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RPM International is the most diversified of the three, with a substantial construction-products business alongside coatings and consumer brands. PPG organizes a broad, multinational coatings portfolio around architectural, performance, and industrial markets. Sherwin-Williams also sells across consumer and industrial coatings, but its company-operated paint-store network is a defining part of how it reaches contractors and homeowners.
How the three companies are organized
Their reporting segments reflect each company’s own structure, not a standardized industry taxonomy. Similar segment names do not necessarily cover identical products or customers.
| Company | Reported segments | Portfolio emphasis | Distribution and customer angle |
|---|---|---|---|
| RPM International | Construction Products Group (CPG); Performance Coatings Group (PCG); Consumer | Construction systems and repair products; specialty and high-performance coatings; branded consumer paints and related products. The portfolio also includes selected food, industrial, restoration, and specialty businesses. | Construction products reach contractors, manufacturers, distributors, and end users. Consumer products include paints, sealants, woodcare, and other home-improvement products. |
| PPG | Global Architectural Coatings; Performance Coatings; Industrial Coatings | Architectural paints; automotive refinish, aerospace, protective and marine coatings, and traffic solutions; industrial and OEM coatings, packaging, and specialties. | A multinational coatings manufacturer serving construction, consumer, industrial, transportation, and aftermarket markets. PPG says it operates in more than 50 countries. |
| Sherwin-Williams | Paint Stores Group; Consumer Brands Group; Performance Coatings Group | Architectural paint and coatings; branded and private-label consumer and wood products; industrial, automotive refinish, protective and marine, coil, and packaging coatings. | Company-operated specialty paint stores are central to its model. Consumer Brands sells through retail and dealers; Performance Coatings also uses company branches, sales staff, and third-party distributors. |
RPM’s current three-segment structure took effect June 1, 2025, replacing its prior four-segment setup. The figures below use each company’s own reporting labels and descriptions: RPM International’s fiscal 2026 Form 10-K, PPG’s 2025 Annual Report and Form 10-K, and Sherwin-Williams’ 2025 Form 10-K.
What RPM’s mix says about its business
RPM is not simply a paint maker. Its subsidiaries produce specialty paints and coatings, but also infrastructure repair products, roofing systems, sealants, adhesives, and other products for construction, industrial, specialty, and consumer markets. Construction products give RPM a significant exposure beyond conventional coatings categories.
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Under the structure effective June 1, 2025, RPM reported approximate shares of consolidated sales of 39% for Construction Products Group, 27% for Performance Coatings Group, and 34% for Consumer. These are approximate segment shares reported in RPM’s fiscal 2026 Form 10-K, for the fiscal year ended May 31, 2026. They describe RPM’s mix under the new reporting structure; they are not a direct measure of how much of the company is “paint.”
How PPG’s coatings portfolio differs
PPG groups its businesses into Global Architectural Coatings, Performance Coatings, and Industrial Coatings. That structure spans architectural paints as well as products for applications such as automotive refinishing, aerospace, protective and marine coatings, traffic systems, OEM manufacturing, and packaging.
PPG’s segments therefore cover a wide range of end markets and product types. Its investor overview describes the company’s multinational footprint, and PPG says it operates in more than 50 countries. See PPG’s investor overview for company information.
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Sherwin-Williams reports Paint Stores Group, Consumer Brands Group, and Performance Coatings Group. Its company-operated specialty stores make its route to market especially visible: at December 31, 2025, it had 4,853 such stores in the United States, Canada, and the Caribbean region. The company says the stores serve contractors and do-it-yourself homeowners.
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The store network is only one channel. Sherwin-Williams’ Consumer Brands products also reach customers through retail and dealers, while Performance Coatings uses company branches, sales staff, and third-party distributors. Its 2025 segment figures include substantial transfers from Consumer Brands to Paint Stores, so segment revenue should not be added as though every dollar were an external sale.
What the reported scale figures can—and cannot—tell you
| Company | Reported 2025 net sales | Reporting period |
|---|---|---|
| PPG | $15.875 billion, reported by PPG Industries, Inc. | Calendar year ended December 31, 2025 |
| Sherwin-Williams | $23.5743 billion, reported by The Sherwin-Williams Company | Calendar year ended December 31, 2025 |
| RPM International | Not stated here as a matching total-sales figure | Fiscal year ended May 31, 2026 |
The PPG and Sherwin-Williams figures are company-reported calendar-year totals; RPM’s cited filing covers a fiscal year ending May 31. Because these periods do not match—and no matching RPM total is established here—the figures do not support a three-company revenue ranking. RPM’s segment percentages describe its sales mix, not its total sales, and cannot be used to calculate peer scale ratios.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Which distinction matters most?
- RPM: A diversified specialty-products portfolio with substantial construction-products exposure, in addition to coatings and consumer brands.
- PPG: A broad coatings manufacturer organized around architectural, performance, and industrial products and end markets.
- Sherwin-Williams: A coatings company whose owned specialty paint stores are a particularly prominent route to contractors and homeowners, alongside retail, dealer, branch, and distributor channels.
This is a comparison of business mix and distribution, not a claim that the companies’ products are interchangeable or investment advice.
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