(July 30, 2026)Policies targeting low-VOC eco-friendly coatings have been fully implemented, driving structural demand growth for modified silica dedicated to coatings and inks. The domestic waterborne coating and UV-curable ink industries keep accelerating. Environmental regulations continuously restrict the application of high-solvent raw materials, pushing downstream manufacturers of coatings, color pastes and printing inks to optimize formula systems. As core matting, thixotropic and anti-settling additives, special functional silica effectively improves film texture and storage stability. The coating and ink sector remains a steadily growing segment for silica outside the rubber industry.
For a long time, many coating manufacturers adopt ordinary general-grade silica. Such powder features a broad particle size distribution and limited dispersibility. It tends to agglomerate in waterborne systems, leading to color paste delamination and pigment sedimentation during long-term storage. When used in matte wood coatings and industrial anti-corrosion paints, it also causes uneven film haze and insufficient wear resistance, failing to meet quality standards of high-end eco-friendly coatings. Silica specially modified for coatings and inks with optimized pore structure and surface affinity is compatible with diverse formulas including waterborne resins, UV systems and solvent-based inks. It delivers stable matting performance, forms a three-dimensional network to boost thixotropy, effectively prevents sagging during construction, and enhances weather resistance and friction resistance of coatings. It is widely used in industrial anti-corrosion coatings, matte wood coatings, digital printing inks and industrial color pastes.
In the second half of 2026, home renovation and industrial coating projects increase steadily, and coating & ink manufacturers enter the traditional stocking season. Regions nationwide keep tightening VOC emission control for coatings. Exported coated products need to meet eco-label requirements of multiple countries, forcing downstream enterprises to switch to low-pollution, high-quality additives. Leading domestic silica enterprises adjust product layouts and expand production capacity of modified grades for coatings. They precisely regulate indicators including oil absorption value, particle size and transparency of powder. Many powder enterprises carry out joint formula testing with coating research institutes, and develop gradient customized products for matte varnishes, high-build anti-corrosion coatings and inkjet printing inks.
Different coating and ink systems put forward differentiated indicator requirements for silica. Waterborne architectural coatings prioritize anti-settling performance and storage stability; high-end matte wood coatings demand high powder transparency and uniform matting; heavy-duty anti-corrosion industrial paints focus on reinforcing performance and medium erosion resistance; UV printing inks require low-dust grades easy to grind and disperse. A single universal powder cannot adapt to all resin systems, encouraging enterprises to build segmented product portfolios and break away from homogeneous low-price competition. Leading coating companies implement lengthy raw material certification cycles, continuously lifting market entry thresholds.
The track boasts considerable market potential alongside multiple challenges. Silica for coatings requires precise regulation of pore volume and surface properties, calling for heavy investment in process R&D. Imported high-end matting powder from overseas has long occupied the high-end market. Numerous small and medium-sized powder manufacturers lack formula application R&D capabilities and suffer unstable batch performance. Cyclical price swings of upstream raw materials keep squeezing profit margins across the industrial chain. In addition, inferior powder circulating in the market causes mass defects of finished coating films and damages the overall reputation of the industry.
The differentiated supply-demand pattern of the industry continues to expand. Leading enterprises mastering stable modification processes, possessing coating system test data and offering formula technical support achieve steady order growth. Manufacturers lacking refined regulation capabilities that only produce low-end filling powder face shrinking market space. The downstream coating industry accelerates concentration, and procurement orders keep converging to upstream raw material suppliers with stable quality control and complete environmental certifications.
Industrial research institutes forecast that the penetration rate of low-VOC coatings and eco-friendly inks will keep rising in the next three years, and demand for functional silica dedicated to coatings and inks will maintain steady growth. Compared with the fiercely competitive tire market, the coating additive sector features robust demand resilience. It serves as an important track for silica enterprises to optimize customer structures and expand sales channels.
In the long run, deep cultivation of silica for coatings and inks helps domestic silicon-based powder enterprises tap incremental markets in fine chemicals and disperse cyclical risks from single industries. Domestic silica manufacturers shall continuously optimize core technologies of powder structure regulation and surface modification, and complete environmental product certifications at home and abroad. Strengthen upstream and downstream collaborative R&D with coating and ink manufacturers, iterate filler products suitable for new-generation green coating materials, and improve the competitiveness of domestic functional silica in the global coating additive market.