Acrylic is a broad family of materials and production stages, including acrylic acid, acrylates, acrylic latex, PMMA and acrylic sheet. The figures below keep those categories separate and identify the original geography, period, unit and whether a number is observed, estimated or forecast.
Key Acrylic Industry Statistics
The most useful headline figures span historical U.S. production, end-use mix, environmental reporting, trade and a recent company filing:
- In 1974, U.S. acrylic-acid production was 109 Gg, or thousand metric tonnes.
- In 1975, U.S. acrylic-acid production was 95 Gg, according to a historical EPA process study.
- For 1976–1982, the EPA study forecast overall U.S. acrylic-acid growth of 8% annually.
- In the study-era U.S. capacity estimate, propylene oxidation represented 66% of acrylic-acid capacity.
- In the same estimate, modified Reppe processes represented the remaining 34% of U.S. acrylic-acid capacity.
- The study-era estimate reported 181.6 Gg per year of idle modified Reppe capacity in the United States.
- In 1991, U.S. acrylic-acid demand was estimated to be increasing 4% to 5% per year.
- A 1991 EPA profile identified four U.S. companies producing acrylic acid.
- In a historical U.S. end-use estimate, about 83% of acrylic acid went to acrylic esters.
- In the same estimate, acrylic surface coatings represented 41% of acrylate consumption.
- The historical estimate assigned 20% of acrylate consumption to textile applications.
- In the 1976 U.S. table, 75% of acrylates went to emulsion polymers.
- U.S. TRI-reporting facilities recorded 31,904,896 lb of acrylic-acid recycling on site in 1997.
- Those facilities reported 4,151,368 lb of on-site acrylic-acid releases in 1997.
- The 2000 U.S.–Puerto Rico trade table recorded 317,223 kg of PMMA under HS 3906100000.
- In 2025, Europe represented 34% of Trinseo Engineered Materials net sales.
- In 2025, the United States represented approximately 45% of Trinseo Engineered Materials net sales.
- In 2025, Asia represented approximately 14% of Trinseo Engineered Materials net sales.
Contents
- Key Acrylic Industry Statistics
- Acrylic Acid Production, Capacity and Growth
- Acrylic Acid and Acrylate End-Use Data
- Acrylic and PMMA Products, Operations and Applications
- Acrylic Recycling, Releases and Waste Management
- Acrylic Sheet and PMMA Trade Statistics
- Regional Acrylic Trends and Production Strategy
Acrylic Acid Production, Capacity and Growth
The oldest figures in this dataset describe U.S. acrylic-acid manufacturing rather than the current global acrylic market. The EPA’s Organic Chemical Manufacturing volume 10: Selected Processes reported 109 Gg in 1974 and 95 Gg in 1975, both historical observed production figures for the United States.
The same EPA process study projected overall acrylic-acid growth of 8% annually from 1976 through 1982, while separately projecting 15% annual growth for propylene-oxidation acrylic-acid production. Both are contemporaneous forecasts, not measured outcomes.
| Measure | Figure | Definition and period |
|---|---|---|
| U.S. acrylic-acid production | 109 Gg | Observed, 1974 |
| U.S. acrylic-acid production | 95 Gg | Observed, 1975 |
| Overall acrylic-acid growth | 8% annually | Forecast, 1976–1982 |
| Propylene-oxidation production growth | 15% annually | Forecast, 1976–1982 |
Source: Organic Chemical Manufacturing volume 10: Selected Processes. Gg means thousand metric tonnes, and the figures are historical EPA process-study observations or projections.
The study estimated that propylene oxidation supplied 66% of U.S. acrylic-acid capacity, with modified Reppe processes supplying the remaining 34%. It also reported 181.6 Gg per year of idle modified Reppe capacity and described a planned propylene-oxidation plant with capacity equal to that idle amount; planned capacity should not be read as realized production.
A later EPA profile, Chemicals in the Environment: Acrylic Acid, estimated that U.S. acrylic-acid demand was growing 4% to 5% per year in 1991. That profile reported acrylic-acid production by four U.S. companies, a count for the cited profile rather than a global industry total.
Acrylic Acid and Acrylate End-Use Data
Acrylic acid is an upstream chemical, while acrylates are downstream products used across coatings, textiles and other applications. The EPA’s Source Assessment: Acrylic Acid Manufacture State of the Art estimated that about 83% of U.S. acrylic acid went into acrylic esters, while 17% went to miscellaneous uses including water-soluble resins, salts, specialty acrylates and comonomers.
The same historical consumption table shows how the ester stream was distributed:
- Ethyl and methyl acrylate accounted for 52% of U.S. acrylic-acid consumption in the study-era estimate.
- n-Butyl and isobutyl acrylate accounted for 26%.
- 2-Ethylhexyl and other acrylates accounted for 5%.
- Acrylic surface coatings accounted for 41% of acrylate consumption.
- Textile applications accounted for 20% of acrylate consumption.
- No other acrylate end-use market in the report accounted for more than 10% of consumption.
Source: Source Assessment: Acrylic Acid Manufacture State of the Art. These are historical U.S. estimates, and the report’s categories are not a current worldwide market split.
A separate 1976 EPA table assigned 86% of acrylic-acid production to esters and 14% to other uses. It also assigned 75% of acrylates to emulsion polymers and 25% to other uses; the 25% figure is the table’s complementary category, not a separate market estimate.
Another older EPA profile allocated acrylic-acid use to paint lattices at 48%, textile manufacture at 15%, acrylic fiber at 6%, acrylic specialties at 7% and miscellaneous uses at 14%. These figures use the profile’s original terminology and should not be merged with the later end-use table as though they measured the same classification.
