State of the roof coatings market in India

Globally, roofing accounts for over 25 per cent of the waterproofing chemicals market by revenue, says Rajesh Goyal, Managing Director, RG Group, and Vice-President, CREDAI NCR.Goyal points out that, globally, bitumen is the largest product segment, accounting for over 40 per cent of the market by revenue, because it is reasonably priced. Bitumen is mostly applied as roll roofing because of its high viscosity and stickiness. In India, Basab Saha, Business Head, Dow Construction Chemicals, South Asia reckons that roofing accounts for around 12 per cent of the total demand for construction chemicals. Within the roof coatings segment, “demand for higher performing coatings is growing the fastest, as customers move towards products that deliver greater value and have a longer service lifetime,” he says.In the long run, Saha expects demand to increase for reflective roof coatings that deliver safety and durability, while also helping to reduce energy bills and the need for repairs and reinforcements. “The need to conserve energy will become more pronounced as climatic conditions become harsher and ensuring human comfort necessitates more air-conditioning.”Thermoplastic polyolefin is becoming more popular for its heat-reflective properties and being an energy-efficient roofing system, says Sagar Saxena, Project Head, Spectrum Metro.Dow Construction Chemicals provided reflective roof coatings to a large food, beverage and hospitality conglomerate to run an integrated multi-city trial. The products helped achieve a significant (4-5°) difference in indoor and outdoor temperature, thus improving comfort and productivity while reducing overall energy usage. The PRIMAL™ roofing solution is one of many products and technologies from Dow Construction Chemicals that are designed and customised specifically for India. - CHARU BAHRI