Past Present and Future of The Polyurea Coatings Market

Troy Bacon
7 min readOct 26, 2020

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Polyurea is commonly used as a waterproofing sealant and corrosion-resistant coating on metals and concrete surfaces. Its applications include building construction, rail and road transport, bridges, boats and ships, autos, oil, and gas structures. The determinants for its prevalent usage and some future need situations will be discussed in this article.

History of Polyurea

Polyurea is made from aliphatic and aromatic kinds of isocyanates as a raw material. Both pure polyurea and hybrid solvents are commercially available. By hand, these products can be used by blending, pouring, and spray coating.

The worldwide polyurea market is segmented based on:

Raw materials utilized to produce the product.

Application innovation.

Geographical regions.

End-user application sectors.

Kind of item (pure polyurea versus hybrid).

Major polyurea manufacturers and competitive techniques.

We will analyze each of these in more detail in the following areas.

Raw Materials Used to Produce the Product.

The natural products are either aliphatic or fragrant isocyanates. Polyurea items based upon aromatic isocyanates generally control the marketplace because of their intrinsic benefits and physical features such as superior rust resistance and abrasion resistance required for coating boat hulls and other marine applications, building floorings, wall construction, and equipment. (An additional discussion of polyurea in marine environments can be discovered in the post Flexible Coatings for Protection of Marine Structures.).

The primary disadvantage of using aromatic isocyanate as a basic material is that the color and shine are negatively affected by the sun’s ultraviolet rays (UV). Aliphatic polyurea is utilized for applications where color stability is necessary.

Application Technology.

Developments in spray innovation have promoted polyurea. Therefore other coatings such as epoxy coatings are being quickly changed by polyurea spray coatings. A spray system’s primary advantages are the speed of application, speed of curing, and accuracy of the resulting coating thickness.

Geographical Regions.

Polyurea markets are broadly categorized into the following regions:

North American.

European.

The Asia Pacific.

The Middle East and African.

South American.

The United States and Canada lead the others with an estimated 35% of the global intake, closely followed by Asia Pacific (30%), Europe (20%), and the Middle East and Africa (10%). The Asia Pacific area is anticipated to grow the fastest, with noteworthy development in emerging economies such as Malaysia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan, China, and India. Some of the Asia Pacific nations have lower labor expenses, access to basic materials, tax benefits, and less strict environmental policies.

End-User (Applications) Segments.

End users are divided into the following classifications:

The building, housing, and general construction.

Transport.

Marine (boats, ships, ocean liners).

Oil and gas.

Facilities.

Industrial.

The growing demand for developing construction and real estate, driven by urbanization, is anticipated to offer momentum for market demand growth for polyurea items. Many South American countries are investing in construction projects. The emerging economies of the Asia Pacific region are also anticipated to continue their infrastructure investments, hence causing growth in demand for polyurea coatings.

Transportation is another sector driving the growing need for polyurea based on aromatic isocyanate.

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, there is speculation that the need will increase for individual cars such as cars and two-wheelers in numerous nations. People choose to travel in their lorries and avoid public transportation.

Type of Product (Pure Polyurea versus Hybrid Polyurea- Polyurethane).

Pure polyurea has much better moisture resistance and temperature resistance, whereas hybrid polyurea has exceptional adhesion on concrete and metal surface areas. Hybrid polyurea likewise has exceptional abrasion resistance and is preferred for specific applications such as developing construction equipment. Hybrid polyurea has a cost advantage over pure polyurea and is expected to share the international market need significantly.

Notable Polyurea Producers and Competing Strategy.

Some of the leading polyurea makers and solution service providers consist of ArmorThane, Teknos, Voelkel Industrial products, Huntsman International, PPG Industries, Sherwin-Williams, Rhino Linings, and Wasser Corporation.

Due to technical limitations, customers can not easily switch from one provider to another since the after-sale technical services part is important for the consumer’s processes. Polyurea brands in the global market are built based on item innovations and unprecedented control of critical quality assurance criteria. Developing brand-new polyurea formulations tailored to the consumer’s distinct challenges is the main technique of the market’s significant players.

Why Demand for Polyurea Is Expected to Grow.

Demand is anticipated to increase for a variety of reasons, as checked out below.

Development in Building and Infrastructure Construction.

The building construction section is anticipated to lead the worldwide need.

