The global coating additives market size was valued at $10 billion in 2022, and is projected to reach $17.1 billion by 2032, growing at a CAGR of 5.7% from 2023 to 2032, according to data from Allied Market Research.

However, 2023 wasn’t necessarily a growth time for additive manufacturers due to overstocking issues.
“It seemed universal in the coatings industry that 2023 was way down,” said Robert Ruckle, global marketing and sales director at Siltech. “Customers consistently said that due to the supply chain disruptions, they over-bought in 2022. It is clear that demand was down in 2023 as well.”
Despite this, Ruckle remains optimistic for the additives market moving forward. “It seems poised to recover strongly in 2024. At Siltech, we maintained staffing so that we can respond to 2024 growth.”
“Predictions of the market shifting away from PFAS additives held true, with dramatically increased attention on PTFE-free alternative and bio-based additives,” said Rich Czarnecki, vice president of Micro Powders, Inc. “We have been developing and honing this technology for years in preparation to meet the market’s demands and are equipped with strong data and success stories to back up their performance.
“The supply chain issues of 2022 resulted in many customers who overstocked raw materials,” Czarnecki added. “We see that these customers are now returning back to normal ordering patterns.”
“As expected, our 2023 year was down from our record 2022 year,”noted Keith Condon, national sales director at Keim Additec Surface USA, LLC. “Despite the hiccups in the market, we did see some growth across various industries, such as paint and certain specialty coatings. Additionally, we have been able to foster new relationships with multinational organizations, who view us as a preferred supplier thanks to our robust product offerings and stable supply chain. This past year was a challenge, but we were able to support our clients through it, which is all we can ask.”
Condon added, “Research shows the coating additives market being valued at around $10.6 billion USD in 2023 and is anticipated to grow. Heading into 2024, the primary concerns are whether or not the economy will continue to trend away from recession and if inflation will improve. Regardless, we will continue to offer excellent performance without compromising regulatory status – setting us apart from our competition.”
“The market fared relatively well,” said Thomas Kinlin, technical service manager, Shamrock Technologies. “We did see some relaxation in demand as coatings manufacturers sought to maintain pre-pandemic inventory levels. We see some volatility in material availability due to severe delays caused by logistical changes in the EMEA area. There will be some demand and growth in the additives market this year.”
“We’re seeing an upswing in the additives markets globally, to varying degrees by region, and are optimistic about a healthier 2024,” said Vic Patel, global director – Plastics and Performance Additives at Arxada. “Arxada’s portfolio is strong on multifunctional additives, such as Troysol ZLAC substrate wetting and flow & leveling agent, that perform the jobs of several additives in one. This is something the market is looking for, to reduce inventory and achieve cost efficiency and sustainability benefits, such as lower system VOCs. Sustainability is of increasing importance to our customers globally, and we’re seeing greater interest in our many products that enable them to reach SHE and carbon footprint reduction benchmarks.”
Additives are used to enhance the performance characteristics of paint and coatings and comprise a varied group of products. These additives can improve characteristics of the paint and coatings, such as its durability, adhesion, rheology and resistance to environmental factors such as UV radiation, corrosion and abrasion. Coating additives are added to paints and coatings to improve their quality, impact resistance, viscosity and surface effectiveness. These coating additives also improve dispersion of solids, wetting, foam-reduction, anti-catering, gloss control, anti-chipping and UV protection of coatings.
Micro Powders develops and sells fine and coarse additive powders, dispersions and emulsions for use in paints, inks and coatings.
“The primary benefit of our products is for surface protection, including lubricity, scratch and abrasion resistance, and anti-blocking. Other products provide superior gloss reduction, texturing, water repellency and surface haptics,” said Czarnecki.
Keim Additec specializes in wax additives. “We have one of the most diverse portfolios of wax technology available on the market,” said Tyler John, technical sales manager, Keim Additec Surface USA, LLC. “We primarily service the graphic arts and coatings industry, where these additives act as surface modifiers, but we also offer robust support for plastics, adhesives and beyond. Our waxes are reinforced by a suite of auxiliary additives, such as dispersants and defoamers, allowing us to provide very holistic support for formulators.”
Siltech manufactures organo-silicone based flow and leveling, foam control, slip and protection additives. “At Siltech we have been focusing on developing applications for our Q resins, which offer increased cross linking and low surface energy providing strength, protection and other properties,” said Ruckle.
Shamrock Technologies manufactures performance-enhancing additives to improve a variety of coatings attributes. “We have additives that improve durability, reduce or increase the coefficient of friction, add water repellency, provide matting, aid in block resistance, produce texturing and alter haptic properties,” said Kinlin. “Shamrock Technologies has these performance additives in the form of micronized powders, dispersions, emulsions, macro powders, and compounds.”
According to Patel, Arxada manufactures one of the broadest ranges of additive functionalities in the industry, and has been supplying performance additives to customers for more than 70 years through its legacy organizations.
“Our expertise in additives for both liquid and powder coatings is deep, with robust R&D and technical service capabilities supporting customers globally,” Patel noted.
There are several factors driving the market for paint and coatings additives. Increased demand for multifunctional additives, increasingly strict environmental regulations around the global and an increased awareness among formulators about the benefits of coatings additives are some of the key drivers of growth.
PFAS replacement is a major impetus for developing new additives. Regarding environmental regulations, PFAS is still very much a topic of conversation as effective bans on these materials draw nearer.
“Developing high-performance and cost-effective alternatives to fluorochemistry remains a top priority across much of the coatings worlds, especially in those applications with direct and indirect food contact,” noted John. “This is a challenge considering many of the offending materials are considered best-in-class at what they do. Fortunately, we have been quite successful in developing alternative products and getting them to market across a variety of applications.”
“In 2023, Siltech focused on developing applications data to help those who choose to reformulate PFAS,” noted Ruckle.
“Suppliers of PTFE-containing ink additives have seen a dramatic shift away from this chemistry due to developing regulatory issues around PFAS substances,” noted Czarnecki. “Although PTFE has a very strong track record of safety, many customers are looking to find alternate products, with equal performance, without the use of PTFE. Our portfolio of PTFE-free composite waxes expanded in 2023 with the launch of MP-28AL, a value engineered wax/aluminum oxide composite that offers superior scratch resistance and lubricity with excellent economics. We also launched PolyTuf 1229, a wax/ceramic composite powder that is our top performing product for improving surface abrasion resistance.”
Shamrock Technologies has concentrated its development efforts on wax alloy technology. “Here we call it ‘Waxallurgy’ – just as in metallurgy, combining different metals gives you unique properties, and we see the same with combining different waxes,” said Kinlin. “Shamrock Technologies has spent many resources researching various wax combinations to provide a unique line of performance-enhancing additives to optimize the properties of different types of coatings.”
In liquid coatings, manufacturers have focused on offering performance additives that contribute zero or minimal VOCs, APEO, HAPs, and other ingredients to paint formulations. Arxada is continually expanding its Z-line of performance additives, which are developed specifically for ‘green’ systems. These Z-line additives are free of VOC, HAPs, and APEO, and offer performance at low use levels, making them ideal for modern aqueous formulations.

“An example is advanced Troysol ZLAC, a ‘green,’ multifunctional, silicone-free additive that improves substrate wetting, flow & leveling, adhesion, gloss, and color uniformity in aqueous coatings and adhesives,” said Patel. “The highly effective additive offers enhanced control of coating surface properties and the elimination of surface defects.” 

Source：Coingts World