The US specialty foam market will advance 5.5 percent annually through 2009, driven by heightened needs for lighter materials with better cushioning, insulating and structural properties. Polyurethane and engineered plastic will remain the top plastic foams, while silicone, fluoropolymer, metal and ceramic foams grow the fastest.

This study analyzes the $1 billion US specialty foam industry. It presents historical (1994, 1999 and 2004) demand data and forecasts to 2009 and 2014 by foam type (e.g., polyurethane, polyphenylene, polycarbonate, polyimide, polyolefin, fluoropolymer, silicone, glass, ceramic, nickel, aluminum); by market (e.g., industrial, transportation equipment, medical and healthcare, construction); and by application (e.g., cushioning, insulation, structural, gaskets and seals, filters).

The study also considers market environment trends and indicators, details industry structure, evaluates company market share and profiles 31 major producers including Rogers, Foamex International, Pittsburgh Corning, Carpenter, and Crest Foam Industries.

 
                           TABLE OF CONTENTS
                                    
  
  SECTION                                                          PAGE
  
        INTRODUCTION                                               viii
  
  I.    EXECUTIVE SUMMARY                                             1
  
 II.    MARKET ENVIRONMENT                                            4
        General                                                       4
        Macroeconomic Outlook                                         4
        Consumer Spending Patterns                                    7
        Manufacturing Outlook                                         9
        Electrical & Electronic Equipment Outlook                    12
        Health Care Industry Trends                                  15
        Transportation Equipment Trends                              17
              Building Construction Outlook                          21
        Plastic Foam Overview                                        22
        Pricing Trends                                               25
          Regulatory & Environmental Considerations                  27
        International Activity                                       29
  
 III.   TYPES                                                        31
        General                                                      31
        Plastic Foam                                                 33
          Polyurethane Foam                                          35
            Types                                                    37
            Markets                                                  40
            Producers                                                44
          Engineered Plastic Foam                                    46
            Polyphenylene Oxide                                      48
            Polycarbonate                                            49
            Polyimide                                                50
            Other                                                    51
            Producers                                                51
          Polyolefin Foam                                            52
            Types                                                    54
            Producers                                                55
          Fluoropolymer Foam                                         57
          Silicone Foam                                              60
          Other Specialty Plastic Foams                              63
        Non-Plastic Foam                                             66
          Foam Glass                                                 68
          Ceramic Foam                                               70
          Metal Foam                                                 72
            Nickel Foam                                              74
            Other Metal Foam                                         76
              Aluminum Foam                                          77
              All Other Metal Foams                                  79
          Other Specialty Foam                                       80
    
  IV.   MARKETS                                                      83
        General                                                      83 
        Electrical & Electronic                                      85
          Types                                                      86
          Uses                                                       89 
        Industrial                                                   91
          Types                                                      93
          Uses                                                       96
        Transportation Equipment                                     98 
          Types                                                      99
          Uses                                                      101
        Medical & Healthcare                                        104
        Construction                                                107
        Other Markets                                               108
  
  V.    APPLICATIONS                                                112
        General                                                     112
        Cushioning                                                  114
        Insulation                                                  116
        Structural                                                  119
        Gaskets & Seals                                             121
        Filters                                                     123
        Other                                                       125
  
 VI.    INDUSTRY STRUCTURE                                          128
        General                                                     128
        Market Share                                                130
          Rogers                                                    131
          Foamex International                                      131
          Pittsburgh Corning                                        132
          Carpenter                                                 132
          Crest Foam Industries                                     132
          Other Producers                                           133
        Mergers & Acquisitions                                      133
        Marketing Strategies                                        135
        Channels of Distribution                                    136
        Research & Development                                      137
        Competitive Strategies                                      139
        Cooperative Agreements                                      140
        Company Profiles                                            143
          Aearo Corporation                                         144
          BASF AG                                                   146
          Bayer AG                                                  149
          BayOne Urethane Systems LLC, see Bayer AG
          British Vita plc                                          152
          Carpenter Company                                         154
          Cellect LLC                                               156
          Createc Corporation                                       157
          Crest Foam Industries Incorporated, see British Vita plc
          Cuming Corporation                                        159
          Degussa AG                                                160 
          Dow Chemical Company                                      162
          Dow Corning Corporation                                   164
          E-A-R Specialty Composites, see Aearo Corporation
          Enerflex Solutions LLC, see Woodbridge Foam Corporation
          ERG Materials and Aerospace Corporation                   166
          Foamex International Incorporated                         167
          Free-Flow Packaging International Incorporated            169
          Grow-Tech Incorporated, see Rynel Limited Incorporated 
          Huntsman Corporation                                      170
          Inco Limited                                              173
          Inspec Foams Incorporated, see Degussa AG
          Insulfoam, see Premier Industries Incorporated
          Lamatek Incorporated                                      174
          Novamet Specialty Products Corporation, see Inco Limited
          Pactiv Corporation                                        176
          Pittsburgh Corning Corporation                            178
          Plexiglas, see Degussa AG
          Polyair Inter Pack Incorporated                           179
          Porvair plc                                               181
          PXL Cross Linked Technologies Incorporated, see   
            Polyair Inter Pack Incorporated
          Rogers Corporation                                        183
          Rohm GmbH & Company, see Degussa AG
          Rynel Limited Incorporated                                185
          Saint-Gobain                                              186
          SCA Packaging North America, see Svenska Cellulosa AB
          Sealed Air Corporation                                    188
          Sekisui Chemical Company Limited                          190
          Selee Corporation, see Porvair plc
          Svenska Cellulosa AB                                      192
          THARCO                                                    194
          Ultramet Incorporated                                     195
          Vitafoam Incorporated, see British Vita plc
          Voltek LLC, see Sekisui Chemical Company Limited  
          Wacker-Chemie GmbH                                        196
          Woodbridge Foam Corporation                               197
          Other Companies in the Specialty Foam Industry            199
      