Source: Organic Chemical Manufacturing volume 10: Selected Processes and Chemicals in the Environment: Acrylic Acid (CAS NO. 79-10-7).
Acrylic and PMMA Products, Operations and Applications
PMMA is one distinct acrylic material, not a synonym for all acrylic acid or acrylate production. In its 2025 Form 10-K, Trinseo describes Engineered Materials products and applications that include PMMA and MMA-related operations, but its segment geography also includes non-acrylic products.
The filing reported these 2025 Engineered Materials net-sales shares:
| Region | Share of segment net sales | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Approximately 45% | Trinseo Engineered Materials, 2025 |
| Europe | 34% | Trinseo Engineered Materials, 2025 |
| Asia | Approximately 14% | Trinseo Engineered Materials, 2025 |
Source: Trinseo PLC_December 31, 2025 Form 10-K. These are segment sales shares, not acrylic-only revenue or total PMMA-industry sales.
The same filing records two specific operating changes in Italy. Trinseo ceased MMA production at Rho and ACH production at Porto Marghera in the fourth quarter of 2025, making these company-specific operational events rather than industry-wide shutdown statistics.
The filing also states that, going forward from those changes, all future MMA will be purchased from third parties through long-term contracts and spot purchases. No volume split between contract and spot sourcing is reported.
Acrylic Recycling, Releases and Waste Management
The EPA’s Chapter 3 – Year-to-Year Comparison of Toxics Release Inventory Data reports acrylic-acid quantities from U.S. TRI-reporting facilities. TRI values are facility-reported quantities by chemical-management category, not a national emissions inventory and not total acrylic-industry waste.
| TRI category | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-site releases | 3,339,863 lb | 4,427,743 lb | 4,151,368 lb |
| On-site recycling | 26,544,419 lb | 27,444,635 lb | 31,904,896 lb |
Source: Chapter 3 – Year-to-Year Comparison of Toxics Release Inventory Data, Table 3-8B, page 3-27, CAS 79-10-7 acrylic acid.
The 1997 TRI record also reported 119,172 lb of off-site releases, 3,478,312 lb recycled off site, 28,539,687 lb recovered for energy on site, 879,415 lb recovered for energy off site and 6,690,854 lb treated off site. Each number applies to the cited U.S. reporting facilities and the specific acrylic-acid management category.
The year comparison shows why period labels matter: on-site recycling was reported at 26,544,419 lb in 1995, 27,444,635 lb in 1996 and 31,904,896 lb in 1997, while on-site releases were reported at 3,339,863 lb, 4,427,743 lb and 4,151,368 lb, respectively.
Acrylic Sheet and PMMA Trade Statistics
Trade records provide narrow product-line observations rather than a complete acrylic market estimate. The U.S. Census publication U.S. Trade With Puerto Rico and U.S. Possessions, 2000 classified PMMA under HS 3906100000 and reported 317,223 kg for that PMMA line in the U.S.–Puerto Rico table.
| 2000 PMMA trade-table field | Displayed figure | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Product classification | HS 3906100000 | Polymethyl methacrylate line |
| Quantity | 317,223 kg | U.S.–Puerto Rico table |
| First displayed value field | 1,787 | Table-reported units |
| Second displayed value field | 272 | Table-reported units |
| Third displayed value field | 981 | Table-reported units |
| Fourth displayed value field | 60 | Table-reported units |
| Fifth displayed value field | 805 | Table-reported units |
Source: U.S. Trade With Puerto Rico and U.S. Possessions, 2000. The displayed value fields retain the table’s units and are not treated here as dollars or independently converted values.
USITC Publication 784, Acrylic Sheet From Japan, includes a price-index series for acrylic sheet and MMA-1A monomer. That evidence belongs to a U.S. trade investigation period and is an index series, not a current market price or total industry revenue.
Eurostat’s trade classification also includes a dedicated code, 39159013, for waste, parings and scrap of acrylic polymers. The code demonstrates classification coverage, but the cited fact does not provide a tonnage.
Source: Acrylic Sheet From Japan, USITC Publication 784.
Regional Acrylic Trends and Production Strategy
The most recent regional figures here come from Trinseo’s 2025 Engineered Materials segment. Europe represented 34%, the United States approximately 45% and Asia approximately 14% of segment net sales; together those reported approximate shares total approximately 93%, with the remainder reflecting other regions and rounding.
These percentages should be used as a company-segment indicator, not as a regional market-share estimate for acrylic materials. The filing’s segment includes non-acrylic products, and it does not provide a global acrylic-industry revenue total.
The 2025 operational changes at Rho and Porto Marghera also show a shift in production and sourcing strategy. After ceasing MMA production at Rho and ACH production at Porto Marghera in the fourth quarter, Trinseo stated that all future MMA would be purchased from third parties through long-term contracts and spot purchases.
A separate financial indicator appears in the same filing: Trinseo reported a $297.1 million PMMA-business goodwill impairment in 2022, as cited in its 2024 filing context. This is an accounting impairment, not PMMA revenue, physical output or a direct measure of industry demand.
Source: Trinseo PLC_December 31, 2025 Form 10-K.
Because acrylic is a family term, the available primary sources do not support a single current global revenue total. The strongest comparisons therefore remain clearly bounded: historical U.S. acrylic-acid production and end uses, TRI-reported acrylic-acid management, a 2000 PMMA trade line, and one company’s recent segment and sourcing disclosures.