Transparency Market Research has released a new market report titled “Nitrile Butadiene Rubber (NBR) Powder (Linear and Cross-linked) Market for PVC Modification, Automotives, Buildings, Footwear, Consumer Goods and Other Applications – Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2013 – 2019.” According to the report, the global NBR powder market was valued at $275.6 million in 2012 and is anticipated to reach $425.7 million by 2019, growing at a CAGR of 6.5 percent from 2013 to 2019.
In terms of volume, the global NBR powder market stood at 73,820.8 tons in 2012. Specialty forms of NBR continue to grow with increasing applications in different end-use industries. NBR powder finds key applications in PVC and other resin modification. It is also used as binder in frictional materials. Rising demand for auto components such as dashboards, kick panels, brake pads and brake lining from end-use industries, especially automobile, is the major driving factor for the NBR powder market. Growth in the two-wheeler market in emerging economies is likely to open up opportunities for the NBR powder market in the next few years.
However, demand for NBR powder may decline in the PVC modification sector owing to the availability of potential substitutes such as thermoplastic elastomers and thermoplastic olefins. NBR powder is available in two key types: linear and cross-linked or pre-cross-linked. The latter dominates the global NBR powder market. Crosslinked NBR (X-NBR) powder finds wide application in resin modification and frictional materials, while linear NBR powder is mainly consumed in the manufacture of seals and gaskets.
Both the product types are expected to grow significantly in the next few years; however, cross-linked NBR powder is anticipated to be the fastest growing segment in terms of volume and is expected grow at a CAGR of 5.2 percent from 2013 to 2019. Applications of NBR powder majorly comprise PVC modification, automotives, buildings, footwear, consumer goods and others including coatings and tubes. PVC modification is the largest application with over 48 percent share of the global market in 2012.
It is also used in modification of other resins such as ABS and phenolic resins. With rising demand from frictional compounds, automotive is estimated to be the fastest growing market with a CAGR of 6.9 percent from 2013 to 2019, in terms of revenue. Growth in the vehicle sector has been driving the automotive application.
This trend is projected to continue in the next few years, especially in Asia Pacific. Other applications such as footwear, buildings and consumer goods are likely to experience moderate growth with stable demand from end-use industries. Asia Pacific leads the global NBR powder market with more than 44 percent of demand in 2012. Asia Pacific is expected to be the fastest growing region due to rising number of end-users such as auto part manufacturers, brake lining manufacturers, footwear manufacturers and others.
Europe and Rest of the World followed Asia Pacific with a combined share of more the 40% of the global demand in 2012. North America accounts for the smallest share of the market. The region is experiencing sluggish growth due to a shift from NBR powder to other substitutes, specifically for PVC modification applications.