Performance Fabric Market - Forecast (2022 - 2027)

COVID-19 Impact

Multiple factors like huge demand for protective clothing and combat uniforms are driving the growth of the performance fabric market, but on the flip side, the disruption created by COVID-19 in the performance fabric ecosystem is exponential. The demand and supply for performance fabrics took a back seat due to disruption caused by the pandemic. Due to COVID-19, fabric manufacturing factories came to a grinding halt. Disturbances in supply chain and manpower created scarcity in raw materials and a hike in raw material cost price, further impacting the target industry. However, the good news is, performance fabrics have a huge demand in numerous industries ranging from Defense, Firefighting, Healthcare, etc, and this heavy demand is expected to put the market back on track during the forecast period.

Report Coverage

The report: “Performance Fabric Market (2021 -2026)”, by IndustryARC, covers an in-depth analysis of the following segments of the Performance Fabric Industry.

By Type: Coated Fabrics (Polymer Coated, Vinyl Coated Fabrics, Polyurethane Coated Fabrics, Polyethylene Coated Fabrics, Rubber Coated, Others), Polyamide (Aramid, Nylon, Others), Composite Fabrics, High-Tenacity Polyester, Acrylic Fabrics, Others

By Application Type: Water-resistant, Corrosion resistance, Temperature resistance, Abrasion resistance, Chemical resistance, Stain resistance, Fade resistance, UV rays resistance, Anti-microbial resistance, Mildew resistance, Flame resistance, Others.

By End Use Industry: Industrial, Military & Defence, Construction, Automotive, Aerospace, Healthcare, Marine, Hospitality, Sports, Others.

By Geography: North America (USA, Canada, Mexico), Europe (UK, Germany, France, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Russia, Belgium, Rest of Europe), Asia Pacific (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand, Indonesia, Taiwan, Malaysia, Rest of Asia Pacific), South America (Brazil, Argentina, Colombia and Rest of South America), and RoW (Middle East and Africa).

The industrial sector is projected to drive the growth of the market during the forecast period due to increasing demand for protective clothing in Firefighting, Military, Oil Refinery, and Mining department. Netherland-based protective fabrics manufacturing company Tencate launched a new protective fabric in 2020 named Tecasafe One, owing to the industry’s increasing demand for high-quality protective fabrics for PPE.

 
The antimicrobial segment is anticipated to boost the performance fabrics market owing to the increasing demand for personal protective equipment in the healthcare sector. As per data by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the US, approximately one in 31 hospital patients has at least one healthcare-associated infections (HAI), which will propel the production of antimicrobial protective clothing.

 
The North American region is expected to augment the growth of the target market, owing to the high demand for coated fabrics in the automotive sector. The presence of major coated fabrics manufacturers such as OMNOVA Solutions Inc. and Uniroyal Global Engineered Products, Inc is projected to drive the growth of the market.

Figure: North America Performance Fabric Market Revenue, 2020-2026 (US$ Billion)For more details on this report - Request for Sample

Performance Fabric Market - By Type

The coated fabric type dominated the performance fabric market in 2020 and is growing with a CAGR of 6.2% during the forecast period. This fabric type is anticipated to drive the growth of the target market, owing to its low cost and wide application base. This fabric covers numerous industries like automotive, marine, aerospace, defence, healthcare, hospitality, educational centers, and industrial sectors. The coated fabric is extensively used in the healthcare sector globally. Owing to its resistance to damage from disinfection, US Center for Disease Control (CDC Guidelines) validates coated fabric as an ideal choice for the medical seating environment, which in turn is projected to drive the growth of the performance fabric market. In automotive, this fabric is used for flooring and upholstery in cars, tour buses, trucks, and more. Weather resistance and fire resistance quality of this fabric make it suitable for use in public transport and recreational vehicles, which will further expand the target market.

 

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Polyamide fabric is expected to witness decent growth in performance fabric in the coming years. Owing to its heat resistance quality, polyamide fabric is used in military applications. Aramid fabric, one of the important members of polyamide fabric, is expected to be the fastest-growing performance fabric during the forecast period, owing to its huge demand in defence, public safety, and firefighting applications. Aramid fabrics are temperature resistant and have a high strength-to-weight ratio which makes them suitable for use in vehicle armor, body armor, military helmets, and fireproof suits for firefighters, and going forward, this will drive the growth of the target market.

Performance Fabric Market - By Application

The temperature resistance segment dominated the performance fabric market in 2020, owing to increased demand for protective clothing in the industrial sector. Factors like the expansion of construction sectors and rapid industrialization broaden the workforce, thereby increasing the demand for more protective clothing. As governments across the globe instructed industries to incorporate strict rules and regulations for industrial safety, employers are bound to order more protective coats, which in turn, will increase the growth of the target market. Apart from the industrial sector, performance flame resistance coated fabrics are used in defence and firefighting departments for protecting military personnel and firefighters respectively. As of November 2019, Netherland-based protective manufacturer TenCate is using products and processes that ensure their protective fabrics meet the OEKO-TEX Standard 100, a globally renowned label for fabrics tested for harmful substances. Going forward, other major market players are projected to invest more in protective fabrics.

The antimicrobial segment is also projected to hold a significant share, owing to their increased demand in the healthcare sector. Antimicrobial fabric is extensively used in healthcare centers as it prevents the medical staff and patients from harmful microbes and infections such as Hospital Acquired infections (HAIs). Polyester-made antimicrobial fabric is used more frequently. US-based textile company Milliken launched antimicrobial fabric made with 65% polyester in 2020. Antimicrobial fabric not only protects the lives but also saves healthcare sectors from facing huge losses, which in turn, is projected to drive the growth of the performance fabric market.

