Lightweight Fillers Market Report

Lightweight Fillers Market Insights

Lightweight fillers are the substitutes of heavier substances offering greater weight reduction without compromising the volume of the end products. Further, these fillers enhance several properties of products such as durability, flexibility, thermal stability, and dimensional stability. They also save raw material cost by reducing the demand for binders/resins. Lightweight fillers majorly include microspheres that can expand up to 60 times from their original size without significantly gaining weight. These are functional additives, used to enhance the performance of the product, used for a variety of applications.

There are a variety of fillers present in the market. Each filler type is widely used in specific applications, driven by their distinct advantages and compete with some filler types having similar advantages. Lightweight fillers are majorly made from either glass, polymer, or ceramics. Thus, we have broadly classified materials into Glass Microspheres (hollow glass microspheres, foam glass granulates, perlite microspheres, and solid glass microspheres), Polymer Microspheres (expanded polymer microspheres and solid polymer microspheres), Ceramic Microspheres (cenosphere and ceramic microspheres), mineral fillers (wollastonite, ground mica, and calcined clay), and others (metallic microspheres).

Impact of COVID-19 on the Lightweight Fillers Market

The market was about to continue its journey of tremendous growth in the market with good growth opportunities in most of the application types. However, the rapid spread of COVID19 has entirely flipped the market dynamics and because of that, the market is expected to log a negative growth (decline) in the year 2020.

The construction industry is among one of the worst-impacted industries due to the pandemic. The industry has witnessed a downturn since the lockdown announced by several countries of the world to control the spread of COVID-19. The complete restriction in major economies has severely impacted the construction industry, the possible impact to be worsened than the great recession (2008-2009). As per the recent estimates of the IMF’s World Economic Outlook, there could be a possible cumulative loss of US$ 9 trillion to global GDP during 2020-2021 with a decline of -3% in global real GDP in 2020. Currently, the construction industry accounts for more than 12% of the global GDP. The lightweight fillers market is strongly dependent upon the organic growth of the construction and automotive industries.

The pandemic has already deteriorated the lightweight fillers market health by taking the major economies into its grip. However, the market participants are still an optimist about the market recovery, hoping a similar curve as it was during the previous pandemics, such as SARS (2003) and MERS (2015); and great recession (2008).  Considering the current market scenario coupled with primary interviews’ results of the market stakeholders and industry experts, the lightweight fillers market is projected to recover at a healthy pace from 2021, ultimately pushing the market to reach US$ 7.7 billion in 2025.

Continuous increase in the penetration of plastics/composites in the transportation sector, especially in the automotive industry, to achieve the fuel efficiency targets; rising demand for energy-efficient building coupled with expected growth in building & construction industry; stringent regulations regarding carbon emissions and VOC-free coatings; and high demand for lighter, brighter, and aesthetically pleasing products in the cosmetics & personal care, are some of the factors suggesting healthy long-term growth opportunities in the market once the pandemic starts to fade away.

In this rapidly changing market dynamics, it becomes extremely crucial for market participants to keep an eye over every segment/region.  It is of paramount importance that market participants build distinct short-term as well as long-term growth strategies. Our analysis on the market studies the changing market dynamics and competitive landscapes due to the pandemic to assist companies in developing short-term strategies as well as identifies emerging trends, low-hanging fruits, technological factors, key success factors, etc. for building long-term strategies.

Segment Analysis

Lightweight Fillers Market by Application Type

On the basis of application type, the lightweight fillers market is segmented as paints & coatings, plastics & rubber, construction materials, life sciences and pharmaceutical, agriculture materials, and others. Paints & coatings are projected to remain the most dominant application in the lightweight fillers market during the forecast period, owing to its widespread usage and excellent benefits. Fillers, especially the lightweight fillers have been gaining penetration in paints & coatings. For instance, there is greater use of lightweight fillers in roof paints/coatings of commercial & residential buildings, solar reflective coatings on vehicle’s roof, and reflective markings on roads. Lightweight fillers added into paints & coatings offer a huge reduction in VOCs, improve flowability, gloss control, solar reflectivity, thermal insulation, shrinkage resistance, and heat resistance and hardness; in addition to weight reduction.

