Specialty chemical market volumes were flat in the U.S. for August, after gains in June and July, according to the latest weekly Chemistry and Economic Report from the American Chemistry Council (ACC; Washington, D.C.; www.americanchemistry.com).
Of the 28 specialty chemical market segments monitored by ACC, 12 expanded in August, down from 20 expanding segments in July, ACC said. Of the remaining segments, 14 declined and 2 were flat.
The segments experiencing gains of greater than 1.0% in August included antioxidants, cosmetic additives, electronic chemicals, flavors & fragrances, mining chemicals, oilfield chemicals, plastics additives, plasticizers and rubber processing chemicals, according to ACC.
Smaller gains were observed in food additives, paint additives and paper additives, ACC said.