Oil-Based Coatings → Water-Based Coatings → Powder Coatings

Powder coatings have rapidly gained popularity due to their solvent-free and low-pollution characteristics, especially dominating the markets in Europe and North America.

But do you know how they rose to prominence?

I. Oil-Based Coatings: A Glorious Start with Hidden Risks

Starting in the 18th century, the production of oil-based coatings began to take shape, and film-forming materials were widely applied in industrial sectors. However, oil-based coatings contain large amounts of harmful substances such as toluene and xylene. For example, the indoor VOC concentration during application can be up to 1000 times that of the outdoors. They are flammable and explosive during transportation, dry slowly (often requiring more than 24 hours at room temperature), have low construction efficiency, and are sensitive to humid environments, often resulting in whitening of the coating film.

II. Water-Based Coatings: Eco-Friendly Improvement with Technical Compromises

To reduce environmental pollution, water-based coatings began to be promoted in the late 20th century. Using water as the dispersion medium, they drastically reduced VOC content and became the “eco-friendly alternative” to oil-based coatings. Technologies such as airless spray and electrostatic spraying were developed to address the poor leveling issues of water-based systems.

However, water-based coatings face several technical challenges:

• High requirements for application environment (temperature, humidity, etc.)

• Long drying time and low efficiency

• Relatively weak adhesion to metals, corrosion resistance, and mechanical performance

• Limited storage stability, with risks of freezing in winter and deterioration in summer

These technical bottlenecks have restricted the widespread adoption of water-based coatings in heavy-duty corrosion protection and high-performance fields.

III. Powder Coatings: The Ultimate Eco-Friendly Coating with No Solvents

As water-based technologies reached their limitations, powder coatings rapidly emerged as the ultimate “solvent-free” solution. Free of solvents and releasing virtually zero VOCs during application, powder coatings truly embody “green deployment.”

Outstanding advantages of powder coatings include:

• 100% solid content, zero VOC emissions

• High material utilization (recyclable with nearly no waste)

• Excellent mechanical properties: strong adhesion, impact resistance, and corrosion resistance

• Safe for storage and transportation: non-flammable and non-explosive

They are widely used in home appliances, automotive parts, industrial equipment, photovoltaic brackets, and steel bridge structures. Against the backdrop of carbon neutrality and green manufacturing, powder coatings have become a crucial direction for future coating development.

Of course, powder coatings also face certain technical challenges:

• Require high-temperature curing (limiting for heat-sensitive materials)

• Difficult to achieve ultra-thin film coatings in early applications

• Lower compatibility with non-metal substrates (though breakthroughs have been made)

From the glory and hidden risks of oil-based coatings, to the eco-friendly compromises of water-based coatings, and now the green revolution of powder coatings — each evolution reflects the constant battle between environmental pressure and technological innovation.

Today, powder coatings are more than just a product — they are a strategic tool for sustainable manufacturing.

In the future, with continued advances in smart manufacturing, new material science, and carbon neutrality goals, powder coatings will continue to quietly but resolutely transform the world.