North American market for high-performance ceramic coatings was an estimated $1.3 bln in 2006, a figure that is expected to rise to nearly $1.4 bln in 2007 and $1.9 bln by 2012, a projected compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.0% over the next five years. The market is broken down into applications of thermal sprays, physical vapor deposition (PVD), chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and other techniques. Thermal spray coatings dominate the market, with about 65% of total sales. CVD accounts for the second-largest share of the market with nearly 16% in 2006, although this%age is expected to decline slightly to 14% by 2012. The share of PVD, the third-largest technology segment, is projected to remain roughly steady at slightly over 12% between 2006 and 2012. Other coating technologies such as spraying/dipping, sol-gel, micro-oxidation and laser assisted techniques should make the biggest gains in market share, from 7% in 2006 to 9% in 2012.