Construction chemicals: Production
How a few giants grew by buying their rivals
What this tab covers Who makes it and how much: world capacity and output, utilisation, the top producing countries and companies globally and in India, concentration, new capacity coming, and each region's position.| Measure | Figure | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| World capacity | not published for the family | no public database | |
| World output | about $46.1 billion of sales (2025) | IMARC 2025 | |
| Capacity utilisation | not published | Sika expects global construction markets to decline by a low single digit in 2026; demand tracks concrete volumes, which fell in China, where cement output in 2025 was the lowest since 2010. | Sika 2025 results; cement tile (USGS MCS 2026, SunSirs) |
| Concentration | company shares not published; Sika, Saint-Gobain and Mapei are the largest specialists (indicative) | Consolidation has been rapid: Sika bought MBCC (former BASF Construction Chemicals) in 2023, Saint-Gobain bought GCP Applied Technologies in 2022 and completed its purchase of Fosroc in February 2025 for $1,025 million in cash (Fosroc revenue about GBP 400 million a year). Local formulators remain numerous in India and China. | IMARC 2025 key players; The Construction Index (Feb 2025) for Fosroc; other deals indicative |
| New capacity | not published | Growth comes through acquisitions rather than plants: Sika announced seven bolt-on acquisitions in 2025 and targets CHF 150-200 million a year of Fast Forward savings by 2028. | Sika 2025 results; Indian Chemical News (Feb 2026) |
Top producing countries
Asia-Pacific (region) 52% · about $24 billion- China (cement proxy): 45% of world cement (about 1.7 billion t, 2025)
- India (cement proxy): 12% of world cement (470 Mt, 2025)
- Europe, North America, Middle East (regions): not published by IMARC
Largest producers: global
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sika EBITDA CHF 2,064.7 million (18.4%); includes MBCC since 2023 and industrial adhesives | Switzerland | 11.2 CHF billion sales | 2025 | Sika full-year 2025 results |
| Saint-Gobain (Construction Chemicals: GCP, Fosroc, Weber, Chryso) bought GCP Applied Technologies (2022, about $2.3 billion, indicative) and Fosroc (completed February 2025, $1,025 million cash; The Construction Index, 10 Feb 2025) | France | not published | n/a | IMARC 2025 (GCP as key player); The Construction Index (10 Feb 2025) for Fosroc |
| Mapei private; adhesives, admixtures, flooring | Italy | not published | n/a | IMARC 2025 (key player) |
| Master Builders Solutions former BASF admixtures; parts divested by Sika after the MBCC deal (indicative) | Germany | not published | n/a | company EPD (MasterCO2RE) |
| Arkema (Bostik) adhesives and sealants | France | not published | n/a | IMARC 2025 (key player) |
| RPM International coatings, sealants, roofing | US | not published | n/a | IMARC 2025 (key player) |
| Holcim (ACC in India) cement major with roofing and building solutions | Switzerland | not published | n/a | IMARC 2025 (ACC Limited listed) |
Largest producers: India
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pidilite Industries Dr. Fixit waterproofing; construction and paint chemicals 22.2% of FY25 standalone sales (Pidilite Q2 FY26 presentation); consolidated EBITDA margin 24.2% | India | 14,553 Rs crore consolidated revenue (all businesses) | FY2026 | Bajaj Broking on Pidilite Q4 FY26 results |
| Fosroc India (Saint-Gobain) admixtures and project waterproofing; now part of Saint-Gobain | India | not published | n/a | indicative |
| Sika India India named by Sika as a dynamic growth market in 2025; figures not disclosed | India | not published | 2025 | Sika 2025 results |
| Asian Paints (waterproofing) retail waterproofing alongside paints | India | not published | n/a | indicative |
India is the second-largest cement market (470 Mt in 2025, 12% of world) but uses fewer admixtures per tonne of cement than Europe or the US because much concrete is still site-mixed (indicative). Domestic formulators make most products; PCE macromonomers and some polymers are imported. Pidilite and Sika both reported double-digit or dynamic growth in 2025-26.
Position by region
| Region | Position |
|---|---|
| US | Data centre and infrastructure spending kept Sika's Americas sales up 2.2% in local currencies in 2025 despite weak commercial construction. |
| EU | Flat construction; REACH diisocyanate training rules (from Aug 2023) affect polyurethane products; CO2-optimised concrete EPDs are becoming tender criteria. |
| India | Fast growth from infrastructure and housing; retail waterproofing is a branded consumer category. |
| China | Property slump: Sika's Chinese construction sales fell by double digits in 2025. |
| Japan | Mature, high admixture use; PCE was first commercialised in Japan in the 1980s (indicative). |
| Middle East | Double-digit growth for Sika in the Middle East and Africa in 2025; giga-projects use high-performance concrete. |