Zinc stearate has a wide range of uses and huge room for industry development

​​​Zinc stearate, also known as zinc stearate, zinc stearate salt, and zinc stearate salt, has a chemical formula of C36H70O4Zn and is an organic compound. Zinc stearate appears as white soft powder with a fatty smell. It is easily soluble in organic solvents such as turpentine, ethanol, and toluene, and is insoluble in water. Zinc stearate is flammable, hygroscopic, has good lubricity, and is non-toxic. It is widely used in lubricants, heat stabilizers, coating additives and other products. Zinc stearate is generally divided into two types: water-based zinc stearate and solid zinc stearate.

The main preparation methods of zinc stearate include dry method and wet method. The dry method, also known as the melting method, refers to heating and melting stearic acid, adding metal oxides, and reacting the two under the action of a catalyst to produce zinc stearate. The wet method, also known as the water method, refers to using water as the medium, using metal oxides and stearic acid as raw materials, and replacing the metal ions on the catalyst through the catalyst, and then on the stearic acid, to finally produce zinc stearate. At present, zinc stearate prepared by dry method is alkaline; zinc stearate prepared by wet method is acidic.

According to the “2023-2027 Zinc Stearate Industry In-depth Market Research and Investment Strategy Suggestions Report released by the Industrial Research Center, Zinc stearate is a subdivided product of stearate, accounting for 40% of the market. In recent years, driven by market demand, the zinc stearate industry has continued to expand its development space. The global zinc stearate market size will reach 11.57 billion yuan in 2022. It is expected that the market will maintain a growth rate of more than 5% from 2022 to 2027, and its market size will exceed 15.5 billion yuan by 2027.

​​​Zinc stearate has the dual properties of metal oxide and fatty acid, and is widely used in the chemical industry, including lubricants, heat stabilizers, coating additives, etc. As a lubricant and heat stabilizer, zinc stearate can be used to produce amino resin, phenolic resin, and styrene resin. In recent years, thanks to the continuous advancement of production technology, the development of my country’s phenolic resin industry has accelerated. In 2021, my country’s phenolic resin production capacity will reach 1.913 million tons, and the output will reach 1.625 million tons. As downstream demand becomes increasingly strong, my country’s zinc stearate production will continue to grow.

The major global zinc stearate manufacturers include Baerlocher of Germany, Dover Chemical Company of the United States, Norac Additives of the United States, etc. Major players in my country’s zinc stearate market include Anhui Shafeng New Materials Co., Ltd., Dongguan Hanwei Technology Co., Ltd., Shijiazhuang Furunda Chemical Co., Ltd., etc.

Industry analysts said that as an important chemical material, zinc stearate is widely used in lubricants, heat stabilizers and other products. Driven by market demand, the industry’s development space continues to expand. After years of experience accumulation, the production process of zinc stearate has matured, and product quality and output have been greatly improved. At present, the global zinc stearate market is mainly concentrated in European and American countries. The number of zinc stearate production enterprises in my country is relatively small, and the scale of enterprises is generally small.