:: Additives for Plastics (PLS022A) ::

Additives for Plastics

Report Code: PLS022A, Published: May 2001

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REPORT HIGHLIGHTS

Plastic additives encompass a wide variety of materials added to plastic resins in order to enhance the quality of these resins. The materials can be classified as modifiers, property extenders, and processing aids. A complete list of these additives indicates the 32 types of additives that are used commercially.
The consumption level of plastic additives follows the consumption level of plastic resins. Plastic resin production in the U.S. was 29.1 billion lb. in 1973, 59.7 billion lb. in 1988, and 100.9 billion lb. in 2000 ¾ a growth rate of 4.7% annually during 27 years. This type of growth parallels the consumption level of additives, although the use of some additive types is growing more rapidly than others.
U.S. additives sales expected to grow at 3.5% annually to reach $5.5 billion in 2005. World markets for these additives are 35% in Asia, 28% in North America, 25% in Europe, and the rest of the world at the remaining 12%. These figures indicate that the world market for these additives in 2000 has a value of about $16.4 billion.

Report Code: PLS022A, Published: May 2001, Analyst: Dirk Muyskens

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