North America Polyurethane Foam Market – Industry Trends and Forecast to 2030

North America Polyurethane Foam Market Analysis and Size

Data Bridge Market Research analyses that the North America polyurethane foam market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.6% in the forecast period of 2023 to 2030 and is expected to reach 18,000,737.83 thousand by 2030. The U.S. is expected to dominate the North America polyurethane foam market due to its positive outlook toward the construction sector.

The increasing foreign direct investment in the construction industry is some of the driving factors expected to drive market growth. However, environmental and health hazards associated with the usage of polyurethane foam are expected to restrain the market growth. Environmentally friendly foams have a profitable future and act as opportunities for market growth. However, the implementation of rules and regulations aimed at preventing the usage of polyurethane foams is expected to challenge market growth.

The North America polyurethane foam market report provides details of market share, new developments, and the impact of domestic and localized market players, analyses opportunities in terms of emerging revenue pockets, changes in market regulations, products approvals, strategic decisions, product launches, geographic expansions, and technological innovations in the market. To understand the analysis and the market scenario, contact us for an analyst brief. Our team will help you create a revenue-impact solution to achieve your desired goal.

Market Definition

Polyurethane foam is a polymer obtained by reacting diisocyanate and polyol. Polyurethane foam is generally called PU foam or PUR foam. Polyurethane foam provides insulation and protection to the materials from external sources that cause corrosion. The type of reagent or catalyst used with isocyanate in polyurethane foam production depends on the PU foam's application. There are three types of polyurethane foam available, rigid, flexible, and spray foam.

North America Polyurethane Foam Market Dynamics

This section deals with understanding the market drivers, advantages, restraints, and challenges. All of this is discussed in detail below:

Drivers

• Positive outlook toward the construction sector

The construction industry can be a major driving force in expanding the polyurethane foam market. Construction-related activities are rising due to foreign direct investment in emerging economies. Cement, wood, glass, metals, and clay are some of the most common materials used in the construction industry. Furthermore, to lessen noise pollution, polyurethane foam sealants can be effective as they minimize sound transmission through gaps in wall, floor, or roof assemblies. Such growth of construction-related activities and the wide application of polyurethane foam in the construction industry has increased the market growth of polyurethane foam.

• Growing acceptance in the automotive and aviation sector

Polyurethane foam is a polymeric material with high tensile strength, low weight, chemical resistance, processability, and mechanical characteristics that have been utilized in various applications. Both open and closed-cell foams can be used in automotive cushioning and seating in modern cars. Polyurethane foam in current automobiles offers vehicles greater mileage due to its durable and extremely lightweight nature that further lowers the overall weight of a car. Hence, fuel efficiency is improved which has reduced environmental impact.

The application of polyurethane foam in the aerospace industry is too diverse. It is used in structural pieces such as passenger cabin walls, baggage sections, ceilings, lavatory elements, flight deck pads, and class and section dividers. Such high-end-use applications in the automotive and aviation sector may drive the market growth of polyurethane foam.

Opportunity

•  Supportive government policies regarding investment in domestic markets

The increased disposable income, rapid urbanization, diverse industrial applications, high consumption, increased foreign direct investment, and promising export potential is some factors encouraging chemical industry growth in developing economies. Various upcoming opportunities to manufacture specialty chemicals and polymer products will create a huge domestic demand.

Furthermore, the key market players are exploring opportunities to expand their business by merging or acquiring local companies for technology and capital purpose, thus offering a wide opportunity to grow the North America polyurethane foam market.

Restraints/Challenges

• Environmental and health hazards associated with the usage of polyurethane foam

Polyurethanes are mainly derived from crude-based raw materials. This leads to the combustibility and reactivity of solvents which further make them degrade and release harmful chemicals and gases. Along with that synthetic polyurethane foam is said to be non-biodegradable, which will also lead to an increase in the dumping of wastes which in turn causes environmental concerns. The manufacturers have to spend on research and development and recycling units to overcome these factors which will have an impact on the production and product cost. In conclusion, hazards caused by PUF act as a restraint for the polyurethane foam market by affecting the product cost and being a less preferable option for sustainable product consumers.

