The global plastic pail market is expected to reach USD 1.3 billion by 2025 and expand to USD 1.9 billion by 2035, progressing at a CAGR of 4.2% during the forecast period. In 2024, the market generated a revenue of USD 1.2 billion, as reported by Future Market Insights. This growth is driven by increased demand for durable, versatile, and sustainable packaging solutions across sectors such as paints and coatings, chemicals, food processing, and construction materials.
Plastic pails are widely preferred in packaging due to their ability to combine strength, reusability, and convenience. They are particularly dominant in the paints and coatings industry, where they are valued for their durability, stackability, and leak-proof design. The sector is expected to account for a significant share of the global plastic pail demand, especially as housing and infrastructure development rebounds across emerging economies.
High-density polyethylene (HDPE) has emerged as the material of choice, accounting for over 65.4% of the total market share. Its strong chemical resistance, high tensile strength, and recyclability make it an ideal material for packaging both hazardous and non-hazardous substances. In addition, HDPE pails are well-suited for reuse in closed-loop supply chains, further enhancing their appeal in sustainability-driven procurement decisions.
Amid tightening regulations and corporate ESG goals, the push toward sustainable packaging has intensified. Leading manufacturers are responding by introducing biodegradable pails and expanding the use of post-consumer recycled (PCR) materials in pail production.
These innovations are not only reducing environmental impact but also meeting customer demand for green alternatives without sacrificing performance or product lifespan. Highlighting this industry-wide shift, Jim Fitterling, CEO of Dow Inc., a key player in advanced plastics and materials science stated, “Dow, the world’s third-largest plastics producer, enthusiastically supports a solution that will eliminate plastic pollution from our planet”.
Plastic pail Industry Forecast
| Attributes | Key Insights |
|---|---|
| Historical Size, 2024 | USD 1.2 billion |
| Estimated Size, 2025 | USD 1.3 billion |
| Projected Size, 2035 | USD 1.9 billion |
| Value-based CAGR (2025 to 2035) | 4.2% |
Regionally, Asia Pacific continues to dominate the global plastic pail market due to rapid industrialization, urbanization, and infrastructure development in countries like China and India. North America and Europe also contribute significantly, fueled by strong demand in the chemicals and food packaging sectors, along with a growing emphasis on compliance with sustainability benchmarks.
As manufacturers invest in R&D for lightweight, recyclable, and bio-based pail solutions, the global plastic pail market is poised to align with the evolving priorities of safety, performance, and environmental responsibility.
The below table presents the expected CAGR for the global plastic pails market over several semi-annual periods spanning from 2025 to 2035.
| Particular | Value CAGR |
|---|---|
| H1 | 4.0% (2024 to 2034) |
| H2 | 4.4% (2024 to 2034) |
| H1 | 3.2% (2025 to 2035) |
| H2 | 5.2% (2025 to 2035) |
In the first half (H1) of the decade from 2024 to 2033, the business is predicted to surge at a CAGR of 4.0%, followed by a slightly higher growth rate of 4.4% in the second half (H2) of the same decade. Moving into the subsequent period, from H1 2025 to H2 2035, the CAGR is projected to decrease slightly to 3.2% in the first half and remain relatively moderate at 5.2% in the second half. In the first half (H1) the market witnessed a decrease of 80 BPS while in the second half (H2), the market witnessed an increase of 80 BPS.
The 5 to 10-litre capacity segment is forecast to lead the market with a 33.7% share by 2035. These pails offer a well-balanced solution in terms of volume, portability, and handling ease, making them ideal across a wide array of industries. In the food and beverage sector, 5 to 10-litre plastic pails are commonly used to package sauces, dairy items, and other bulk ingredients.
These pails help in preserving freshness, extending shelf life, and ensuring contamination-free transport. In the agricultural domain, these containers are widely used for fertilizers, pesticides, and animal feed supplements. Major agrochemical companies such as BASF and Syngenta leverage these pails to enhance product safety, ease of handling, and transportation efficiency.
