Gelest, Inc. (Mitsubishi Chemical)
HQ US8% share
Specialty silicones, silanes and metal-organics; RTV silicone elastomers used as PDMS alternatives in microfluidics/research.
chemical · input
PDMS (Polydimethylsiloxane) Sylgard 184 for Microfluidic Chips
Two-part silicone elastomer (Sylgard 184, Dow) used for soft-lithography fabrication of microfluidic chips in point-of-care diagnostic devices. The de facto industry standard for lab-on-chip device manufacturing. Dow's Sylgard 184 dominates with an "unmatched competitive advantage." Transition to alternative materials is slow due to established workflows.
12
Source countries
4
Companies
1
Goods affected
0
Claims on record
What depends on it
Goods that need this input
1 essential American goods rely on pdms (polydimethylsiloxane) sylgard 184 for microfluidic chips somewhere upstream in their supply chain.
Where it comes from
Source countries
Share of global supply, by country.
| Country | Share of supply |
|---|---|
| USUnited States | 60% |
| DEGermany (Federal Republic of Germany) | 31% |
| JPJapan | 20% |
| CNChina | 15% |
| CACanada | 10% |
| KRSouth Korea (Republic of Korea) | 5% |
| FRFrance | 4% |
| THThailand | 3% |
| BEBelgium | 2% |
| VNVietnam | 2% |
| ITItaly | 1% |
| BRBrazil | 1% |
Who makes it
Supplier companies
4 companies produce pdms (polydimethylsiloxane) sylgard 184 for microfluidic chips.
Dow Inc.(DOW)
HQ US
Dow Inc. (Midland, Michigan; NYSE: DOW; ~$45B revenue) is a major global EPDM producer through its Performance Elastomers division, producing NORDEL EPDM. NORDEL is manufactured primarily at Dow's Freeport, Texas complex (one of the largest integrated chemical sites in North America) and at European facilities. NORDEL EPDM is used in automotive weatherstripping, roofing, wire insulation, and plumbing seals. Dow is estimated to hold ~15-18% of global EPDM capacity. The NORDEL brand has been a benchmark EPDM product since the 1960s (originally DuPont, transferred to Dow in 2019 DuPont-Dow merger split). Dow's integrated Freeport site gives it ethylene and propylene feedstock advantages for EPDM production cost.
Momentive Performance Materials
HQ US
Specialty silicones producer acquired by KCC Corporation (South Korea) in March 2024. Revenue ~$2.8B (2023). Operates Waterford, NY and Leverkusen, Germany silicone facilities. Post-acquisition now part of KCC's diversified materials group. Supplies SILOPREN™ LSR for industrial and agricultural sealing applications.
Wacker Chemie AG(WCH.DE)
HQ DE
Wacker Chemie AG (Munich, Bavaria, Germany; XETRA: WCH; ~€6B revenue; majority-owned by Dr. Alexander Wacker Familiengesellschaft family trust, ~50.3% stake) is the world's second-largest silicone producer with approximately 20-25% global silicone market share. Wacker's BELSIL brand personal care silicones (BELSIL DM dimethicone fluids, BELSIL CM cyclomethicone, BELSIL PDM dimethicone copolymers) are major ingredients in hair conditioners, shampoos, and skin lotions globally. Wacker's Burghausen, Bavaria facility is the world's largest single integrated silicone production site — a 500-hectare campus on the Salzach River employing ~6,000 people where Wacker produces silicon metal, methylchlorosilanes, silicone polymers, and downstream personal care silicone grades within a single Verbund complex. The same Burghausen campus also produces hyperpure polysilicon for solar panels and semiconductors — Wacker Polysilicon is the world's second-largest polysilicon producer. Wacker's second major silicone site is Nünchritz, Saxony (formerly East Germany), which produces silicone intermediates and specialty grades. In 2024, Wacker announced restructuring including headcount reductions driven by Chinese silicone competition and solar market pricing pressure.