U.S. specialty chemicals shipments by type 1990-2019

This statistic shows the value of specialty chemical shipments in the United States from 1990 to 2019, broken down by type. In 2019, the value of coatings shipments stood at around 32 billion U.S. dollars.

Specialty chemicals shipments

In 2019, the value of chemical coatings shipments totaled 27.58 billion U.S. dollars, while other specialty chemical shipments totaled 68.01 billion U.S. dollars. Specialty chemicals include substances such as adhesives, cosmetic additives, fragrances, polymers, and surfactants. These materials are often sold based on their function or performance. The total value of U.S. specialty chemical shipments totaled 95.59 billion U.S. dollars in 2019.

Specialty chemicals companies and producing regions

BASF of Germany, and U.S. companies Dow and DuPont are considered some of the world’s leading chemical companies based on revenue. The companies generated 65.3 billion U.S. dollars, 41.75 billion U.S. dollars, and 21.3 billion U.S. dollars, respectively, in 2019. Specialty chemicals require constant innovation and knowledge to be successful. Due to the spread of technological advancements and rapid economic growth, the specialty chemical sector has began to shift towards the Middle East and Asia. China may no longer be considered a low-cost producer and the country has started to shift towards meeting domestic demands for higher value products.

Environmental concerns about the chemical industry

There are always environmental and human health concerns in regards to the shipping of chemicals and many governments have established guidelines and international conventions on how to properly transport and store chemicals. As of 2018, about 14 percent of industrial waste that was disposed on-site and on land in the U.S. was through the chemical industry.