Double-Sided Tapes Gain in Bonding Applications in Construction & Manufacturing Industries

The ongoing transition to tapes from mechanical fasteners or liquid adhesives will boost demand growth for double-sided tapes in the manufacturing and construction industries through 2025, according to a new Freedonia Group analysis.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, manufacturing and construction activity fell significantly, driving losses in global double-sided tape demand in 2020. However:

• Growth in some manufacturing applications – such as electronics and the use of double-sided tape in patient care – as well as in some residential construction markets (namely North America and Western Europe) prevented more significant declines.
• Elevated healthcare spending also offset greater losses despite weakened demand for elective procedures. Double-sided tape is widely used in healthcare settings to attach devices or sensors directly to the skin, to secure surgical drapes, or to apply wound care.

As these industries renormalize in 2021 and beyond, global double-sided tape demand is expected to grow 5.0% per year to 2.6 billion square meters in 2025. Below, we highlight some of the key market and regional trends in this market.

Double-Sided Tapes Increase Competition with Alternative Bonding Technologies

Double-sided tapes have continued to gain popularity over other fastening systems due to their greater strength and ability to:

• reduce potential mess caused by adhesives
• seal along the entire length of a seam, preventing leakage
• reduce stress points by evenly distributing the seal

These advantages and improvements in double-sided tape strength and performance allow them to replace adhesives and fasteners in some structural bonding applications, including in automotive and aerospace assembly and telecommunications. In particular, double-sided tape competes against:

• adhesives, mechanical fasteners, and welding in automotive and appliance assembly and industrial assembly applications
• water-activated (gummed) tapes in packaging and shipping applications

Rebounding Global Manufacturing Activity Post Pandemic

Manufacturing applications will remain the largest market for double-sided tape, accounting for 61% of demand in 2025, based on widespread demand from motor vehicle and appliance producers.

Despite this dominance, manufacturing applications will continue to offer new opportunities for ongoing adoption of double-sided tape in manufacturing, most notably in low-income countries where market penetration is more limited. Gains in manufacturing activity and development of more sustainable and better performing tapes will also benefit demand.

Double-sided tape is used during manufacturing to replace other fasteners such as screws, liquid adhesives, or solder. Some examples of manufacturing applications for double-sided tape include:

• joining noise-reducing foam to interior motor vehicle panels
• attaching plastic to metal parts or chrome to metal parts in motor vehicle and aerospace manufacturing
• bonding speaker mesh to the plastic cases of cell phones
• attaching glass to oven doors

Accelerating Construction Activity in North America & Western Europe

Demand for double-sided tape in construction applications is expected to see the fastest gains through 2025, rebounding from losses experienced during the pandemic, when many construction sectors were weakened. Growth will be driven by an acceleration in global construction activity – especially in North America and Western Europe, where tapes are already widely used in a range of applications – and boosted by adoption of double-sided tape by the construction industry, most notably in countries with less technologically-advanced construction techniques.

Double-sided tape has many applications in the building and construction market, including:

• attaching carpeting to floors
• bonding sound attenuation materials to floors or walls
• permanently attaching insulation to walls
• temporarily mounting items before final attachment

The Asia/Pacific Region – Led by China – Will Continue to Offer the Best Opportunities

Nearly 60% of the global demand increases for double-sided tape through 2025 will be in the Asia/Pacific region, already the largest regional market due the presence of China, which alone will be responsible for 35% of global demand gains.

Advances in the region will be buoyed by the adoption of double-sided tape by appliance, electronics, and transportation equipment producers in the region. The healthcare and medical market will also see healthy gains, driven by rising living standards and increased urbanization, as denser populations increase the number of people living within easy distance of modern healthcare facilities.

Want to Learn More?

Global Double-Sided Tapes is now available from the Freedonia Group.

About the Author:

Peter Kusnic is a Content Writer with The Freedonia Group, where he researches and writes studies focused on an array of industries.