Silicones

Silicones

Growth in the US silicones market will total 4.5% annually through 2020 in value terms. Advances will be driven by increasing penetration and strong fundamentals in markets such as construction and medical products. Rising fuel economy standards will also boost demand in motor vehicles.

This report segments the silicones industry by product type, market, and application. Data is provided in million pounds and million dollars.

Silicones products include:
Fluids
Elastomers
Resins
Gels
Other

Fluids will remain the largest of these through 2020. Fastest growth will be for silicone resins, driven by demand in building activity in the construction market.

Major silicone markets include:
Industrial
Consumer
Construction
Medical

The industrial market was the leading outlet in 2015. The most rapid gains through 2020 are forecast for the medical market, fueled by innovations in medical technology and demographic trends.

Among the key applications for silicones are:
Vehicles & Binders
Elastomeric Components
Surfactants
Lubricants & Greases
Defoamers
Emollients

Vehicles and binders was the largest in 2015. Going forward, vehicles and binders will also see the strongest advances, benefiting from continued strength in the construction market.

The US silicones industry ranges from small, privately held firms to divisions of large, multinational conglomerates. Despite being one of the more heavily concentrated industries in the chemicals sector, a number of notable acquisitions and divestitures in recent years have taken place. Leading suppliers include Bluestar Silicones, Dow Corning, Evonik, Gelest, Momentive Performance Materials, Rogers, Saint Gobain, Shin-Etsu, and Wacker Chemie.