Performance Fabric Market - By End-Use Industry

The industrial segment dominated the performance fabric market in 2020 and is growing with a CAGR of 5.8% during the forecast period owing to implementation of strict industrial safety rules and regulation by Industries that includes mining, oil and refinery, firefighting, utilities, and others. Numerous country’s governments have amplified the rules and regulations for industrial health and safety acts to avoid workplace accidents and maintain a safe work environment for their employees. From USA’s safety acts like “Mine Safety and Health Act (MSHA)” and “Occupational Safety and Health Act” to China’s “Workplace Safety Law of the People's Republic of China”, all these safety acts globally have evolved with time, making the rules more stringent, and this, in turn, is expected to boost the production of protective clothing made of coated fabrics, thereby increasing the performance fabric market.

Other major segments projected to have a significant contribution to the growth of the performance fabric market include automobile, defence, marine, furnishing, and healthcare. Coated fabrics are vastly used in different parts of vehicles to provide comfort and durability. Performance fabrics cover an array of applications in automotive such as floor covering, seating, airbags, safety belts, etc. The marine industry has catapulted the use of coated fabrics owing to extensive use in ceilings and the exterior body of luxurious yachts, ski boats, recreational vessels, and sailboats. Going forward, the marine sector is expected to contribute to the expansion of performance fabrics globally. The Healthcare sector is no different when it comes to driving the performance fabric market. Coated fabrics are quite common in the medical seating environment, owing to their anti-bacteria qualities which protect hospital patients and staff, and this will further drive the growth of the performance fabric market during the forecast period.

Performance Fabric Market - By Geography

The North American region dominated the performance fabric market with a share of 36% in 2020. This region is expected to lead the target market in the forecast period due to increased demand for coated fabrics in the automotive, marine, and aerospace sectors. Demand for lightweight material to be used as vehicular parts to reduce the overall weight of the vehicle is a strong factor projected to boost the market. Additionally, the incorporation of stringent industrial rules and regulations regarding worker’s safety is another major factor increasing the demand for performance fabric in the region. US government’s Occupational Safety and Health Act ensures all the industrial workers are provided proper safety by their employers against industrial health hazards like chemical hazards where the body absorbs toxins and physical hazards in which the labor is exposed to extreme heat. In current times, industries are incorporating stringent safety rules that include wearing high-quality protective clothes and equipment, which in turn, is projected to boost the performance fabric market in the region.

Asia-Pacific is anticipated to have significant growth during the forecast period. China is the major manufacture of performance fabric in this region, owing to the low production cost of performance fabrics, lifestyle change by the people in the region, and increasing importance given for military protective clothing. Europe and MEA are projected to have decent growth during the forecast period.

Performance Fabric Market Drivers

Increasing demand for protective fabrics due to rapid industrialization

The massive expansion in the industrial sector globally increased the demand for protective fabric clothing which in turn is anticipated to drive the growth of the target market during the forecast period. Governments across the globe have been very strict towards employee safety and accordingly formed stringent industrial norms and guidelines owing to massive global industrialization and expansion of the construction sector. Safety laws like “Occupational Safety and Health Act” of USA, “Workplace Safety Law of the People's Republic of China” of China, and many other globally want to ensure safe workplace conditions, which in turn, is expected to increase the demand for coated fabrics, thereby increasing the growth of performance fabric market during the forecast period.

Increasing demand for coated fabric in the healthcare sector

The coated fabric is useful in preventing patients and hospital staff from bacteria and disinfectants like healthcare-associated infections (HAI). Also, due to Covid-19, key players like Milliken and Omnova are investing more in the production of antimicrobial fabrics, which is projected to drive the growth of the target market. The high risk of infection in the healthcare sector propels numerous agencies globally to maintain the hygiene level intact with strict safety standards. The US Center for Disease Control (CDC) strives to control the spread and effect of healthcare-associated infections. As the antimicrobial fabrics are infectant resistant, Center for Disease Control (CDC) encourages medical personnel to use antimicrobial coats and gowns inside health centers, which in turn, is anticipated to further extend the growth of the performance fabric market.

 

Some of the performance fabric involves raw materials like nylon, polyester, and olefin. These raw materials are prepared from petroleum, but volatility in petroleum prices due to COVID-19 fluctuating the raw material prices, which in turn, might affect the growth of the performance fabric market. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic created a historic fall in petroleum prices as there was hardly any economic activity in the market. In addition to this, the oil price war between Russia and Saudi Arabia further worsened the petroleum prices as both countries failed to agree over proposed oil-production cuts due to COVID-19. According to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), crude oil production was reduced to 7.7 million barrels per day till Dec 2020, which is the single largest output cut in history. According to BP statistics, in 2020, the oil price averaged $41.84/bbl, which is the lowest since 2004. This lower demand and production of crude oil created volatility in petroleum price, and this might create a dent in the fabrics market growth.
Performance Fabric Market Industry Outlook

Investment in R&D activities, innovation, acquisitions, and technology launches are key strategies adopted by players in the performance fabric market. Major players in the performance fabric market include:

Topweaving New Material Tech
Uniroyal Global Engineered Products Inc
Omnova solutions
Spradling International Inc
Sunbrella
Royal Tencate
Koch Industries
La-z-boy
Milliken
Glen Raven, among others.