                               LIST OF TABLES
                                   
   TABLE NUMBER                                                    PAGE
  
        SECTION I -- EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
        Summary Table                                                 3
  
        SECTION II -- MARKET ENVIRONMENT
   1    Macroeconomic Indicators                                      7
   2    Consumer Expenditures                                         9
   3    Manufacturers  Shipments                                     12
   4    Electrical & Electronic Equipment Shipments                  14
   5    National Health Expenditures                                 17
   6    Transportation Equipment Shipments                           20
   7    Building Construction Expenditures                           22
   8    Plastic Foam Demand by Type                                  24
   9    Specialty Foam Pricing Trends                                27
    
        SECTION III -- TYPES
   1    Specialty Foam Demand                                        32
   2    Specialty Plastic Foam Demand by Type                        34
   3    Specialty Polyurethane Foam Demand by Type & Market          37
   4    Specialty Engineered Plastic Foam Demand by Type & Market    48
   5    Specialty Polyolefin Foam Demand by Market                   54
   6    Specialty Fluoropolymer Foam Demand by Market                60
   7    Specialty Silicone Foam Demand by Market                     63
   8    Other Specialty Plastic Foam Demand by Market                66
   9    Non-Plastic Specialty Foam Demand by Type                    67
  10    Foam Glass Demand by Market                                  70
  11    Ceramic Foam Demand by Market                                72
  12    Metal Foam Demand by Type                                    74
  13    Nickel Foam Demand by Market                                 76
  14    All Other Metal Foam Demand by Market                        77
  15    Other Specialty Foam Demand                                  82
  
        SECTION IV -- MARKETS
   1    Specialty Foam Demand by Market                              84
   2    Electrical & Electronic  Markets for Specialty Foam 
          by Type & Use                                              86
   3    Industrial Markets for Specialty Foam by Type & Use          92
   4    Transportation Equipment Markets for Specialty Foams
          by Type & Use                                              99
   5    Medical & Healthcare Markets for Specialty Foams by
          Type & Use                                                106
   6    Construction Markets for Specialty Foams by Type            108
   7    Other Markets for Specialty Foams by Type & Use             111
  
        SECTION V -- APPLICATIONS
   1    Specialty Foam Demand by Application                        113
   2    Cushioning Applications for Specialty Foams by Type         115
   3    Insulation Applications for Specialty Foams by Type         118
   4    Structural Applications for Specialty Foams by Type         120
   5    Gasket & Seal Applications for Specialty Foams by Type      123
   6    Filter Applications for Specialty Foams by Type             125
   7    Other Applications for Specialty Foams by Type              127
    
        SECTION VI  -- INDUSTRY STRUCTURE
   1    US Specialty Foam Sales by Company, 2004                    129
   2    Selected Acquisitions & Divestitures                        135
   3    Selected Cooperative Agreements                             142
  
    


                            LIST OF CHARTS
                                   
   
   CHART NUMBER                                                    PAGE
  
        SECTION II -- MARKET ENVIRONMENT
   1    Plastic Foam Demand by Type, 2004                            24
  
        SECTION III -- TYPES
   1    Specialty Plastic Foam Demand by Type, 2004                  35
   2    Specialty Polyurethane Foam Demand by Market, 2004           43
   3    Non-Plastic Specialty Foam Demand by Type, 2004              67
  
        SECTION IV -- MARKETS
   1    Specialty Foam Demand by Market, 2004                        84
   2    Electrical & Electronic Markets for Specialty Foam
          by Type, 2004                                              89
   3    Electrical & Electronic Markets for Specialty Foam
          by Use, 2004                                               91
   4    Industrial Markets for Specialty Foams by Type, 2004         95
   5    Industrial Markets for Specialty Foams by Use, 2004          98
   6    Transportation Equipment Markets for Specialty Foams        101
          by Type, 2004
  
        SECTION V -- APPLICATIONS
   1    Specialty Foam Demand by Application, 2004                  113
   2    Insulation Applications for Specialty Foams by Type, 2004   118
   3    Structural Applications for Specialty Foams by Type, 2004   121
  
        SECTION VI -- INDUSTRY STRUCTURE
   1    US Specialty Foam Market Share, 2004                        130