Abstract
Global production and consumption of PVC in 2007 was approximately 34 million metric tons. Global capacity utilization was 81% in 2007; this was a slight decline from 2006 due to a larger increase in capacity than consumption. Global PVC consumption is estimated to have increased by almost 4% in 2007, and is expected to increase on average by 4.2% per year from 2007 to 2012, declining to 2.8% per year from 2012 to 2017. Average global utilization rates are expected to gradually increase throughout the forecast period, reaching the low to mid-90s range towards the end of the forecast period.
The PVC consumption analysis separates out flexible and rigid PVC. Flexible accounted for almost 35% of global consumption in 2007, while rigid PVC accounted for 65%. Flexible PVC mostly is used for film/sheet, synthetic leather and wire/cable applications; rigid PVC is used mostly for pipe/fittings, film/sheet and siding/profiles. Other PVC applications include transportation (car seating), agriculture, and mixed applications such as road cones, toys, and emulsion coatings.
The following pie charts show world consumption of flexible PVC and rigid PVC by end use:
