Sizing Agents Market - Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, Segmented By Type (Natural, Synthetic), By Application (Textile, Paper & Paperboard, Cosmetics, Food & Beverage, Others), By Region and Competition, 2021-2031F

Forecast Period	2027-2031
Market Size (2025)	USD 4.38 Billion
CAGR (2026-2031)	4.21%
Fastest Growing Segment	Natural
Largest Market	Asia Pacific
Market Size (2031)	USD 5.61 Billion

Market Overview

The Global Sizing Agents Market will grow from USD 4.38 Billion in 2025 to USD 5.61 Billion by 2031 at a 4.21% CAGR. Sizing agents are chemical additives applied to paper, cardboard, and textiles to enhance water resistance, surface strength, and printability. The market is primarily driven by the expanding global packaging sector, where the rise of e-commerce necessitates durable and moisture-resistant shipping materials. Furthermore, the textile industry relies on these agents to improve yarn weaving efficiency and fabric durability during processing. These fundamental industrial requirements sustain consistent demand for both internal and surface sizing chemistries independent of transient consumer trends.

Nevertheless, stringent environmental regulations regarding the disposal and toxicity of synthetic chemical additives pose a significant barrier to expansion, forcing manufacturers to navigate complex compliance frameworks. This sector remains deeply linked to heavy industrial output and manufacturing health. According to the Confederation of European Paper Industries, in 2024, total European paper and board production increased by 5.2 percent, led by a 6.5 percent surge in packaging grades. This data underscores the critical reliance of sizing agent consumption on the robust performance of the broader paper and packaging industries.

Key Market Drivers

The surging demand for paper-based packaging in the e-commerce sector acts as a primary catalyst for the sizing agents market. As online retail volumes expand, manufacturers require advanced surface sizing formulations to enhance the water resistance, printability, and physical strength of corrugated boards and shipping cartons. This trend is sustained by the industrial need to produce materials capable of withstanding complex logistics chains without compromising structural integrity. According to the American Forest & Paper Association, May 2025, total U.S. paper and paperboard production increased by 3.2 percent in 2024, driven notably by strong performance in the containerboard segment. Such production increases directly compel a higher volume of sizing agent application to ensure packaging grades meet rigorous quality standards.

The expansion of the global textile and apparel manufacturing industry further propels market growth, as sizing agents are fundamental to improving weaving efficiency and yarn abrasion resistance. Producers are intensifying output to meet recovering international demand, thereby increasing the consumption of sizing chemicals in fabric processing. According to the China National Textile and Apparel Council, January 2025, China's total textile and apparel exports for 2024 reached US$301.1 billion, representing a year-on-year growth of 2.8 percent. Additionally, the shift of manufacturing hubs to emerging economies continues to stimulate regional market demand. According to the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, December 2025, Bangladesh imported 8.05 million bales of cotton in the 2024/25 marketing year, positioning it as the leading global importer and underscoring the massive scale of substrate processing requiring sizing treatments.

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Key Market Challenges

Stringent environmental regulations regarding the disposal and toxicity of synthetic chemical additives constitute a formidable obstacle to the growth of the Global Sizing Agents Market. Manufacturers face increasing pressure to eliminate cost-effective but ecologically harmful synthetic compounds from their portfolios to meet complex international compliance standards. This transition forces companies to divert substantial capital toward reforming production lines and conducting expensive toxicity testing rather than investing in capacity expansion. Consequently, the high operational costs associated with achieving regulatory compliance squeeze profit margins and reduce the financial viability of scaling up production for traditional sizing chemistries.

The direct impact of this regulatory burden is evident in the suppressed industrial output of the chemical manufacturing sector, which serves as the primary source for these agents. According to the European Chemical Industry Council (Cefic), in 2024, chemical capacity utilization in the EU27 region stagnated at approximately 75 percent, a level significantly below the long-term historical average, driven largely by high regulatory and energy costs. This underutilization indicates that manufacturers are restricting production volumes to mitigate risk and cost, directly hampering the supply elasticity and overall growth potential of the sizing agents market.

Key Market Trends

The market is witnessing a distinct pivot toward specialized sizing chemistries formulated explicitly for recycled fiber substrates. As manufacturers increasingly utilize post-consumer waste to lower carbon footprints, they face technical challenges such as shorter fiber lengths and higher impurity levels, which traditionally compromise paper strength and water resistance. Consequently, chemical suppliers are engineering robust surface sizing agents and cationic polymers capable of maintaining performance stability in these high-anionic trash environments. This focus on circularity is quantitatively supported by the rising industrial uptake of secondary fiber feedstocks. According to the Confederation of European Paper Industries (Cepi), February 2025, in the 'Preliminary Statistics 2024' report, the utilization of Paper for Recycling (PfR) by the European paper industry increased by 4.1 percent in 2024, directly fueling the demand for process chemicals compatible with recycled pulp.

Concurrently, there is an accelerated transition from fossil-based synthetic agents to bio-based and biodegradable sizing formulations. Prompted by the need to reduce the ecological impact of papermaking and textile processing, industry players are substituting traditional petroleum-derived chemicals with renewable alternatives such as modified starches, chitosan, and plant-based emulsions. This shift is becoming central to the operational strategies of major chemical producers aiming to decouple growth from finite resource consumption. Evidence of this strategic realignment is visible in the material sourcing of leading market participants. According to Kemira, February 2025, in the 'Annual Review 2024', the company reported that 52 percent of its total raw material volume used in 2024 consisted of renewable or recycled materials, underscoring the rapid industrial scaling of sustainable chemical inputs.

Segmental Insights

The Natural segment is currently emerging as the fastest-growing category within the Global Sizing Agents Market, driven by a decisive industrial shift toward sustainable manufacturing practices. This accelerated expansion is primarily attributed to stringent environmental mandates enforced by authorities such as the European Chemicals Agency, which closely monitor the toxicity and biodegradability of chemical inputs. Consequently, manufacturers in the textile and paper industries are increasingly prioritizing starch and cellulose-based agents to ensure compliance with these ecological standards, thereby fueling the rapid adoption of natural alternatives over traditional synthetic solutions.

Regional Insights

Asia Pacific holds the leading position in the global sizing agents market, largely driven by the extensive textile and paper manufacturing sectors in China and India. These industries utilize substantial volumes of sizing chemicals to enhance yarn strength and paper printability. The region benefits from robust raw material availability and established production infrastructure, which supports continuous industrial output. Consequently, the consistent demand for packaging materials and textile products ensures that Asia Pacific remains the central hub for sizing agent consumption and production, surpassing other global regions in overall market share.

Recent Developments

• In October 2025, Harima Chemicals Group released a new line of water-based barrier coating agents formulated with a high biomass content. These agents were developed to provide paper products with superior resistance to water, oil, and heat, effectively serving as a sustainable alternative to plastic films and lamination in packaging. The new coatings were designed to meet the increasing global demand for eco-friendly packaging materials. By enhancing the barrier properties of paper, the company aimed to support the industry's shift towards circular economy practices and reduce reliance on non-renewable materials.
• In September 2024, Kemira completed a significant investment to expand its production capacity for alkenyl succinic anhydride (ASA) sizing agents at its Nanjing facility in China. The company established a third production line along with increased storage capabilities to address the growing demand in the Asia-Pacific region. This expansion was designed to enhance supply reliability for customers in the paper and board industries, particularly for packaging applications. The new line was scheduled to become fully operational by October 2024, reinforcing the company's position as a leading supplier in the global sizing agents market.
• In July 2024, Kurita Water Industries announced a strategic collaboration with Solugen to develop a new suite of carbon-negative products for industrial water treatment. The partnership focused on creating high-performance, bio-based substitutes for traditional petroleum-derived additives and phosphorus-based chemistries often used in water-intensive industries like pulp and paper. These innovative solutions were intended to help customers achieve their sustainability goals by reducing carbon footprints and minimizing environmental impact. The collaboration leveraged Solugen’s bio-manufacturing platform and Kurita’s expertise in chemical solutions to drive decarbonization in the sector.
• In April 2024, Archroma introduced a new range of sustainable innovations at the Techtextil trade fair, including the launch of ARKOPHOB NTR-40. This product was described as the company's first crosslinker with a partially bio-based monomer composition, designed to improve the sustainability profile of textile treatments. The launch was part of the company's wider suite of solutions which encompasses wet processing stages from sizing to finishing. This development aimed to provide textile manufacturers with high-performance, eco-friendly options that reduce environmental impact without compromising functionality.

Key Market Players

• BASF SE
• Pulcra Chemicals GmbH
• Kemira OY
• Solenis LLC
• Buckman Laboratories International, Inc.
• Seiko PMC Corporation
• Evonik Corporation
• Avebe UA.
• Harima Chemicals Group, Inc.
• Indokem Ltd

By Type	By Application	By Region
Natural Synthetic	Textile Paper & Paperboard Cosmetics Food & Beverage Others	North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa

Report Scope:

In this report, the Global Sizing Agents Market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

• Sizing Agents Market , By Type:

• Natural
• Synthetic

• Sizing Agents Market , By Application:

• Textile
• Paper & Paperboard
• Cosmetics
• Food & Beverage
• Others

• Sizing Agents Market , By Region:

• North America
• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• Europe
• France
• United Kingdom
• Italy
• Germany
• Spain
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• Australia
• South Korea
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Middle East & Africa
• South Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE