Overview

The International Tar Association has been an organization of related companies since 1931. The original organization was called the International Road Tar Conference, followed by the International Tar Conference. Over the years, the Association has evolved to meet the changing and growing demands of the industry. In 2003, the International Tar Association AISBL was formed and registered in Belgium. Under the Belgium registration, the Association expanded its global reach with a push into Asian markets. In 2014, the International Tar Association, Inc. replaced the former Belgian structure and was established in the United States with the domicile located in Orlando, Florida. One constant for the Association over this long history is that it is formed by member companies with like interests surrounding Coal Tar, Coal Tar Distillation, Coal Tar Derivatives and the transportation, sale and handling of these products.

With the many structural changes in the International Tar Association since 1931, the names and faces of the membership of the International Tar Association have also evolved as the Coal Tar Industry has moved from local and regional markets to today’s global marketplace. In recent years, the Association has attracted new member companies from growth markets in Coal Tar Distillation and Development including China, Japan and India. Combined with the traditional membership bases from the Americas and Europe, today the International Tar Association has thirty-two member companies located in Belgium, Canada, England, France, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, Spain and the United States. In addition, the association’s annual conference draws delegates from markets including coal tar, coal tar pitch, aluminum, steel, coking, carbon black, naphthalene, engineering, consulting and others areas of the Coal Tar Industry.