• Availability of  substitutes in market

The substitutes for PUF in the market are soy-based sustainable foams, polyolefin foams, and latex are said to be some of the substitutes for polyurethane foams. Growing environmental awareness and the interest in sustainable solutions among customers is the driving factor that makes the manufacturers focus on sustainable and eco-friendly foams. Irrespective of the sector and the applications, eco-friendly products always find a way to dominate the market. The recent growth of the eco-friendly foam market and the manufacturers' interest in them can act as a restraining factor for the polyurethane foam market.

The high volatility of raw materials, the need for high-standard production methods, and safety concerns during production also give an edge to bio-based foams compared to crude-based foams. Considering the reasons above, it is evident that the availability of alternatives is a restraint for the polyurethane foam market.

Recent Developments

• In September 2022, Saint-Gobain received all the required approvals from relevant authorities to acquire GCP Applied Technologies Inc. (a major North America player in construction chemicals). This acquisition helped the company to gain more recognition in the field of construction chemicals.
• In March 2022, BASF SE acquired a new site in Canada for the production of battery materials and recycling expansion. The company states that this expansion helped them to power their North America transition to e-mobility. They plan to start with the cathode active materials and follow up with precursor cathode materials, recycling, and metals refining capabilities.

North America Polyurethane Foam Market Scope

The North America polyurethane foam market is segmented into five notable segments based on product, category, density composition, process, and end-user. The growth amongst these segments will help you analyze major growth segments in the industries and provide the users with a valuable market overview and market insights to make strategic decisions to identify core market applications.

Product

• Rigid Foam
• Flexible Foam
• Spray Foam

On the basis of product, the market is segmented into rigid foam, flexible foam, and spray foam.

Category

• Closed Cell
• Open Cell

On the basis of category, the market is segmented into open cell and closed cell.

Density Composition

• Low-Density Composition
• Medium-Density Composition
• High-Density Composition

One the basis of density composition, the market is segmented into low-density composition, medium-density composition, and high-density composition.

 Process

• Slabstock Foam
• Molded Foam
• Lamination
• Spraying

On the basis of the process, the market is segmented into molded foam, slabstock foam, spraying, and lamination.

End-User

• Bedding and Furniture
• Building & Construction
• Automotive
• Electronics
• Packaging
• Footwear
• Others

On the basis of end-user, the market is segmented into bedding & furniture, building & construction, automotive, electronics, packaging, footwear, and others.

North America Polyurethane Foam Market Regional Analysis/Insights

The North America polyurethane foam market is analysed, and market size insights and trends are provided by country, product, category, density composition, process, end-user, as referenced above.

The countries in the North America polyurethane foam market are the U.S., Canada, Mexico.

The U.S. is expected to dominate the North America polyurethane foam market due to its optimistic outlook towards the construction sector.

The country section of the report also provides individual market-impacting factors and changes in market regulation that impact the current and future trends of the market. Data point downstream and upstream value chain analysis, technical trends, Porter’s five forces analysis, and case studies are some pointers used to forecast the market scenario for individual countries. Also, the presence and availability of North America brands and their challenges faced due to significant or scarce competition from local and domestic brands, the impact of domestic tariffs, and trade routes are considered while providing forecast analysis of the country data.   

Competitive Landscape and North America Polyurethane Foam Market Share Analysis

The North America polyurethane foam market competitive landscape provides details of competitors. Details included are company overview, company financials, revenue generated, market potential, investment in research and development, new market initiatives, production sites and facilities, company strengths and weaknesses, product launch, product trials pipelines, product approvals, patents, product width and breadth, application dominance, technology lifeline curve. The above data points provided are only related to the companies’ focus related to the North America polyurethane foam market.

Some of the prominent participants operating in the North America polyurethane foam market are Foamcraft, Inc., SEKISUI CHEMICAL CO., LTD., INOAC CORPORATION, Wisconsin Foam Products, Dow, Rogers Corporation, UFP Technologies, Inc., Saint-Gobain, BASF SE, Sunpreeth Engineers, Eurofoam S.r.l., Meenakshi Polymers Pvt. Ltd., General Plastics Manufacturing Company, Inc., ALSTONE INDUSTRIES PVT. LTD., Huntsman International LLC, Tirupati Foam Ltd., Sheela Foam Ltd., Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, and Recticel NV/SA, among others.

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