The paints and coatings sector is projected to dominate the plastic pail market, commanding 34.7% of the total share by 2035. This dominance is attributed to the need for secure, leak-proof, and durable packaging solutions that maintain paint quality over time. Global paint manufacturers such as Sherwin-Williams, PPG Industries, and AkzoNobel rely heavily on plastic pails due to their robust design, stackability, and ease of resealing.
These features reduce the risk of spoilage and lower transportation costs through space-efficient packaging. Plastic pails used in this segment also enhance operational efficiency during distribution and end-user handling. Their lightweight construction, coupled with resistance to chemicals and physical stress, has made them the preferred packaging option for industrial and consumer-grade paints.
Durability and Versatility Accelerate the Market Growth
Major consumers require durable and cost-effective solutions for the widely varying packaging requirements, which plastic pails majorly fulfil. The type of pails has considerably developed in terms of offering different features such as handles, and open-top and closed-top catering not only for consumer-related requirements but also for industrial purposes. Therefore, their sturdy construction can provide proper survivability against very stringent conditions of storage or handling thus, widely applied for storing various products, like food products, paints and chemical substances. Additionally, plastic pails are inexpensive and, hence, enable the manufacturers to reduce their packaging costs without sacrificing quality. Lightweight is another significant advantage of plastic pails. This is an important factor for the end-use industries when choosing packaging materials.
Demand for Plastic Pails for Storage of Large Volume Goods across Several Industries
Rising demand for packaging products in the food and beverages industry, the pharmaceutical industry, the agriculture sector, and chemicals is boosting plastic pails at a high scale. In the food and beverage sector, usage of plastic pails has been preferred since it is light in weight and durable and keeps moisture out due to its adequacy in holding bulk items, such as sauces, dairy products, and grains. Plastic pails in the pharmaceutical industry are used for packaging medications and supplements, which give a safe and hygienic solution that protects contents from contamination. In agriculture, they play an important role in holding fertilizers, pesticides, and seeds so that the materials are stored safely and available for use when needed. Additional demands for plastic pails come from the chemical industry since they are also resistant to some harsh substances, and leakage, and thus are one of the ideal packaging options for different chemicals. As industries develop their packaging options to be effective and safe, but also sustainable therefore the demand for plastic pails will increase.
Sustainability Issues about Plastic May Impede Demand of Plastic Pails
Nowadays consumers and businesses will drive alternatives for greener packaging instead of the conventional plastic pails. In most countries, very stringent regulations on plastic usage are applied to ensure more biodegradable or recyclable materials. This is because plastic waste has been one of the primary sources of pollution that harm wildlife and ecosystems. Manufacturers adapt to the emerging demand as they innovate and present sustainable packaging. This change may reduce the use of plastic pails since organizations and consumers want products that meet their expectations of sustainability and environmental responsibility. This might result in reduced dependency on plastic buckets as the market adjusts to consumer's preference for a greener product.
The global plastic pail market recorded a CAGR of 3% during the historical period between 2020 and 2024. Market growth of plastic pail was positive as it reached a value of USD 1,211 million in 2024 from USD 1,058 million in 2020.
The plastic pail market was witnessing steady growth between 2020 and 2024 due to the continuously increasing consumer demand for safe and leak-proof packaging solutions. Also, plastic pails are generally less expensive than metal alternatives and thus are widely used by companies looking to minimize packaging costs. Their lightweight also makes transportation cheaper, thus increasing their use.
In the assessment period, global demand for plastic pails is expected to grow strongly. The drivers for this are mainly increasing demand across various industries, technological advancement during the manufacturing process and rising e-commerce growth.
Tier 1 companies comprise market leaders with significant market share in global market. These market leaders are characterized by high production capacity and a wide product portfolio. These market leaders are distinguished by their extensive expertise in manufacturing across multiple packaging formats and a broad geographical reach, underpinned by a robust consumer base. They provide a wide range of series including recycling and manufacturing utilizing the latest technology and meeting the regulatory standards providing the highest quality. Prominent companies within tier 1 include Time Technoplast Ltd., Greif Inc., Mauser Group N.V., ExxonMobil among others.
