How Big Is The Industrial Paint & Coatings Industry In Europe?

With the world forever pushing forward to be bigger and better, we are demanding a higher level of comfort than ever before.

Bearing in mind our need for developing personal and professional spaces into something fresh and new on a constant basis, it will come as little surprise to learn that the global paints and coatings market is expected to be valued at $176.5 billion by 2020 in Central Europe and in Western Europe it is predicted the industry will rise from demanding 5.6 million tonnes to 6.2 million tonnes by 2018.

The demand for housing alone escalates every year and this accounts for a significant portion of the high demand for paints but a growing market for cars and consumer goods also adds value to the sector. In the wake of the economic crisis that hit Europe, countries that were hit hard, such as Spain and Italy, now boast vastly improved economies and look set to see their paint and coatings industries grow significantly over the next five years.

The paint and coatings industry is often categorised into three main markets, namely:

1.      Special purpose

2.      Industrial OEM

3.      Architectural & decorative

Paint covers everything from outdoor to indoor colours, while coatings can include products such as varnish, enamel and lacquer along with cleaning fluids, removers and putties. In 2013, the output and sales of the paint and coatings market reached over 1.3 million tonnes and many industry experts predict that this will increase by an additional 1.5 million tonnes by 2018, which equates to an impressive yearly growth of 2.9%.

This is good news for companies such as Rawlins that specialise in a wide range of high quality paints and coatings, and as well as the residential sector, automotive, aviation and commercial industries are also increasing their demand for paints and coatings.  

So, which countries have the most lucrative paint sectors?

Poland has taken the top place for being the Central European country that has the largest national market in the industry as it accounts for almost 41% of the total demand. It is predicted that Poland’s high demands will continue to rise in the coming years, much like the markets in Romania and Hungary.

The increasing GDPs and high demand for improved living standards affects the demand for paint and this fact is backed up by the countries that, in general, don’t enjoy the same level of living standards as places such as Poland. These small markets include Kosovo, Albania and Macedonia, and much of their industries are sustained by imported paints.

In Western Europe, Germany is by far the largest market as it accounts for a massive 25% of total demand. Countries including Norway, Ireland and Finland are the smallest in terms of demand for paint and coatings but interestingly they also have the fastest growing markets, proving that despite their low demand, their industries are currently also improving.

The European paint and coating industry is on a positive trajectory, with forecasts predicting that the sector will continue to be in high demand over the coming five years ensuring the market will grow to enjoy even more success.