Global Conductive Carbon Black Market to be propelled by Flourishing Global Plastics Additives Market

The growing popularity of conductive carbon black can be attributed to its electrical conductivity enhancing properties. Conductive carbon black is a type of specialty carbon black that is used in a host of applications, electrical appliances and components being one of the major applications. Electrical conductivity includes not only the enhancement of mechanical strength but also of mechanical properties. The application scope of conductive carbon black is essentially determined by its main properties, which are surface color and surface area, particle size, low loading, and electrical conductivity. 

The global conductive carbon black market in 2014, stood at US$98.7 mn and 64.4 thousand tons in terms of revenue and volume respectively. In revenue terms, the global conductive carbon black market is anticipated to expand at a 6.80% CAGR during the forecast period 2015 to 2021. The thriving global plastics additives market is expected to fuel the demand for conductive carbon black in the forthcoming years.

Carbon Black: A Key Component used widely in Polymers

The global conductive carbon black market is segmented on the basis of applications and geography. On the basis of applications, the global conductive carbon black market is categorized into paints and coatings, plastics, rubber, battery electrodes, and other applications. The other areas of application in the conductive carbon black market are printing inks for electrical conductivity and pigments. Carbon black is mainly used in polymers in order to enhance their physical properties. It increases their tensile strength, their durability, and also their resistance to abrasions, corrosions, and friction. When introduced in a polymer mix, carbon black creates a conductive network. 

The conductive carbon black market is a sub-segment of the overall carbon black market. In terms of revenue and volume, the global carbon black market in 2014 stood at US$8,176 mn and 11.7 million tons respectively. The global carbon black market is projected to expand at a 5.50% CAGR from 2014 to 2020, thereby reaching US$11,284 mn by the end of 2020. Even though, the conductive carbon black market accounts for a mere 1% of the overall carbon black market, it is expected to be the fastest growing segment in the forthcoming years.

Asia Pacific Conductive Carbon Black Market to Witness Robust Growth

Geographically, the global conductive carbon black market is segmented into Europe, North America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. Ongoing market trends indicate that the Asia Pacific conductive carbon black market will expand at a robust rate of growth during the forecast period. This market will develop at a CAGR ranging between 5.0% and 8.0% from 2015 to 2021. 

The expanding automotive and plastics market in the Asia Pacific region will propel the growth of the Asia Pacific conductive carbon black market in the years to come. It is anticipated that North America will account for almost 25% of the total revenue generated in the global conductive carbon black market during 2014-2020. The Latin America conductive carbon black market is also anticipated to expand robustly in the forthcoming years owing to the presence of a growing manufacturing sector. 

The prominent companies operating in the global conductive carbon black market are Asbury Carbons, Birla Carbon, Ampacet Corporation, Imerys Graphite and Carbon, Phillips Carbon Black Limited, Tokai Carbon Co. Ltd., Cabot Corporation, and AkzoNobel NV amongst others.