Construction chemicals are the additives added to Portland cement, concrete or other construction materials to bind them together and improve their structural properties. Construction chemicals are also used for protection against leakages and shrinkage cracks and to improve the durability of civil structures. With the advancement in technology, new innovative products are being developed to enhance work-ability and impart further protection from environmental threats. In addition, the use of these chemicals during construction also minimizes the quantity of water and cement generally required.
The current trend witnessed in the global construction chemicals market is increased consumption of construction chemicals in rapidly developing economies. The increase in worldwide consumption of construction chemicals in rapidly developing economies is due to the population growth. The world population is expected to increase rapidly, with almost all these advances in developing nations. An increasing portion of the consumer class of construction chemicals worldwide lives in developing nations. India and China together claim almost one fourth of the global market, with a collective consumer class higher compared with Western Europe. However, the average Indian or Chinese member consumes substantially less in comparison to the average European. Developing nations also have significant potential to increase the ranks of consumers. The consumer class in most of the developing countries accounts for less than half of the population which provides a considerable room to grow.
The construction chemicals industry has experienced a major growth on the global level due to the growing awareness of construction safety and quality, increasing number of new projects for public infrastructure, technological advancements, commercial spaces and housing in the regions including Asia-Pacific and other developing nations such as Colombia, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and UAE. Increasing urbanization trend, changing lifestyle, demand for improved aesthetics of infrastructures and residential are also helping in the growth of the construction chemicals market, attributing to the design flexibility delivered by construction chemicals to modify and improve the chemical as well as physical properties of a structure.
Geographically, Asia-Pacific was the largest region in the global construction chemicals market in 2015. The Asian economies such as China, India, Japan are driving the growth of the market. The increase in housing sector, growth in end use industry, technology & innovations, increased investments in the infrastructure are the key factors driving the growth of the Asia-Pacific region. China is the number one construction chemical consuming economy of the Asia-Pacific construction chemicals market.
Some of the major manufactures of construction chemicals include Akzo Nobel Chemicals AG, BASF SE, Antas Chemical Company Limited, Ashland Inc., Bostik Inc., 3M Company, The Dow Chemical Company, Albemarle Corporation, Sika A.G., Evonik Industries and many more.