Tier 2 companies include mid-size players having presence in specific regions and highly influencing the local market. These are characterized by a strong presence overseas and strong market knowledge. These market players have good technology and ensure regulatory compliance but may not have advanced technology and wide global reach. Prominent companies in tier 2 include Berry Global, Inc., FDL Packaging Group, Great Western Containers Inc., NCI Packaging, Rieke Corporation, M&M Industries, Inc., Balmer Lawrie & Co. Ltd, C.L. Smith, Emballator, Cary Company, H&O Plastics, P. Wilkinson Containers, and Parekhplast.
Tier 3 includes the majority of small-scale companies operating at the local presence and serving niche markets. These companies are notably oriented towards fulfilling local market demands and are consequently classified within the tier 3 share segment. They are small-scale players and have limited geographical reach. Tier 3, within this context, is recognized as an unorganized market, denoting a sector characterized by a lack of extensive structure and formalization when compared to organized competitors.
The section below covers the future forecast for the plastic pail market in terms of countries. Information on key countries in several parts of the globe, including North America, Latin America, East Asia, South Asia and Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe and MEA is provided. The USA is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 3.2% through 2035.
| Countries | Value CAGR (2025 to 2035) |
|---|---|
| United States | 3.2% |
| Canada | 3.8% |
| China | 5.9% |
| Japan | 4.3% |
| India | 5.3% |
| Indonesia | 4.8% |
The more popular e-commerce becomes in the Canada, the greater the demand for plastic pails since plastic pails are used to package a wide variety of products. Plastic pails can be very helpful when shipping large quantities of chemicals, food, and cleaning supplies. As greater dependence is made on online retailers for purchases, firms need practical and reliable packaging solutions.
A pet food manufacturer may use plastic pails for the packaging and direct shipment of bulk quantities to consumers. A cleaning supply house may use plastic pails when shipping large detergent bottles to consumers purchasing through an e-commerce model. Increased demand for shipping directly to the consumer will drive growth for plastic pail use.
The rise in demand for agricultural chemicals, pesticides, and fertilizers pushes the usage of plastic pails as an essential packaging solution. However, as farmers adopt the new pest management chemicals agricultural producers apply them more into crop production. Hence the need for carrying or transporting all these materials in durable, lightweight, and moisture-resistant containers becomes more necessary.
Thus, plastic pails are utilized on a large scale as they can safely store various forms of agricultural products together with easy handling and application convenience. The other reason that increases the demand is that the USA agriculture and agribusiness industry is vast in terms of scope and encompasses various kinds of crops and farming. With changing agriculture and the requirement for several pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides, plastic pails have become an essential component of the supply chain to store and transport these pesticides and fertilizers.
Key players of plastic pail packaging industry are developing and launching new products in the market. They are integrating with different firms and extending their geographical presence. Few of them are also collaborating and partnering with local brands and start-up companies for new product development.
Key Developments in Plastic Pails Market:
In terms of product type, the market of plastic pail is divided into open top/head and close top/head.
In terms of material, the market of plastic pail is segmented into PE, PP, PET, PCR, plastic, others.
The market of plastic pail includes up to 3 liters, 3 to 5 liters, 5 to 10 liters, 10 to 20 liters, above 20 liters.
Some of end users in the plastic pail market include paints & coatings packaging, chemicals packaging, petroleum & lubricants packaging, pharmaceutical packaging, food & beverage ingredients packaging, building & construction.
Key countries of North America, Latin America, East Asia, South Asia and Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa are covered.
The plastic pail industry is projected to witness CAGR of 4.2% between 2025 and 2035.
The global plastic pail industry stood at USD 1.2 billion in 2024.
Global plastic pail industry is anticipated to reach USD 1.9 billion by 2035 end.
South Asia & Pacific is set to record a CAGR of 5.3% in assessment period.
The key players operating in the plastic pail industry are include Time Technoplast Ltd., Greif Inc., Mauser Group N.V., ExxonMobil among others.
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Plastic Pails Market
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