Chemicals and Materials
Chemicals and Materials
Commodity and specialty chemicals, packaging, construction materials, steel, and crop inputs. Industrial gases stay on Hydrogen. Copper and lithium stay on Critical Minerals. The page is five P&Ls that share an industrial customer, not one materials multiple.
Data updated 2026-08-30
The Chemicals and Materials sector on Sterling tracks 20 companies.
US Raw Steel and Cement Production
How big are the two bulk materials? Two bulk materials on the same USGS 2026 page set. Cement is converted from thousand tons to million tons. 2025 figures are USGS estimates.
US Construction Aggregates
What is the construction-aggregates tape? Crushed stone plus construction sand and gravel, sold or used by producers. Copper mine tonnes are on Critical Minerals, not here.
US Chemical Production Volume Change
Is US chemistry growing in tonnes? ACC December 2025 tables. Volume, not price. Total chemicals exclude pharmaceuticals. 2025 is an estimate. 2026 is a forecast.
US Ammonia Production and Consumption
How much nitrogen does the US make? USGS ammonia, million tons of nitrogen content. Production was 14.0 million tons in 2025e against 15.0 million of apparent consumption. About 88% goes to fertilizer. Industrial gases are not on this chart.
US Phosphate Rock Production and Consumption
How much phosphate rock does the US mine versus use? USGS. Production stayed near 20 million tons. Apparent consumption was 21.0 million in 2025e. More than 95% goes to phosphoric acid. Copper and lithium are not on this chart.
US Potash Production, Imports, and Consumption
Can the US feed its own potash demand? USGS. Mine output is a few hundred thousand tons of K2O. Imports and consumption are in the millions. Net import reliance was 92% in 2025e. Canada supplied 79% of 2021-24 imports.
US Chemical Industry Trade
Does the US chemical industry still run a surplus? ACC Table 5. Exports $158B and imports $129B in 2025e, surplus $29B. This is the industry, not the 20-name roster. Linde and Air Products are not added here.
2024 revenue by business line
How large is each vertical on the 2024 tape? 2024 is the latest year where CRH and Nucor have complete FMP quarters. Smurfit Westrock 2024 already includes a combination year. Linde and Air Products are not in these bars.
US Net Import Reliance, 2025e
Which bulk materials does the US import? USGS net import reliance as a share of apparent consumption. Potash is 92%. Soda ash is a net export. Lithium and copper live on Critical Minerals.
| Commodity | Net import reliance, 2025e | What USGS is measuring |
|---|---|---|
| Potash | 92% | K2O equivalent. Canada 79% of 2021-24 imports. |
| Cement | 21% | Hydraulic cement and clinker versus apparent consumption. |
| Phosphate rock | 16% | Marketable rock. Peru supplied more than 99% of 2021-24 imports. |
| Gypsum | 15% | Crude including anhydrite. |
| Steel mill products | 13% | Apparent consumption of mill products. |
| Ammonia | 5% | Nitrogen content. Canada and Trinidad and Tobago dominate imports. |
| Lime | <1% | Quicklime, hydrated lime, and refractory dead-burned dolomite. |
| Soda ash | Net exporter | Natural soda ash. More than half of 2025e output was exported. |
Companies grouped by business line
Who is on the page, by vertical? Twenty S&P 500 names. Linde and Air Products stay on Hydrogen. Copper and lithium stay on Critical Minerals.
| Ticker | Company | Vertical | Why on this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| DOW | Dow Inc. | Chemicals | Commodity chemicals after the 2019 DowDuPont split |
| LYB | LyondellBasell | Chemicals | Olefins and polyolefins, US Gulf and Europe |
| ECL | Ecolab | Chemicals | Water, hygiene, and specialty treatment chemicals |
| SHW | Sherwin-Williams | Chemicals | Architectural and industrial coatings |
| PPG | PPG Industries | Chemicals | Paints, coatings, and specialty materials |
| IFF | International Flavors & Fragrances | Chemicals | Taste, scent, and health ingredients |
| BALL | Ball Corporation | Packaging | Aluminum beverage cans |
| AMCR | Amcor | Packaging | Flexible and rigid consumer packaging |
| AVY | Avery Dennison | Packaging | Pressure-sensitive labels and materials |
| IP | International Paper | Packaging | Containerboard and corrugated packaging |
| PKG | Packaging Corporation of America | Packaging | Containerboard and corrugated packaging |
| SW | Smurfit Westrock | Packaging | Combined paper and packaging after the 2024 combination |
| CRH | CRH plc | Construction | Cement, aggregates, and building products |
| MLM | Martin Marietta Materials | Construction | Aggregates, cement, and downstream materials |
| VMC | Vulcan Materials | Construction | Construction aggregates |
| CF | CF Industries | Ag inputs | Nitrogen fertilizer (ammonia and urea) |
| MOS | Mosaic | Ag inputs | Phosphate and potash fertilizer |
| CTVA | Corteva | Ag inputs | Seeds and crop protection |
| NUE | Nucor | Steel | US electric-arc-furnace steel |
| STLD | Steel Dynamics | Steel | US electric-arc-furnace steel |
Companies in the Chemicals and Materials sector (20)
- Dow Inc.
- CRH plc
- Martin Marietta Materials
- Vulcan Materials Company
- CF Industries
- Corteva
- Mosaic Company
- Ball Corporation
- Amcor
- Avery Dennison
- International Paper
- Packaging Corporation of America
- Smurfit Westrock
- Ecolab
- International Flavors & Fragrances
- LyondellBasell
- PPG Industries
- Sherwin-Williams
- Nucor
- Steel Dynamics
Frequently asked questions
What is the Chemicals and Materials sector?
Commodity and specialty chemicals, packaging, construction materials, steel, and crop inputs. Industrial gases stay on Hydrogen. Copper and lithium stay on Critical Minerals. The page is five P&Ls that share an industrial customer, not one materials multiple.
Which companies lead the Chemicals and Materials sector?
Sterling tracks 20 companies in Chemicals and Materials, led by Dow Inc. (DOW), CRH plc (CRH), Martin Marietta Materials (MLM), Vulcan Materials Company (VMC), CF Industries (CF) and Corteva (CTVA).
How can I invest in the Chemicals and Materials sector?
Publicly traded names in Chemicals and Materials include Dow Inc. (DOW), CRH plc (CRH), Martin Marietta Materials (MLM), Vulcan Materials Company (VMC) and CF Industries (CF). Compare them side by side on Sterling. Data last updated August 30, 2026.