Lightweight Fillers Market by Material Type                   

Based on the material type, the market is segmented as hollow glass microspheres, foam glass granulates, cenosphere, perlite microspheres, expanded polymer microspheres, ceramic microspheres, solid glass microspheres, solid polymer microspheres, metallic microspheres, wollastonite, ground mica, and calcined clay. Hollow glass microsphere is likely to remain the most dominant material in the market during the forecast period, in terms of value, mainly driven by its excellent properties such as low density, thermal stability, and dimensional stability and widespread usage in various industries.

Lightweight Fillers Market by Microsphere Type

Based on the microsphere type, the market is segmented as hollow microspheres and solid microspheres. Hollow microsphere is likely to maintain its dominance in the market during the forecast period in terms of value as well as the volume. Hollow and solid microspheres vary widely in density; hence, they are used for different applications. Due to their lower densities, hollow microspheres are used as a replacement of heavy raw materials in order to reduce the weight of structure/part apart from enhancing their other properties; whereas solid microspheres are used to enhance the physical properties of structures/parts.

Regional Insights

In terms of region, Europe is projected to remain the largest market for lightweight fillers during the forecast period in terms of value, propelled by Germany, France, and the UK. Rising demand for energy-efficient buildings and architectures, high penetration of lightweight fillers, and the presence of several market stakeholders including paints & coatings manufacturers, automotive OEMs, as well as lightweight filler manufacturers (Imerys S.A., Nouryon, Merck KGaA, Omya AG, Trelleborg AB, and BASF SE) are the major factors behind the dominance of the region. Many major countries of the European region are among the worst-affected nations of the world due to the pandemic, causing a greater decline in the regions’ market.

Asia-Pacific is expected to recover at the fastest pace from 2021 onwards, driven by an early recovery expected in China, which is among one of the leading countries for several industries, such as Automotive, Electrical & Electronics, Construction, and Consumer Goods. As per The United States Geological Survey, China is the world’s leading producer of minerals including wollastonite and calcined clay. Matsumoto Yushi-Seiyaku Co., Ltd, Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd., Sinosteel Maanshan New Material Technology Co., Ltd, and Kureha Corporation are some of the major lightweight filler manufacturers based in the region.

Market Scope & Segmentation

Lightweight Fillers Market Size, Share & Forecast, by Material Type

• Hollow Glass Microspheres
  • Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW
  • Application Type Analysis: Paints & Coatings, Plastics & Rubber, Construction Materials, Agriculture Materials, and Others
• Foam Glass Granulates
  • Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW
  • Application Type Analysis: Paints & Coatings, Plastics & Rubber, Construction Materials, Agriculture Materials, and Others
• Cenosphere
  • Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW
  • Application Type Analysis: Paints & Coatings, Plastics & Rubber, Construction Materials, and Others
• Perlite Microspheres
  • Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW
  • Application Type Analysis: Paints & Coatings, Plastics & Rubber, Construction Materials, Agriculture Materials, and Others
• Expanded Polymer Microspheres
  • Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW
  • Application Type Analysis: Paints & Coatings, Construction Materials, and Others
• Solid Glass Microspheres
  • Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW
  • Application Type Analysis: Paints & Coatings, Plastics & Rubber, Construction Materials, Agriculture Materials, Life Sciences & Pharmaceutical, and Others
• Solid Polymer Microspheres
  • Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW
  • Application Type Analysis: Life Sciences & Pharmaceutical and Others
• Metallic Microspheres
  • Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW
  • Application Type Analysis: Others
• Wollastonite
  • Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW
  • Application Type Analysis: Paints & Coatings, Plastics & Rubber, Construction Materials, and Others
• Ground Mica
  • Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW
  • Application Type Analysis: Paints & Coatings, Plastics & Rubber, Construction Materials, and Others
• Calcined Clay
  • Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW
  • Application Type Analysis: Paints & Coatings, Plastics & Rubber, Construction Materials, and Others

