Structural Adhesive Market - Forecast(2023 - 2028)

Structural Adhesive Market size is forecast to reach $20.1 billion by 2025, after growing at a CAGR of 6.5% during 2020-2025. Adhesives that are capable of bearing considerable loads are referred as structural adhesives. Structural adhesive is an alternative for welding and joining components by thread and bolts. Better adhesion and ability of structural adhesives to adhere to different substrates such as metal and glasses are raising its use in various industries. Surging uses of Plastic and Composites in Fabricating Boats and growing air traffic is leading to the higher demand for structural adhesives in aerospace industry are also driving the growth of Structural Adhesive Market size during the forecast period. Furthermore, surging demand from electronic industries for joining electrical components and potting is also driving the growth of structural adhesive market share over the forecast period. 

The report: “Structural Adhesive Market– Forecast (2020-2025)”, by IndustryARC, covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the Structural Adhesive Industry.

By Technology: Water-Based, Solvent-Based, and Others

By Resin: Epoxy, Acrylic, Cyanoacrylates, Silicon, Polyurethane, Anaerobic Acrylics, and Others

By Form: Liquid, Paste, Film, and Others

By Application: Composites, Metals, Glass, Plastic, Wood, and Others

By End-Use Industry: Automotive (Automotive Hose Bonding, Gasket Sealing, Heat Exchanger, Drive Shaft & Chassis, and Others), Electronic (Sensors, Switches & Relays, Motors, Potting, and Others), Construction (Window Panels and Doors, Water Proofing, and Others), Aerospace (Engine Compartment, Wing Spars, and Others), Wind Energy (Blade Assembly, Nacelle Assembly, Hub, bearing, and Gearbox assembly), Marine, and Others

By Geography: North America, South America, Europe, APAC, and RoW

Solvent based segment holds the largest share of more than 55% in the structural adhesive market in 2019. Solvent based structural adhesive use solvents as a carrier for resin. Solvent based adhesives are mainly used for difficult to bond substrates and are more durable and chemical resistant than water based structural adhesive. Solvent based adhesives dry faster and are ideal for industries where speed of application and production is needed. However, solvent based adhesive contains VOCs that is hazardous and raises the demand for waterborne structural adhesives.

Based on the resin, epoxy segment holds the largest share of more than 25% in the structural adhesive market in 2019. Epoxy based structural adhesive provide good environmental and thermal resistance, maintaining high cohesive bond strength, and toughness. Excellent adhesion to glass, and metal increases the demand of epoxy based structural adhesives for glass attachments, enclosures, friction pads, bonding side panels and flooring materials in trucks and cars. Epoxy structural adhesives eliminates the need to drill holes and provide benefits over traditional mechanical attachment techniques such as welds, rivets, screws, spot welds, and bolts. According to International Energy Agency, electric car deployment has been growing rapidly and the global stock of electric passenger cars increased by 63% in 2018, thus surging demand for electric vehicles and expansion of automotive industry also boosts the use of epoxy based structural adhesives.

Based on the form film segment holds the largest share of more than 30% in the structural adhesive market in 2019. Structural adhesive films consist of a thin layer of pre-catalyzed resin supported on a scrim or paper backing. They are commonly used in aerospace for bonding face skins to a honeycomb core. Structural film adhesives are easy to apply and provide high strength with uniform attachment. However, structural film adhesives are not suitable for attachment requiring gap filling owing to the need for liquid or paste structural adhesives.

Based on the application, composite is the fastest growing segment with a CAGR of 8% in the structural adhesive market during the forecast period. This growth is attributed to the strong bonding and high chemical & heat resistance property of composite adhesives make suitable to use across various industry verticals. In addition to strength and durability, composite material also reduces the weight of component. Surging demand for the light-weight materials in aerospace industries for boosting the performance of engine and reducing fuel consumptions has increased the use of composite materials which in turn augments the usage of structural adhesive for bonding and sealing purposes. Specialty adhesive offers good surface finish in aerospace applications such as bonding of honeycomb sandwich panels to provide rigidity to interior panels and weight reduction. Airbus anticipated that air traffic will grow at 4.3% annually and demand for new passenger and dedicated freighter aircraft will reach 39,200 over the next 20 years, subsequently fueling the growth of structural adhesive market.

