Market Size (2018)
$8.58B
Vertical: PCMBase Year: 2018
Market Size (2018)
$8.58B
Projected (2025)
$12.22B
CAGR (2018–2025)
5.2%
Key Players
10+
The global retort packaging market is driven by factors such as the growth of online food ordering and growth of the packaged food industry. However, fluctuation in raw material prices and government norms against plastic packaging act as restraints for the market growth during the forecast period. The global retort packaging market is projected to grow at 6.5% CAGR during the forecast period.
The global market for retort packaging has been segmented based on packaging type, material, and application. On the basis of packaging type, the global market has been segmented into pouches, trays, cartons, and others. In 2018, the pouches segment accounted for the larger market share of 52.86%with a market value of USD 16,873.29 million. It is projected to grow at 6.9% CAGR during the forecast period.
On the basis of material, the global market has been segmented into paper & paperboard, aluminum foil, polypropylene, polyester, and others. In 2018, the paper & paperboard segment accounted for the largest market share of 28.04% with a market value of USD 8,951.21million. It is projected to grow at 5.9% CAGR during the forecast period.
On the basis of application, the global market has been segmented into food, beverages, and others. In 2018, the food segment accounted for the largest market share of 61.81%with a market value of USD 19,731.69 million. It is projected to grow at 6.7% CAGR during the forecast period.
On the basis of region, in 2018, Europe accounts for 36.36% market share trailed by Asia-Pacific with market share of 33.12%, will continue to dominate the market during the forecast period.
The Retort Packaging Market market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 5.2% from 2018 to 2025.
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View Subscription PlansRetort Packaging Market
Historical performance and future projections (2020–2030, USD Billion)
Market Size (USD Mn)
Retort packaging is a type of food packaging that is done using flexible plastic pouches or retort pouches.
Retort pouches and cans are used to pack ready-to-eat and other perishable food items, which are subjected to extreme heat, rendering the product commercially sterile. Such pouches have a shelf life of up to 18 months with no preservatives and zero refrigeration. They are four-layered pouches that are manufactured with retort films, namely, aluminum foil (barrier layer), polyester (outside layer), polypropylene (physical food contact layer), and nylon (abrasion resistance layer). The processing method uses heat and pressure to sterilize food.
The process of retorting deactivates enzyme action, arrests microbial growth, and ensures the shelf-stability of products. Reduced processing time ensures the food packed in a retort pouch retains maximum nutritional value, taste, aroma, and flavor at the time of consumption.
Retort packages are popular with food manufacturers across the world. They are among the most commonly used methods of thermal food processing. Retort packaging has revolutionized packaging of ready-to-eat food in food and beverage packaging.
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View Subscription PlansThis report applies a rigorous multi-stage research process combining primary interviews, secondary data sources, and bottom-up market modelling to ensure accuracy and completeness across all segments and geographies.
Base Year
2018
Historical Period
2018 – 2018
Forecast Period
2019 – 2025
Primary Interviews
150+
Historical data (2018–2018) and forecast period (2018–2025)
Our research process spans primary interviews with industry stakeholders combined with comprehensive secondary data analysis, validated through triangulation across multiple independent sources.
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View Subscription PlansThe global retort packaging market is characterized by a large number of players that operate at global and regional levels. The players adopt strategies such as expansions, mergers & acquisitions, and product development to improve their position in the global market. High competition, rapid changes in technology, and availability of integrated solutions by industry participants are the key factors that restrict the market growth. Vendors and key market players compete in terms of cost, product quality, and reliability. It is vital for the players to offer cost-effective and high-quality products and services to succeed in the competitive market environment.
The growth of market vendors depends on the growth of the industry, market environment, and regulations. Thus, they should continue to consider enhancing their offerings and expanding their presence. Amcor PLC (Australia), Mondi (Austria), Sonoco Products Company (US), Sealed Air Corporation (US), and Winpak Ltd (Canada) held nearly 41.00% of the market share in 2018.
