Introduction The global market for polymer concrete is estimated to be valued at US$ 322 Mn in the year 2017. By 2027, the market is expected to be valued at nearly US$ 692 Mn, registering a CAGR of 7.9% over the forecast period. The global polymer concrete market is expected to witness an incremental dollar opportunity of nearly US$ 370 Mn between 2017 and 2027, primarily driven by an increase in the requirement of materials with high durability, chemical resistance and corrosion resistance, both in industrial and municipal applications.

Superior characteristics of polymer concrete as compared to conventional concrete boosting the global market for polymer concrete Polymer concrete products display higher compressive strength as well as impact strength as compared to other types of concrete products. This is due to the presence of a very low voids content in polymer concrete and due to the toughness of the polymer. Polymer concrete also displays a relatively higher resistance to freezing and thawing, as well as demonstrates high resistance to abrasion and chemical impact. In addition, polymer concrete displays superior resistance to corrosion, along with reduced permeability as compared to conventional concrete. All these characteristics of polymer concrete are widening its applications and boosting the global market.

Growing infrastructural activities in Middle East and Africa, Asia Pacific excluding Japan and Latin America fuelling the polymer concrete market The rapid rise in infrastructural activities on a worldwide scale has been driving the demand for specialised applications where polymer concrete could be used; for instance residential and commercial applications. To underscore this point, we can consider the example of Asia Pacific, where there has been a significant rise in demand for sewerage pipes. The increasing population has been necessitating the need for upgrade of sewerage systems to higher capacities, which is expected to drive the demand for polymer concrete products, which in turn would drive the global polymer concrete market in the near future. Also, the construction of new roads, dams, bridges and upgrade of sewerage systems in countries such as China and Latin American countries is expected to present an attractive opportunity for the growth of the polymer concrete market in these regions. In addition, in the Middle East, there has been a considerable use of polymer concrete in infrastructure building such as in the construction of buildings, solid surface countertops in home interiors, roadways, bridges, pipes, tunnel liners and in other civic infrastructure.

High cost of polymer concrete restraining market growth Due to the relatively high cost of polymer concrete as compared with other materials, its end use has been restricted only for special needs. Also, end users prefer surface layer applications of polymer concrete over entire polymer concrete constructions due to the high costs associated with polymer concrete, and also due to the fact that the surface application servers the purpose of polymer concrete applications well. Also, specific types of plastics have been proving to be a cheaper alternative to polymer concrete. All these factors are restraining the market for polymer concrete across the globe.

Global Polymer Concrete Market Analysis by Material Type Presently, polyester is the preferred choice for manufacturing polymer concrete products. The Polyester segment by material type is estimated to hold more than 25% of the global market share in 2017. This is primarily owing to the low cost benefit offered by polyester when compared to vinyl ester, epoxy and other resins. However, Future Market Insights estimates the Polyester material type segment to lose 90 BPS by the end of 2027. The Polyester segment is estimated to be valued at more than US$ 80 Mn by 2017 end and is projected to create an incremental $ opportunity of US$ 87.0 Mn between 2017 and 2027. The Others segment is expected to gain significant BPS due to ongoing research in the use of new and advanced ingredients such as Methyl Methacrylate, Polyurethane, and Urea Formaldehyde resin. However, the rate of adoption is expected to remain relatively low.

Rising industrial end uses of polymer concrete fuelling market growth Polymer concrete is finding increasing industrial applications on account of improved properties such as rapid curing, ability to form complex shapes, and brilliant vibration damping properties. These advantages in applications across the industrial sphere are expected to drive the global polymer concrete market in the near future. For example, there has been an increase in industrial applications of polymer concrete such as in waste containers, pump bases, industrial flooring blocks, chemical containments and trench drains. In Europe, the energy and utilities, chemicals, metallurgy and pulp and paper industries have been extensively using polymer concrete in flooring applications as an effective means to resist chemical attack and prevent corrosive effect of chemicals.