Powder coatings: A vibrant future
Powder coatings are an integral segment of the global coatings market, offering unique sustainability benefits and performance advantages. Despite steady growth, the market landscape is evolving, shaped by regulatory pressures, technological advances, and regional dynamics. Here, industry experts share their insights on current trends, growth prospects, and challenges, providing a comprehensive view of the powder coatings market. By Kirsten Wrede.
According to Kevin Coursin, executive director at the Powder Coating Institute, the global powder coatings market grew by approximately 1.2 % in 2023. However, the growth was uneven across regions: The powder volume in Europe decreased by approximately 4 %, while China saw a modest increase of 3 % due to market constraints. He also noted that the European market experienced a 4.5 % decline in volume.
Although automotive applications are on the rise, other sectors show mixed performance. “The growth industries continue to be in the architectural, agricultural and construction equipment (ACE), and automotive, including the electric vehicle (EV) markets. The appliance market has shown some softening due to the reduced residential housing market,” said Coursin.
Market share and growth potential
“While it’s an efficient and sustainable technology, I don’t foresee major shifts in its market share,” Tuukka Ryynänen, chief onnovation officer at Teknos Group. said, emphasising its complementary role alongside liquid systems.
Aslı Dal, deputy general manager, technical, IBA Powder Coatings, highlighted the market’s scale: “The global powder coatings market reached a total volume of around EUR 12.4 billion in 2023, constituting 15-20 % of the global industrial coatings market.” She added that variations depended on regional demands and environmental regulations.
Similarly, Remco Maassen van den Brink, marketing director of Akzo Nobel’s Powder Coatings business, said that powder coatings accounted for approximately 13 % of the global coatings market, valued at EUR 12.7 billion, according to Orr & Boss.
“What’s particularly exciting is the steady 6 % annual growth this segment has enjoyed over the past five years, highlighting powder coatings’ rise as a preferred choice in various industries.”
As he remarked, “Asia leads the way, reflecting rapid industrial growth and a shift to sustainable production. Meanwhile, North America and Europe are robust markets driven by environmental standards and high-performance demands.”
Thomas Czeczatka, head of global end use powder coatings at Byk, added, “Powder coatings have a share of about 10 % of the world market for paints and coatings. These are further subdivided into thermoset and thermoplastic systems, with thermoset systems dominating at over 90 %.” He pointed out that “the prevalence of powder coatings varies from region to region. In Europe, they are more common and have gained market share, while in the NAFTA region, liquid coating systems are still widely used and thus offer potential for powder coatings.” According to Czeczatka, Asia, especially China, is experiencing strong growth in powder coatings due to government regulations.
Drivers of growth
The industry’s transition towards sustainability underpins much of the powder coatings market’s growth. According to Dal, powder coatings are environmentally friendly, ”with no need for a liquid carrier and in turn no release of harmful VOC’s and need for disposal or treatment of hazardous solvents or slurries in the process.” Other factors can be listed as recyclability up to 95 %, extreme hardness and adherence property in just one layer without any need for a primer while providing superior corrosion resistance. These make the powder coating process an economical choice, too.”
Ryynänen echoed these sentiments, emphasising the potential for powder coatings to embed advanced functionalities, such as hygienic surfaces, electrical insulation, and high chemical resistance. “Highly efficient material usage of powder coatings is achieved through optimised manufacturing and application processes including circulation steps,” he added.
Czeczatka highlighted the efficiency of powder coating application: “The electrostatic spraying process of powder coatings decreases the overspray rate. Due to the 100 % solid particles, the overspray can be recycled in the spraying process. This leads to a utilisation rate of more than 90 % and is a clear advantage in comparison to all other liquid paint systems.”
Maassen van den Brink elaborated on innovations like Akzo Nobel’s lower temperature cure technology: “Our latest, low cure powder coating innovations cure at temperatures as low as 150 °C while maintaining performance standards. It’s a leap forward in sustainability and process efficiency. And this journey to lower curing temperatures will continue.”
The complete market review is part of the December issue of the European Coatings Journal.
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