PROAMPAC (US), Constantia Flexibles (US), Clondalkin Group (Netherlands), Coveris Group (Austria), and Clifton Packaging Group Limited (UK) are some of the other key players operating in the global retort packaging market.
The above-mentioned playersare dominating the market owing to their diversified product portfolios, vast industry experience, and wide geographic reach. These players are looking to strengthen their market presence through expansion with the help of partnerships, and acquisitions and other inorganic strategies to ensure revenue growth during the forecast period. The competitive environment in the market is likely to intensify as a result of the increasing number of expansions. Moreover, players with access to better technologies can develop unique and innovative products, which could render their competitors’ offerings, obsolete.
Michael Porter’s Five Forces model is a framework to study the global retort packaging market. Strategic business managers, trying to gain an edge over competing firms in the global retort packaging market, can utilize this model to better comprehend the industry, in which the company operates. The components of each of the forces and the degree of impact of each force in the context of the global retort packaging market have been broken down and analyzed. Threat of New Entrants
The requirement of a vast customer base, moderate technological complexity, and moderate capital to set up production facilities along with the stringent regulatory compliance restrict the entry of new players in the global retort packaging market. Furthermore, the established players, unlike the new players, can afford advanced manufacturing technologies. Additionally, in regions such as North America and Europe, stringent regulations regarding the manufacturing process of particular packaging materials due to their chemical content and environmental impact have been introduced. This leads to an increase in direct and indirect costs associated with regulatory compliance, which reduces the threat of new entrants. Thus, the threat of new entrants in the global retort packaging market is expected to be moderate during the forecast period. Bargaining Power of Suppliers
The suppliers in the retort packaging market are the providers of raw materials such as plastic, aluminum, and paper in various forms. The requirement of raw materials is high for the production of retort packaging. The presence of a large number of suppliers decreases the bargaining power of suppliers. Although the differentiation between the raw materials is low, the retort packaging manufacturing companies cannot switch between suppliers due to their long-term contracts with the suppliers. Thus, the bargaining power of suppliers in the global retort packaging market is expected to be moderate during the forecast period. Bargaining Power of Buyers
The primary buyers of retort packaging are the food manufacturers who purchase retort packaging products in high quantities, which leads to an increase in their bargaining power. The concentration of buyers in the global market is high. The differentiation between the products of various providers is moderate. The cost of switching between retort packaging product manufacturers is moderate. Thus, the bargaining power of buyers in the market is expected to be moderate during the forecast period. Threat of Substitutes
Packaging plays an important role in food packaging. However, there are a few alternatives available for retort packaging, including rigid food containers. Hence, the threat of substitutes in the global retort packaging market is expected to be moderate during the forecast period. Rivalry
The key players operating in the global retort packaging market are working on offering their products at competitive prices while ensuring on-time delivery. The market is fragmented with several players. The key players aim to invest in developing the market and in acquisitions to gain an edge over their peers. Hence, the intensity of rivalry in the global retort packaging market is expected to be moderate during the forecast period.
Market estimates by geography (2025)
InsightAsia Pacific leads with $5.30B by 2025.
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View Subscription Plans| REGION | 2018 | 2018 | 2025 | CAGR | SHARE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Asia Pacific | $3.37B | $4.37B | $5.30B | 6.7% | 43% |
| South America | $669.60M | $798.50M | $908.90M | 4.5% | 7% |
| Europe | $2.63B | $3.09B | $3.47B | 4.1% | 28% |
| North America | $1.56B | $1.82B | $2.03B | 3.8% | 17% |
| Middle East and Africa | $352.00M | $432.40M | $503.20M | 5.2% | 4% |
| Total | $8.58B | $10.51B | $12.22B | 5.2% | 100% |
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View Subscription PlansTotal Market Size
$12.22B
| APPLICATION | REVENUE ($B) | GROWTH RATE | MARKET PENETRATION |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pouches | $27.09B | 7.0% | 54% |
| Trays | $11.45B | 5.6% | 23% |
| Cartons | $7.87B | 6.2% | 16% |
| Others | $3.49B | 7.8% | 7% |
* Revenue projections based on 2025 estimates. Growth rates represent CAGR 2024–2030. Market penetration indicates current adoption rate within addressable market segments.
