US Demand for Wood-Plastic Composite and Plastic Lumber to Reach $5.4 Billion in 2015

US demand for wood-plastic composite and plastic lumber is projected to advance over 13 percent per year to $5.4 billion in 2015, creating a market for 2.6 billion pounds of plastic.  Advances will be driven by a rebound in construction expenditures from a depressed 2010 base. Growth will be further boosted by increasing consumer demand for building products made from composite and plastic lumber, instead of more traditional materials, such as natural wood.  These and other trends, including market share and product segmentation, are presented in Wood-Plastic Composite & Plastic Lumber, a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry market research firm.  

Decking, which was the leading application for composite and plastic lumber in 2010, will experience the most rapid demand advances through 2015.  Among other applications, molding and trim, and windows and doors are expected to post the most rapid demand gains through 2015.  Homeowners will install windows and doors made from cellular PVC and composite lumber because of their resistance to rotting and resemblance to natural wood.  Demand for composite and plastic lumber in landscape and outdoor products, fencing and other applications will be promoted by increasing consumer recognition of the performance properties of these materials.

Demand for wood-plastic composite lumber will post more rapid gains than that for plastic lumber through 2015, advancing over 16 percent annually to $2.5 billion.  Gains will be driven by ongoing consumer interest in composite lumber as a substitute for natural wood products in such applications as decking and fencing.  Moreover, because wood-plastic composite lumber incorporates recycled materials, it is seen as an environmentally friendly building material.

Plastic lumber demand is forecast to rise nearly eleven percent per year to $2.8 billion in 2015.  Gains will be spurred by rising consumer interest in the material because of its low maintenance properties.  The efforts of manufacturers to create plastic lumber with more realistic woodgrain textures and surfaces will also support demand.

The Freedonia Group is a leading international business research company, founded in 1985, that publishes more than 100 industry research studies annually. This industry analysis provides an unbiased outlook and a reliable assessment of an industry and includes product segmentation and demand forecasts, industry trends, demand history, threats and opportunities, competitive strategies, market share determinations and company profiles.