Concrete Surface Retarders Market Size, Share, Opportunities, COVID-19 Impact, And Trends By Type (Organic Retarders, Inorganic/Chemical Retarders), By Product Type (Water-Based, Solvent-Based), By Application (Residential, Commercial), And By Geography- Forecasts From 2022 To 2027

The concrete surface retarders market is estimated to witness significant growth with a CAGR of 5.35% and is anticipated to attain a market size of US$1,015.906 million by 2027 from US$705.458 million in 2020.

A ‘retarder’ is a chemical agent that is used to slow down a chemical reaction. Retarders are used to prolong the hardening of materials such as wallboard, concrete, and adhesives. Therefore, concrete surface retarders are chemical formulations that impede the mortar at the concrete surface. It is used to make better designs. It also helps in producing superior finishes for complex structures. These are easy to apply and work effectively in a very limited time.

Moreover, being an environment-friendly material because of its zero volatile organic compounds (VOC), it is widely used nowadays due to the increasing demand for green construction materials, which lowers the adverse impact of construction activities.  The market for concrete surface retarders is also growing due to increased demand from modern architecture, as its application provides a better design as well as an excellent finish. Additionally, the improvement in the economic condition of developing countries has also supported growth. The presence of regulations for the use of green materials to encourage the development of environmentally safe commodities is further augmenting the growth of organic surface retarders in the forecast period and in the coming years.

On the basis of type, organic retarders are expected to grow at a significant CAGR.

This is due to the shift in trend to the adoption of green building materials in the construction industry. Furthermore, with technological advancements, the market is expected to grow at a fast pace in the forecast period and in the upcoming years. The presence of stringent regulations for the promotion of the use of environmentally safe products is burgeoning market demand. Also, the growing green-building activities worldwide are further poised to fuel the market’s growth in the forecast period and in the upcoming years.

Early technology adopters in North America and Europe are expected to hold a significant market share.

The significant construction spending of the United States is further augmenting the demand. While the APAC region is projected to be the fastest-growing region in the global concrete surface retarder industry. The growth here is majorly attributed to the presence of a large consumer base with a growing middle-class population. Also, with growing urbanization, the demand for the construction of urban cities is further adding to the market demand. Furthermore, with innovations, the repair and renovation of the old infrastructure in the APAC countries are also providing an opportunity for the market to grow at a significant pace in the forecast period.

The fueling construction industry is increasing the market demand in the forecast period.

With the growing new construction activity worldwide, the market is expected to soar in the forecast period. The main reason is attributed to the growing urbanization, especially in the developing economies of the world. In addition, with the advancements in technology, continuous innovations in the field of construction materials in order to produce products faster and reduce time-to-market are further resulting in increased market growth. With urbanization, the shifting of people from rural areas to urban areas has given rise to certain challenges. Hence, for low-income and lower-middle-income countries, it is becoming a necessity to withstand these challenges and work towards the fulfilment of their needs as per the new urban environment in order to gain sustenance. Hence, this resulted in creating a need for new developments to take place, which include construction to be carried out in all sectors, residential, commercial, and industrial. In order to facilitate easy movement, the building of several new roads, and highways are in high demand. In addition, the requirement for better healthcare facilities further provides an opportunity for the concrete surface retarders market to prosper in the forecast period. Moreover, the growing infrastructure spending on novel construction projects, improvement, and repair of existing buildings is further driving the market growth.

The presence of industry players with several products is bolstering the growth of the global concrete surface retarder market in the forecast period.

The BASF Group, the pioneer chemical manufacturing company, provides a range of concrete surface retarders. The company’s surface retarders help in adding decorative finishing to horizontal concrete surfaces. These are also used for creating an appropriate bonding surface for other materials or concrete layers. The application of surface retarders includes enhancement of the finishing in the precast or prestressed concrete and increasing the finishing in the cast-in-place concrete. Key products include MasterFinish EA, which is a water-based top surface chemical retarder providing simple, economical ways of exposing concrete aggregates for freshly placed concrete flatwork. These retarders allow for a lineup of textures and colourful surfaces for sidewalks, terraces, promenades, and steps. The retarder also holds application in the creation of construction joints. Some of the unique features include Etch retention in temperatures up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius), colour-coded, and available in two strengths, namely regular and deep. Other retarder products include MasterFinish HC, MasterFinish HV, MasterFinish QD 200, MasterFinish UC, and MasterFinish XR.

The company, TK Products Construction Coatings, products include TK-Concrete Surface Retarder 6000, and TK-Concrete Form Surface Retarder 6100. These retarders are used for applications to horizontal surfaces for the creation of attractive exposed aggregate finishes increasing the resistance of the existing surfaces to traffic, weather, and skidding. Furthermore, this will help in improving pedestrian and vehicle traction and will eliminate the cost and labour of surface preparation for later coatings. A separate formula for the vertical surfaces provides a warmer, nature-based look in comparison to that of unfaced concrete. The company’s retarders are designed in a way that new construction looks like a part of the landscape. The retarders are non-toxic, bio-degradable, safe for use, easy for application, odour, and VOC-free. It dries quickly and provides depth retardation of ¼ inches and 1/8 inches to 3/16 inches.

Key Developments

• March 2020: Parchem, a fine and speciality chemicals company, has grown to become a leading New York State-based and global provider of multi-use, speciality chemicals such as pyridine. Pyridine, also known as azobenzene, has surface retardant properties. This chemical was created by combining acetaldehyde, ammonia, and formaldehyde. According to a press release issued by Parchem in March 2020.
• January 2022: W. R. MEADOWS has expanded its PENTREAT penetrating concrete sealers product portfolio by adding two new products with active silane content. The new products are water-repellent sealers PENTREAT 244-40 W/B with 40% silane content and PENTREAT 244-20 W/B with 20% silane content, which is prized for reducing chloride-induced rebar corrosion, scaling, spalling, and freeze-thaw damage.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Concrete Surface Retarders Market

The COVID-19 outbreak caused a significant and prolonged drop in production efficiency, while travel bans and factory closures kept people away from their jobs, causing the Concrete Surface Retarders market to slow in 2020. The big obstacle to the global construction materials market is the imposition of home quarantine orders by respective governments, which has resulted in the cessation of construction material production. Global travel restrictions have had an impact on the construction materials trade. As a result, the global supply and demand for construction materials nearly halted. Further, reduced consumer demand and consumption have resulted in a reduction and slowing of construction material sales all over the world. Negative economic trends have resulted in a reduction in global imports and exports around the world. However, the industry is slowly getting stable and is anticipated to grow in the future.

Concrete Surface Retarders Market Scope:

Segmentation:

• By Type
  • Organic Retarders
  • Inorganic/Chemical Retarders
• By Product Type
  • Water-Based
  • Solvent-Based
• By Application
  • Residential
  • Commercial
• By Geography
  • North America
    • USA
    • Canada
    • Mexico
  • South America
    • Brazil
    • Argentina
    • Others
  • Europe
    • UK
    • Germany
    • France
    • Italy
    • Others
  • Middle East and Africa
    • UAE
    • Israel
    • Saudi Arabia
    • Others
  • Asia Pacific
    • Japan
    • China
    • India
    • South Korea
    • Taiwan
    • Thailand
    • Indonesia
    • Others