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Analytical insights on Retort Packaging Market covering market dynamics, competitive landscape, and strategic outlook.
The Retort Packaging Market market is projected to reach $12.22B by 2025, growing at 5.2% CAGR. The Pouches segment holds the largest share.
The global market for retort packaging is expected to witness sustainable growth in the next five years. The demand for retort packaging is poised to be driven growth of online food ordering and growth of the packaged food industry. However, fluctuation in raw material prices and government norms against plastic packaging acts as a restraint for the market.
The growing demand for food and the presence of franchise food organizations backed with the growing retail industry have led to the growth of online ordering and takeaway in urban and sub-urban areas. The food chains and franchise continue to gain momentum owing to the social and economic developments. Franchising has developed quite extensively over the past five years owing to increased Internet use, increasing population, purchasing power, busy lifestyles, aging population, and increasing awareness about nutritional value, and the need for variety, leading to the demand for retort packaging and other easy and efficient packaging products. Retort packaging plays an important role in both short term and long-term packaging of food as they help retain the benefits of the contents and protect their quality. Furthermore, the consumption of processed and convenience foods, such as canned food, frozen food, ready-to-eat snacks, meals, and chilled food products add to the demand for retort packaging. Such factors and a rise in the number of take-away joints are expected to add to the growth of the market for retort packaging.
The online food delivery industry has undergone rapid change as new online platforms have captured markets across the developed regions. Also, the online food delivery industry has attracted considerable investment and high valuations. Even emerging economies like India are among the key markets for online food and is growing substantially. With rising Internet penetration, E-commerce companies are considering developments to capitalize on the potential of the market. For instance, amazon is planning to launch its online food service in India. Furthermore, the increasing use of online food ordering applications and growing health awareness in developing regions are expected to drive the demand for retort packaging.
Thus, the growth of online food ordering is expected to drive the global retort packaging market during the forecast period.
The consumption patterns have changed in last few years owing to the positive economic indicators such as the rise in disposable income, changing preferences, and the increased number of retail outlets. The developing countries such as India, China, and Indonesia have witnessed significant demand for ready-to-eat food, which is expected to lead to the growth of the food packaging industry.
Increase in global import and export of perishable food products such as meat, poultry, and seafood lead to the growth in demand for retort packaging. The increased consumption of frozen and dried meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables, the growing demand for non-seasonal fruits and vegetables, creates need for shelf stable packaging solution, which consequently creates demand for retort packaging. Changing consumption patterns have led to the expansion of packaging industry in the region of Asia-Pacific. Furthermore, the region has a flourishing market and an expanding consumer base for food & beverages, which attracts foreign players to invest in the expansion of facilities and service development to efficiently cater to the demand of the region. The growing retort packaging industry in Asia has also captured the attention of the retort packaging players to expand their presence in Asia-Pacific. For instance, in November 2019, US-based manufacturer of packaging solutions Constantia Flexibles opened the world’s first plant designed to manufacture more sustainable and recyclable flexible packaging, in India (Gujarat). In June 2018, Sealed Air signed an agreement with Kuraray America, Inc. (Kuraray), a Japanese chemical company is set to offer food packaging materials derived from its Plantic bio-based resins.
Raw materials required for the manufacturing of retort packaging include plastic (PP, PET, EVOH, and others), Aluminum foil and laminates, paper and paperboards. The raw material prices depend on the availability of raw materials, global and domestic demand and supply trends, and government regulations. The prices of plastic are volatile, which would eventually affect the overall packaging cost. Moreover, due to this fluctuation, the financial performance of companies offering retort packaging and packaging products can adversely be affected.
Plastic is the primary raw material used in retort packaging for packaging food and beverages. The price fluctuation of PET and gaps in demand and supply is expected to restrict the growth of the market during the forecast period. The figure below depicts the fluctuation PET prices between 2013 and 2018.
