List of the 75 largest paint and coatings manufacturers Germany [2025]

List of the 5 largest coatings and paint manufacturers in Germany

There are over 200 German companies in the coatings and paints industry. Many are chemical companies that are also active in other areas. Here are the 5 largest coatings and paints manufacturers.

1. BASF SE, Ludwigshafen

BASF is Germany’s leading chemical company with more than 110,000 employees. Coatings and paints are produced in the Coatings division (segment: Chemicals). The subsidiary BASF Coatings in Münster is responsible for this. Production focus: automotive, automotive refinish and industrial coatings as well as architectural coatings. BASF Coatings has 2,300 employees.

2. Henkel AG & Co. KGaA, Düsseldorf

Henkel is a German consumer goods manufacturer that is primarily associated with detergents or beauty care products. However, in its Adhesive Technologies business sector, Henkel also produces adhesives, sealants, paints and functional coatings for industry. The Group employs almost 53,000 people.

3. Covestro AG, Leverkusen

Covestro was created in 2015 by spinning off the plastics division from the Bayer Group. The new group has around 16,500 employees. Coatings products belong to the Solutions and Specialties segment, here to the Coatings and Adhesives business unit. Among other things, this unit produces precursors for coatings, adhesives and sealants.

4. DAW SE, Ober-Ramstadt

DAW was founded in 1895 as “Deutsche Amphibolin-Werke von Robert Murjahn”. Today, the company forms the corporate umbrella of the Caparol Group. This is one of the largest German manufacturers of emulsion paints. One of the best-known Caparol brands is Alpina Farben. The family-owned company employs about 5,600 people.

5. Sto SE & Co. KGaA, Stühlingen

Sto’s origins lie in a lime works founded in 1835 in southern Baden. Today, Sto (for the company’s founder Wilhelm Stotmeister) is a leading German manufacturer of paints, plasters, varnishes, coating and thermal insulation composite systems. The Baden-Württemberg-based group employs more than 5,300 people.

Overview of the German paint and coating industry

Our list contains the largest companies in the paint and varnish industry. Varnishes are coating materials that are either in liquid or powder form and can be produced in any color imaginable. Varnish has three different functions. Protection, decoration, and function. The world’s largest area of application for coatings is architectural paints (facades, etc.), but coatings also play a key role in the automotive and aircraft industries. The largest manufacturer of coatings in Germany is BASF SE, which produces everything from surface coatings and automotive paints to piano finishes.

This information is included in the database

• Company name
• General contact data (address, e-mail address, telephone number, URL)
• Name of the management
• Serial letter suitable for addressing the management (e.g. “Dear Dr. Müller”)
• Sales figures for the years 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015 (taken from the annual and consolidated financial statements)
• Employee figures for the years 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018 (taken from the annual and consolidated financial statements)
• Sector classification & Field of activity

Note: Our sales figures and employee numbers are always taken from publications in the Federal Gazette or the company register. If no annual financial statements/consolidated financial statements are published in the Federal Gazette or the company register — or if these financial statements do not contain sales figures and/or employee numbers — our list will also not contain any figures, which we will then indicate in the list with “n.a.”. If you would like to know the exact figures covered in the list, we will be happy to provide you with transparent information before you place your order. Simply send us an email contact [at] researchgermany.com.

Picture source: Unsplash (Nina Luong), Unsplash (David Pisnoy)