Research Overview

Customers across a wide range of industries increasingly prefer structural adhesives over conventional, mechanical fixing techniques such as welding, nut-bolt assembly, and riveting. In this study of the global structural adhesives industry, the key end-use applications are construction, transportation, wind energy, and industrial assembly, including industrial machinery and electrical/electronic applications. With the expansion of these end-use industry sectors, demand for structural adhesives will increase across all global regions (the Americas; Europe; Asia-Pacific (APAC); and the Middle East, Africa, and South Asia (MEASA).

The structural adhesive chemistries this study considers are acrylics, epoxies, polyurethanes, polyvinyl acetates, and others (including anaerobic, starch and dextrin, rubber, amine-based, silicone, and polyolefin polymer chemistries). Both application technologies, one-component and two-component, are discussed. Moreover, analysis includes water-based, solvent-based, and other technologies for industrial assembly applications, including UV cured and hot melt (including 100% solids based). Regional volume consumption and regional revenue estimates are provided for each end-use industry. Market shares for the top manufacturers are offered at a global level.

The structural adhesives market is characterized by development of new, innovative products aimed at customers’ specific unmet functional requirements, importantly the need for dissimilar substrate and difficult-to-bond substrate bonding. Furthermore, end users are increasingly demanding sustainable products that are compliant with international regulations. Also, high-end, novel concepts in structural bonding, such as re-bondable adhesives that can be de-bonded and then re-bonded multiple times for re-usability of substrates, are gaining popularity. In the construction industry, dissimilar substrate bonding requirements fueled by composite substrate adhesion needs will create fresh opportunities for market expansion. The rising use of a variety of wooden substrates in structural applications in the construction sector is also contributing to demand growth for structural adhesives across regions. Such favorable trends will be key growth drivers for the global structural adhesives market.