Aluminum is the most widely used metal in retort packaging manufacturing and its prices have increased by 10.59% since 2016, affecting the overall retort container prices to a great extent. Fluctuations in raw material costs would raise the manufacturing and distribution cost, which disrupts long-term operations of the manufacturers and leads to the increased cost of the retort food packaging products. Most food storage container manufacturers find it difficult to bear the high raw material costs as the increase in prices affect the total cost of retort containers, which hinders the growth of the global retort packaging market. Thus, the fluctuation in raw material prices is expected to restrain the growth of the global retort packaging market during the forecast period.
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Profiles of 102 companies operating in the Retort Packaging Market market, including revenue, employee count, and market positioning where available.
Showing 102 of 102 companies
COVERIS GROUP
Company Headquarters: Austria Founded: 2007 Workforce: ~4,500 Company Working: Coveris is a leading packaging company manufacturing flexible packaging solutions. The company develops packaging products for all types of product protections. It offers labels, food and beverage packaging, medical packaging, building films, carton board, extrusion, print, and cube and stacked injection molding products for applications in end-use industries. The company operates through three business segments, namely, films, flexibles and labels & board. Retort packaging products are offered under the flexibles segment. Its sustainable packaging solutions offer quality packaging that extends the shelf-life of products and reduces resource wastage. The company offers its products to the food, pet food, industrial & agriculture, medical, agriculture, and home & personal care (non-food) markets. It has manufacturing facilities in 25 sites across the EMEA.
CLONDALKIN GROUP
1.1.1 COMPANY OVERVIEW Company Headquarters: Netherlands Founded: 1985 Workforce: ~1,350 Company Working: Clondalkin Group, also known as Clondalkin Flexible Packaging, is a global manufacturer of flexible packaging products. It develops, manufactures, and supplies high value-added flexible and paper packaging products and services. Cats Flexible Packaging (Clondalkin Flexible Packaging), (Clondalkin Flexible Packaging), LPF Flexible Packaging (Clondalkin Flexible Packaging) (Clondalkin Flexible Packaging Elst), and Vaassen Flexible Packaging (Clondalkin Flexible Packaging Vaassen) are a few of its subsidiaries. Clondalkin Flexible Packaging is a group of 11 companies with production facilities across US and Europe. The group has seven production facilities across the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, and the UK. It caters to the food & beverage, confectionery, dairy, bakery, and tobacco markets across 43 countries worldwide.
Caterpillar
Caterpillar Inc. was founded in 1925 through the merger of Holt Manufacturing Company and C.L. Best Tractor Co. and is incorporated in Delaware with global headquarters in Irving, Texas. The company operates as a publicly traded corporation on the New York Stock Exchange and maintains manufacturing, sales, and service operations across more than 190 countries. Within the heavy equipment and utility vehicles market, Caterpillar organizes its business into three primary segments — Construction Industries, Resource Industries, and Energy & Transportation — each of which directly addresses demand for large-scale machinery, off-highway vehicles, and utility-grade equipment deployed in construction, mining, quarrying, and infrastructure development worldwide. Caterpillar's core product portfolio in the heavy equipment and utility vehicles market spans crawler and wheel dozers, hydraulic excavators, motor graders, articulated and off-highway trucks, wheel loaders, backhoe loaders, skid steer loaders, compact track loaders, and telehandlers. The company also produces a broad range of utility vehicles including small dozers and compact construction equipment marketed under the Cat brand. Caterpillar competes directly with Komatsu, Volvo CE, Deere & Company, and CNH Industrial across these categories. Its dealer network — comprising approximately 160 dealers operating roughly 2,900 dealer locations globally — provides a distribution and aftermarket parts advantage that sustains machine uptime and customer retention at scale. Caterpillar's recent strategic direction in the heavy equipment and utility vehicles market centers on electrification, autonomy, and digital connectivity. The company has advanced its Cat® Command autonomous haulage and dozing systems, which are deployed commercially at mining and large construction sites. Caterpillar announced a partnership with Luck Stone in 2023 to deploy autonomous Cat 777 trucks at quarry operations, demonstrating