PPG's data center paint boom

Business · Heat 1.7 / 10 · 2 shows · 8m airtime

On October 23, 2026, PPG told the New York Times it expects its paint sales to data centers to triple this year. Reporting puts the cost of coating a single data center at up to $8 million, spanning paint for more than 75 components and SteelGuard 951 fireproofing that swells from one millimeter to ten under heat. The discussion now includes Sherwin-Williams, whose protective and marine sales rose by a mid-teens percentage year over year in July, framing coatings as a broader way to play the AI buildout alongside Wesco, 3M, Vulcan and Martin Marietta.

How 2 podcasts covered it

1. Morning Brew Daily, 2026-10-23 (11:49 to 17:04)
   Finds PPG's data center paint boom
   Opens a new story inside the AI buildout: PPG's coatings business, with up to $8 million to paint one data center, paint for 75-plus components, and the SteelGuard 951 fireproofing that expands from one to ten millimeters under heat. Closes on other under-the-radar suppliers riding the same construction.
   New angle: PPG expects its data center paint sales to triple this year.
2. TBPN, 2026-10-23 (44:25 to 46:56)
   Treats paint supply as an AI bottleneck
   Picks up a New York Times piece on gray protective coatings and treats paint supply as an overlooked AI bottleneck, walking through PPG's fire test and Sherwin-Williams' mid-teens protective and marine sales growth.
   New angle: Sherwin-Williams' protective and marine sales rose by a mid-teens percentage year over year in July.