Custom Formulation for Construction Adhesives: What Buyers Should Define First
Quick Answer
Most custom formulation requests fail before the laboratory sees them, because the brief describes a feeling rather than a specification.
A brief that can actually be quoted contains five things:
- Application — what the product bonds or seals, in what detail, on what substrate.
- Performance target with a test method — a number and the standard it is measured against.
- Constraints — colour, odour, VOC, cure speed, packaging, service temperature.
- Volume and market — annual quantity, destination, and the documents that market requires.
- Ownership — who owns the formulation, and what happens at the end of the relationship.
Everything else is negotiation. These five decide whether the project is feasible in three weeks or three quarters.
1. Three Briefs That Cannot Be Quoted
| What the buyer writes | Why it stalls |
|---|---|
| “Like [brand], but cheaper.” | No property is named, so no formulation can be assessed against it. The comparison is a price, not a product. |
| “High performance, fast cure, permanent flexibility.” | Three adjectives with no test basis. Any product can be claimed to meet them; none can be proven. |
| “Same as our current product, but in a different colour and 20% cheaper.” | The cost driver is usually the formulation or the packaging, not the pigment. Asking for both at once signals the budget, not the requirement. |
The fix is the same in all three cases: replace the adjective with a measurement. If the requirement turns out to fit an existing grade, comparing the supply models is the faster route.
2. Choose the Standard Before the Product
Performance targets should be written as property + value + test method. That sentence is what a laboratory can work to, and what a QC inspector can reject against.
| Target | Weak phrasing | Workable phrasing |
|---|---|---|
| Movement | “Flexible” | Displacement capability class per the applicable sealant standard, with the joint width it must serve |
| Strength | “Strong bond” | Shear strength on the named substrate pair, at a stated test method |
| Elasticity | “Rubber-like” | Shore A hardness range, plus elongation at break |
| Durability | “Long lasting” | Accelerated ageing regime and the retained-property threshold |
| Temperature | “Heat resistant” | Service temperature range at the joint, not at ambient |
Note what changes: the second column can be tested, and it can be refused. That is the point.
If you do not know which standard applies, say so in the brief and ask the supplier to propose one — but then require the proposal in writing, with the test method named, before sampling starts.
3. Know What “Custom” Can and Cannot Change
Custom formulation is a set of trade-offs inside a chemistry family, not a blank sheet.
Normally adjustable:
- Colour and pigment system.
- Viscosity, thixotropy and slump behaviour.
- Open time and skin-over time, within limits set by the cure chemistry.
- Hardness and modulus, traded against elongation.
- Filler system, which affects cost, hardness and surface finish.
- Packaging format and pack size.
Not adjustable, or not quickly:
- The chemistry family itself. The three main lines in construction adhesives are silicone, silane-modified polymer (MS) and polyurethane — the current range shows which models sit in each. If the application needs one of those, no amount of reformulation turns another into it.
- Certification timelines. A test report can be commissioned; a national approval takes as long as the authority takes.
- Physical limits. A formulation cannot be both extremely hard and extremely elastic at the same time — that is a trade-off, not an oversight.
A supplier who says “we can do anything” has either misunderstood the brief or is planning to substitute a standard product later. Both outcomes cost the buyer a quarter.
4. Agree the Test Plan Before the First Sample
Sampling without an acceptance plan produces a loop: sample, opinion, reformulate, opinion. Break it by defining, in the brief:
- Who tests — the supplier’s laboratory, a third-party laboratory, or your own bench.
- What is tested — the full property list or only the critical three or four.
- On what specimen — substrate pair, joint geometry, cure conditions.
- Acceptance threshold per property, with tolerance.
- How many rounds are included in the development cost, and what happens after that.
Two rounds is a realistic allowance for a straightforward modification. A project that reaches round five has a brief problem, not a formulation problem.
5. Volume, Market and Documents
Custom formulation has a volume floor, because development effort is amortised over the order. Be explicit about:
- Annual quantity and order frequency, in the format you will actually buy.
- First-order quantity, which is usually what decides feasibility.
- Destination markets, because the document set differs — outdoor construction products are assessed against CE, ISO 9001 with ISO 11600, and RoHS in this range, while indoor products carry a different set including REACH, French A+ and FDA food-contact compliance where applicable.
- Claims you intend to make in your market, so that nothing is claimed which the documents cannot support. Market-specific approvals are applied for, not transferred.
6. Ownership: Settle It Before Sampling
Three questions worth answering in writing at the start:
- Who owns the formulation developed for you — and can the supplier sell an equivalent to others?
- What is confidential on both sides, and for how long?
- What happens at the end — if you move supplier, do you receive the specification, or only the product?
The packaging and branding side of a private development is covered in the OEM and private label overview.
Exclusivity of a formulation is a commercial agreement, not a technical feature. It is normally discussed against a committed volume, and it should never be assumed from a project brief. If a supplier offers formulation exclusivity casually on the first call, ask how they document it.
7. A Brief Template That Gets a Real Answer
| Field | What to write |
|---|---|
| Application | Detail being bonded or sealed, joint geometry, substrate pair |
| Current product | Model or description, and the specific problem with it |
| Performance target | 3–5 properties with values and test methods |
| Constraints | Colour, odour, VOC, cure speed, service temperature, packaging |
| Volume | First order and annual, in packs |
| Market | Destination country and required documents |
| Claims | What you intend to state on pack and in tenders |
| Sampling | Rounds allowed, who tests, acceptance criteria |
| IP | Ownership, confidentiality, exit terms |
| Timeline | When the product must be on shelf |
Fill that in and the reply stops being a price list and starts being an engineering answer.
Discuss Your Custom Formulation Requirement with INGADA
If you are considering a custom formulation, send the application, the substrate pair, the performance target with test methods, your volume basis and destination market. We will confirm what is achievable inside the relevant chemistry family, what needs testing, and where a standard model already meets the requirement — which is often the faster and cheaper route.
Custom formulation feasibility depends on the chemistry family, test requirements and order volume. Development timelines and minimum quantities are confirmed per project.