commercial traction for autonomous utility vehicles beyond mining. The company also continues to invest in battery-electric and hydrogen-ready machine platforms, having unveiled the Cat 301.9 electric mini excavator and the Cat 320 electric excavator for urban construction applications, positioning itself ahead of tightening emissions regulations in Europe and North America. Caterpillar reported full-year 2024 revenues of $64.8 billion, with the Construction Industries segment generating approximately $21.6 billion and Resource Industries contributing approximately $11.5 billion, underscoring the company's dominant revenue base within heavy equipment end markets. Key customer segments include large mining operators such as BHP, Rio Tinto, and Freeport-McMoRan for high-tonnage haul trucks and dozers, as well as major civil infrastructure contractors and government-funded highway and utility construction programs globally. Caterpillar held an estimated 15–18% share of the global construction equipment market by revenue as of 2024, making it the largest single manufacturer in the sector by most industry measures
H&E Equipment Services Inc
Company Headquarters: Los Angeles, United States Founded: 1961 Workforce: ~ 2,157 Company Working: H&E Equipment Services Inc (H&E Equipment) is an integrated equipment company that provides rentals and sales services. The company rents, sells and provides parts and service support for new and used earthmoving equipment, material handling, forestry, concrete, industrial and heavy equipment. It offers rental equipment such as hi-lift and aerial platform equipment, cranes, light towers, industrial and material lifts, bulldozers and cement mixers generators, among others. H&E Equipment offers services such as fleet maintenance, remanufacturing, structural repair and operator and safety training, among others. The Equipment Rentals segment rents construction and industrial equipment. The New Equipment Sales segment sells new equipment in product categories. The Used Equipment Sales segment offers rental fleet and inventoried equipment that are acquired through trade-ins with its equipment customers and through purchases of high quality used equipment. The company operates through its offices in Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida and other states in the US. H&E Equipment is headquartered in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, the US.
Nishio Rent All Co Ltd
Company Headquarters: Osaka, Japan Founded: 1959 Workforce: ~ 4,463 Company Working: Nishio Rent All Co Ltd (Nishio) is a provider of equipment rental services. It offers rentals and uses sales equipment for civil and road construction, civil work, and large scale projects; plant maintenance and building works; and events and exhibitions. The company designs, fabricates, installs, and operates muddy wastewater treatment equipment and contaminated soil remediation systems. Nishio manufactures, rents, and sells battery motorized vehicles for tunnel and inside premises works. The company offers different forklifts, aerial platforms, work platforms, tower cranes, and maintenance equipment. It also rents equipment for exhibitions and equipment & materials for outdoor events. Furthermore, it also sells various parts and equipment; and provides inspection and onsite repair services for large-scale projects. The company also sells, rents, and installs sports flooring material produced by Connor Sport Court. The company offers its solutions and services through 416 rental operation divisions and 55 franchise operation chain stores in Japan. The company has a presence in Australia, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand, and Other countries. Nishio is headquartered in Osaka, Osaka, Japan.
Kanamoto Co., Ltd.
Company Headquarters: Hokkaido, Japan Founded: 1964 Workforce: ~ 3,832 Company Working: Kanamoto Co., Ltd. is an equipment rental services company that provides construction equipment, engineering workstations and computer peripherals. The company operates through various business segments such as construction equipment rental business, steel product sales business, computing products, and other businesses. Its construction equipment's includes hydraulic excavators, vehicles for working high off the ground, dump trucks, temporary housing materials and generators. It owns approximately 460 different models and 400,000 construction equipment rental items. The company has over 160 branches throughout Japan and 280 branches globally. Kanamoto also provides rental services of efficient hardware and a broad range of network solutions. The company offers steel products such as H-beams, sheet piles, formed reinforcing bars and single-tube pipes. It provides construction equipment rentals in Vietnam, Algeria, the UAE and the Pacific Rim region. The company operates in Sapporo and Tokyo, Japan.
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