According to estimates by the U.S. consulting firm IHS, the global production capacity of ABS currently stands at around 10 million tons, compared with a 2012 consumption level of 6.9 million tons. By the end of 2017, these figures should rise, respectively, to over 12 million tons and just under 8 million tons, thus widening the gap and increasing the excess production capacity.
Breaking down consumption of ABS by fields of application, we find electrical household appliances in first place with 40% of the total, followed by electronics (24%), the automotive industry (13%), and the construction industry (7%). Geographically, on the other hand, 73% of the demand comes from Asia (with over 60% coming from China), 10% from Europe, 10% from North America, and 4% from the Middle East.