Resilient All-Rounders: New Ceresana Market Report on Engineering Plastics

KONSTANZ, Germany - April 25, 2025 - PRLog -- Car parts made from sugar or vegetable oil? Engineering plastics are usually still more expensive than standard plastics. However, they not only offer outstanding mechanical and chemical properties, but increasingly also natural raw materials and organic qualities. Ceresana has analyzed the global market for these amazing high-performance polymers: Demand for engineering plastics will increase by around 2.6% per year until 2033.

High-tech plastics follow bio-trend

Engineering plastics are often used where other materials can no longer keep up: high temperatures, aggressive chemicals, extreme requirements. The lightweight, almost infinitely moldable, cost-effective and sometimes even recyclable high-performance plastics replace metal, glass or ceramics in plain bearings, gears, seals, insulators, housings, and other demanding applications. The trend towards bioplastics and bio-additives has also reached engineering plastics. Polyamide (PA), for example, better known as nylon and mainly used for textiles, and polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), which is sold under brand names such as Plexiglas or Acrylite, are already fully or at least partially bio-based. Mitsubishi Chemical manufactures polycarbonate (PC) from glucose: PC is the basic material for smartphone covers, earphones, safety helmets, and even car radiator grills. The Japanese-American company Polyplastics develops "carbon-negative" polyoxymethylene (POM) from fermented biomass, or carbon dioxide and hydrogen.

ABS is the best-selling engineering plastic

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene currently dominates the market for engineering plastics by a wide margin: ABS accounts for around 41% of global demand. Typical ABS products include door panels for cars, housings for electrical appliances, films, pipes and covers, but also shower heads, toys, sports and leisure products. ABS is mainly used in the automotive industry, for electrics and electronics, and in smaller quantities in the construction industry and for household goods. Consumer goods, as well as electrical and electronic products are currently the largest sales markets for engineering plastics. For the fifth time, the new market study by Ceresana provides comprehensive figures on demand, revenue, production, and trade for the entire global market for engineering plastics, as well as demand for the various types of plastics and their applications.

The Current Market Study on Engineering Plastics:

Chapter 1 provides a description and analysis of the global market for engineering plastics – including forecasts up to 2033. The following products are examined: Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), Polycarbonate (PC), Polyamide (PA), Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), Polyoxymethylene (POM), Polybutylene terephthalate (PBT), Styrene acrylonitrile (SAN) and Fluoropolymers.
In Chapter 2 the markets for engineering plastics in 25 countries are examined individually.
Chapter 3 provides useful company profiles of the largest producers of engineering plastics.

Further information: https://ceresana.com/en/produkt/engineering-plastics-mark...