Decline in Printing Ink Sales in Germany!
The volume of printing ink sold is on the decline. Since 2019, the sales of printing ink have dropped by 143 thousand tons (-33%). In contrast, the prices for printing inks have risen significantly since 2019. In 2023, the prices for printing ink were approximately 32% higher than the price in 2020. This trend aligns with the developments in the paper market, which we analyzed in the blog post “Paper Sales in Germany: The Facts!”
In 2023, the market volume for printing inks shrank by 11%.
Until 2022, the market volume for printing inks remained stable (CAGR 15-22 -1.2%). However, in 2023, the market volume for printing inks declined by 165 million euros (-11%). This trend is evident in both black printing ink and “Other Printing Inks” (non-black inks). The market volume for black printing ink has decreased more sharply, with a CAGR 15-23 of -3.8%, compared to the market volume for “Other Printing Inks,” which has declined at a CAGR 15-23 of -2.3%.
The volume of printing inks sold is decreasing significantly. This trend intensified with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and has continued to this day.
From 2015 to 2019, the volume of printing inks sold dropped from 506 thousand tons to 436 thousand tons (-14%). With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the volume of printing inks sold fell by 60 thousand tons within a year, down to 376 thousand tons. After a slight increase in 2021 (+5 thousand tons), the volume of printing inks sold decreased by around 40 thousand tons in both 2022 and 2023. In 2023, 293 thousand tons were sold, approximately 58% of the amount sold in 2015. The sales of black printing ink (CAGR 15-19 -6.1%) declined more sharply before 2020 compared to the sales of “Other Printing Inks” (CAGR 15-19 -3.1%). Since 2020, the sales of “Other Printing Inks” have been decreasing at a much higher rate, with an annual decline of -8.4%, compared to black printing ink sales (CAGR 20-23 -5.8%).
In the past two years (2021 to 2023), the prices for printing inks have increased by around 20%.
Over the past eight years, the prices for printing inks have risen by approximately 35-40%. In 2015, the price of a ton of black printing ink was 2,424 euros, while in 2023, it was 3,270 euros (+846 euros). The price for other printing inks increased by 1,248 euros, from 3,008 euros in 2015 to 4,256 euros in 2023. From 2015 to 2019, the prices for printing inks increased only slightly (Black Printing Ink CAGR 15-19 0.4%; Other Printing Inks CAGR 15-19 1.8%). From 2021 to 2022, the prices for printing inks rose sharply (Black Printing Ink +18%; Other Printing Inks +22%). In 2023, the prices for printing inks increased only slightly. Other printing inks have become more expensive relative to black printing ink. In 2015, other printing inks were 24% more expensive than black printing ink. In 2023, other printing inks were 30% more expensive.