Based on the end-use industry, construction segment holds the largest share of more than 30% in the structural adhesive market in 2019. In construction, structural adhesives provide durability and strength to materials such as architectural membrane, caulks, roofs etc., and are used for assembling wooden frame and surfaces together in furniture. Due to their high load carrying capacity, structural adhesives are used for long-term or permanent attachments. Structural adhesives are chemical and moisture resistive, hence they are widely used for sealing pores or cracks in building to resist the leakage of water. According to IEA, global floor area in buildings are expected to double to more than 415 billion square meter by 2050, thus increase in construction activities may escalate the growth of structural adhesive market.

Asia Pacific has dominated the structural adhesives market with a share of more than 40% in 2019 followed by North America and Europe. Rapid industrialization and urbanization is driving the growth of structural adhesive market in developing nations. Structural adhesives provide stronger joints as compared to soldering and brazing, thus owing its need in electronic industry for joining electrical components. Increase in disposable income and high standard of living has raised the demand for electrical equipment’s. According to National Investment Promotion and Facilitation Agency, India’s share in global electronics manufacturing has grown from 1.3% in 2012 to 3.0% in 2018 and anticipated to reach $400 Bn by 2025. Thus increase in demand for electronics boosts the growth of structural adhesive market. Moreover, Boeing Co. forecasted that Chinese carriers will need 8,090 new planes by 2038. Rise in production of aircrafts also escalates the use of structural adhesive in the region.

Rapid population growth coupled with huge power demand has boosted the production of electricity using wind. Structural adhesive improves wind turbine strength, durability, and appearance, while offering design flexibility, total cost savings, corrosion resistance, and the ability to join dissimilar materials. Structural adhesives are used in variety of application including blade assembly, nacelle, Hub, bearing, and gearbox assembly. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), onshore wind electricity generation increased by an estimated 12% in 2019. American Wind Energy Association estimated that the U.S wind industry added 9,132 MW of new wind capacity in 2019. Thus, increase in installation of wind turbines augments the growth of structural adhesive market.

Structural adhesives provide uniform load distribution over entire bond and minimizes stress concentrations. They also reduce the need for drilling which may damage the materials. Structural adhesives providing a seal against moisture intrusion, thus reduces the potential for galvanic corrosion. Thus, owing to these benefits, structural adhesives can replace welding, bolts, screws, spot welding, and other traditional attachments in a wide variety of industrial applications due to their high strength and exceptional durability during the forecast period. Strong bonding between dissimilar material and improved appearance due to hidden bond lines augments the growth of structural adhesive market.

Although structural adhesive finds wide range of application, but presence of volatile organic compounds (VOC) hampers the growth of structural adhesives market. Exposure to VOC may cause headache, nausea, eye & throat irritation and damages kidney. The Ozone Transport Commission (OTC), developed to reduce VOC limits in an effort to meet the clean air requirements set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), may affect the growth of market. 

COVID-19 has badly impacted the structural adhesives market. Government’s lockdown and disruption of supply chain has shuttered the manufacturing units and postponed the deliveries of structural adhesives. Decrease in purchasing capital directly impacted the automotive, electronics and construction industries which in turn hampered the growth of structural adhesive market. According to the Indian Cellular & Electronic Association of India, the shutdown would lead to a lack of $1,309.2 Mn to $1,963.8 Mn in 2020, thus lowering the demand for structural adhesives. Sales of passenger vehicles also declined by 51% to 143,014 units in March 2020, according to Society of India Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

Technology launches, acquisitions and R&D activities are key strategies adopted by players in the structural adhesives market report. In 2019, the market of structural adhesives has been consolidated by the top 10 companies accounting for xx% of the share. Major players in the structural adhesive industry outlook are Henkel AG & Company, Huntsman Corporation, DuPont de Nemours, Inc., Bostik Inc., Master Bond Inc., 3M, Parson Adhesives, Inc., Sika AG, Hubei Huitian New Materials Co., Ltd., H.B. Fuller Company, Mapei S.p.A., among others.