Lightweight Fillers Market Size, Share & Forecast, by Microsphere Type

• Hollow Microspheres (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Solid Microspheres (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)

Lightweight Fillers Market Size, Share & Forecast, by Application Type

• Paint & Coatings (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Plastics & Rubber (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Construction Materials (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Life Sciences & Pharmaceutical (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Agriculture Materials (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Others (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)

Lightweight Fillers Market Size, Share & Forecast, by Region

• North America (Country Analysis: The USA, Canada, and Mexico)
• Europe (Country Analysis: France, Germany, the UK, Spain, and Rest of Europe)
• Asia-Pacific (Country Analysis: China, India, Japan, and Rest of Asia-Pacific)
• Rest of the World (Sub-Region Analysis: The Middle East, Latin America, and Others) and (Country Analysis: Brazil, Argentina, and Others)

Key Players

There are a large number of players in lightweight fillers, serving various end-use industries of the market. Each player is catering to a multitude of applications by providing two or three lightweight filler materials and competing with the players providing similar materials. Key players of the market are focusing on product development/innovations to address the emerging market requirements such as lightweight, cost-effective, higher performance, and environmentally safe products.

The supply chain of this market comprises raw material suppliers, lightweight filler manufacturers, distributors, and end users.

Some of the key players in the lightweight fillers market are-

• Imerys S.A.
• Kureha Corporation
• Matsumoto Yushi-Seiyaku Co., Ltd
• Merck KGaA
• Nouryon
• Omya AG
• PQ Corporation
• Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd.
• Sinosteel Maanshan New Material Technology Co., Ltd
• The 3M Company.

Report Features

Our Lightweight Fillers Market Report is the most comprehensive study ever built on the fillers market by any company and provides a detailed market assessment for 12 fillers/microspheres by region and application type in terms of both, value and volume. The report compares both lightweight as well as high-density fillers intending to portray a clear view about the future market directions/growth. The report provides detailed analysis including the short as well as long-term revenue loss of the lightweight fillers market due to the pandemic.  Also, the report estimates the total opportunity loss by comparing pre-COVID and post-COVID market scenarios. The report proves to be extremely beneficial, particularly to those companies, willing to build short-term strategies with an aim to protect themselves from the current harsh market environment. The report also portrays the long-term market view (post-pandemic), identifying future growth avenues for the market participants and other market stakeholders, helping them to align themselves based on attractive market segments.

The following are the key features of the report:

• Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis.
• Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter’s five forces analysis, SWOT analysis.
• Market trend and forecast analysis.
• Market segment trend and forecast.
• Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, product portfolio, product launches, etc.
• Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities.
• Emerging trends.
• Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players.
• Key success factors.

Research Methodology

For calculating the market size, our analysts follow either Top-Bottom or Bottom-Top approach or both, depending upon the complexity or availability of the data points. Our reports offer high-quality insights and are the outcome of detailed research methodology comprising extensive secondary research, rigorous primary interviews with industry stakeholders and validation and triangulation with Stratview Research’s internal database and statistical tools. We leverage multitude of authenticated secondary sources, such as company annual reports, government sources, trade associations, journals, investor presentation, white papers, and articles to gather the data. More than 10 detailed primary interviews with the market players across the value chain in all four regions and industry experts are usually executed to obtain both qualitative and quantitative insights.

Report Customization Options

With this detailed report, Stratview Research offers one of the following free customization options to our respectable clients:

Company Profiling

• Detailed profiling of additional market players (up to 3 players)
• SWOT analysis of key players (up to 3 players)

Competitive Benchmarking

• Benchmarking of key players on the following parameters: Product portfolio, geographical reach, regional presence, and strategic alliances

Custom Research: Stratview research offers custom research services across the sectors. In case of any custom research requirement related to market assessment, competitive benchmarking, sourcing and procurement, target screening, and others, please send your inquiry at sales@stratviewresearch.com.