Data Centre Paint Sales Set to Triple at PPG
PPG expects its data centre coatings business to triple in 2026, a projection tied to fast-growing infrastructure construction.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Data Centers
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PPG, a Pittsburgh coatings maker, expects its paint sales to data centres to triple in 2026 from 2025. The shift is an announced sales projection, not a measured result, and it reflects growing demand for specialized coatings in data centre construction.
Why it matters
Data centre construction is pulling coatings makers into a niche that was once minor for them, a shift that Sherwin-Williams also reported, with protective and marine sales rising by a midteens percentage from a year earlier. For Pittsburgh, home to PPG since 1883, the trend ties a long-established industrial company to the fast-growing infrastructure buildout behind the data centre boom.
The figures are company-reported: PPG's tripling forecast and Sherwin-Williams' midteens protective-sales growth are projections and results from earnings disclosures, not independent measurements. Because data centres still account for only a low-single-digit share of PPG's sales, the tripling starts from a small base, and the company has not disclosed the absolute revenue behind it.
The players
PPG
A Pittsburgh coatings company founded in 1883 as Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company, now selling specialized protective coatings for data centres and industrial structures.
Sherwin-Williams
A major paint and coatings manufacturer whose protective and marine business is growing alongside data centre construction.
The details
PPG makes specialized coatings that protect steel and sensitive equipment, and its data centre package covers steel fireproofing, rust-resistant primers, anti-static flooring, and coatings that block electrical interference. The company coats more than 75 data centre parts, including security camera housings and cooling equipment, and its flagship product, Steelguard 951, is designed to protect steel for up to four hours. PPG organizes its work into one team serving tech giants and another that works with architects and builders before construction begins, aiming to get its coatings written into a project's approved materials list early.
Timeline
PPG began in 1883 as the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company.
PPG sold its US and Canadian paint-store business, including the Glidden brand, in 2024.
PPG rolled out its data centre package at a trade show in Washington in April.
Sherwin-Williams' CEO reported protective and marine sales growth in July.
PPG expects its data centre paint sales to triple in 2026 from 2025.
The Tech Race
PPG's data centre push comes as its rival Sherwin-Williams reports rising protective sales tied to the same construction wave. Both companies are competing to get their coatings specified early in data centre projects, a race that favors firms able to meet fireproofing and electrical-interference requirements.
The change reaches contractors and builders first, since PPG's coatings must be written into project materials lists before construction begins. The extraction gives no pricing or availability timeline for end users, and PPG cites paint costs of $3 million to $8 million per building.
The takeaway
Data centre construction is becoming a growth market for industrial coatings makers, and the trend bears watching. Track PPG's and Sherwin-Williams' next quarterly earnings reports for whether the reported growth in data centre and protective sales materializes.
Further reading
For more on how the buildout is reshaping regional industry, explore Data Centers coverage across Pittsburgh.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Times of India.
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