieved big gains between 2003 and 2008 but are expected to experience outright declines over the next five year period. Caulks and adhesives, the second largest product type, find use in a wider variety of construction contexts, providing opportunities. Grout and mortar demand is expected to lead construction chemical gains through 2013. Polymer flooring, also most heavily used by the industrial construction segment, is forecast to post sluggish gains through 2013.
The residential building market will offer the strongest opportunities for on-site construction chemical growth. Gains will be promoted as new residential construction expenditures rise from a depressed base and completions of new single-family homes rebound. Improvement and repair applications will also provide opportunities, supported by favorable growth in the residential improvement and repair market, the gradual aging of the housing stock and the fact that many homeowners enjoy remodeling older homes.
Demand gains in nonresidential building applications will be checked by declining construction spending in the industrial sector and the lodging and commercial sector. Advances will be further restrained by below-average spending in the office sector. Slightly offsetting this sluggishness will be rising construction spending in the institutional sector, as more hospitals, nursing homes, schools and university dormitories are built. In the nonbuilding market, gains will be driven by an increasing focus on better performing materials in road and bridge construction, commonly achieved through the use of cement and asphalt additives.
The Freedonia Group is a leading international business research company, founded in 1985, that publishes more than 100 industry research studies annually. This industry analysis provides an unbiased outlook and a reliable assessment of an industry and includes product segmentation and demand forecasts, industry trends, demand history, threats and opportunities, competitive strategies, market share determinations and company profiles.