Asia Pacific polyurea demand is now growing faster than other areas to the level that its market volume is comparable to the North American volume.

In North America, the polyurea infrastructure market is frequently utilized to water-resistant such as bridges and parking decks and deterioration preventative coatings for pipelines and roads.

Polyurea is utilized as a waterproofing movie to safeguard bridge structures that require upkeep. Demand continues to grow as more bridges are added to the list of lacking structures. The United States alone has more than 612,000 bridges, and it has actually been estimated that a person-third of them need repair or replacement. The remaining bridges might need a comprehensive examination and repair or replacement.

According to one report, in 2015, the United States topped the international polyurea intake at 27.91% while China consumed another 15.92%. Europe was the other significant customer. Structure construction, bridge and facilities waterproofing, and the transportation sector continue to drive the need for polyurea coatings in these three areas.

The polyurea market is estimated to broaden from USD 885 million to USD 1.485 billion from today’s expense. The development rate is expected to be 10% CAGR. The growth of infrastructure, upkeep, basic construction, landscaping, railroad transport, and other markets is anticipated to drive the development.

Regulatory Factors.

Regulative requirements and growing ecological awareness are compelling buyers to prefer eco-friendly polyurea coating items with no unstable natural substances (VOCs). High-quality item offerings by worldwide polyurea producers have caused a shift in buyer choice in favor of durable, affordable, and premium products.

Technological Developments.

The application portfolio for polyurea is constantly growing because of technological developments, consisting of innovations in materials science and application methods and equipment.

Despite its high raw material expense, polyurea systems end up being highly cost-effective due to their quick curing (even at low temperatures irrespective of high humidity conditions) and exceptional physical-chemical properties that can be tailored to special application requirements. For certain end-user requirements, polyurea is frequently the only practical option. Since the polyurea coatings are completely devoid of VOCs, they are certified with regulatory requirements.

Population Trends.

Populations have been growing in tier-2 and tier-3 cities worldwide, leading to rapid growth in city facilities requirements such as airports, railways, highways, flyovers, bridges, shopping malls, and parking centers, including demand for petroleum items and shipping. These factors continue to drive the growth in demand for polyurea coatings.

Positive double-digit growth rates are anticipated as new polyurea systems continue to change, completing coatings such as epoxy systems that do not cure as quickly or endure variable temperature and humidity conditions. New applications are being found for these coatings continuously.

Benefits and Advantages of Polyurea.

The advantages and advantages provided by polyurea coatings over comparable coatings such as epoxy consist of a mix of features such as exceptional surface strength, hydrophobic (water repellent) qualities, high tensile load capacity, and inertness with many chemicals. Besides the flexibility and feasibility of designing and tailoring the different item functions, polyurea systems also make it possible to use fibers for reinforcement.

Factors Inhibiting Polyurea Demand.

Unfortunately, using polyurea requires pricey spray devices and competent labor. However, the initial expense is high; considering polyurea’s higher effectiveness and durability, these coatings can be thought about cost-effective.

The Covid-19 pandemic needs to be thought about. According to one report, the pandemic momentarily interrupted the supply chain and polyurea production, and overall market need is lower. While construction has been adversely affected around the world, the market is anticipated to recuperate quickly.

Factors Increasing The Polyurea Market

The industry leaders are planning to increase polyurea production in the Asia Pacific region. North American and European manufacturers are moving some of their factories to the Asia Pacific area due to the benefits of lower manufacturing cost, lower raw material costs, and proximity to booming markets. The area is anticipated to have steady demand growth due to an increase in the middle and upper-middle class sectors’ nonreusable income, leading to a greater rate of economic advancement and development. Since customers value the significance of quality, durable coating, polyurea need is progressively increasing. Also, there is higher public spending on infrastructure tasks such as roads and bridges.

Conclusion

The need for polyurea is expected to steadily increase as new polyurea coating systems continue to replace alternative coatings. New applications are being continuously developed for these polyurea coatings, changing some of the competing coatings. Facilities costs in emerging economies such as the Asia Pacific area is producing an additional need for polyurea. Increasing populations in tier-2 and tier-3 cities are causing a construction boom of roads, bridges, homes, shopping malls, tunnels, rail transport systems, airports, and shipping ports, all of which drive a steadily growing demand for polyurea coatings and linings.

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