Worldwide sales of drywall are forecast to expand 8.6 percent per annum through 2016 to nearly 10.7 billion square meters, a massive improvement over the 2006-2011 pace. Following recent severe losses between 2008 and 2011, drywall demand is expected to rebound sharply in North America and Western Europe. The East European market will also improve. While advances in the Africa/Mideast region, Asia/Pacific region, and Central and South America are projected to decelerate slightly through 2016, each of these regions is still expected to record impressive growth. These and other trends, including market share and product segmentation, are presented in World Drywall & Building Plaster, a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry market research firm.
Nearly 70 percent of additional drywall demand generated between 2011 and 2016 will be attributable to China and the US. Product sales in the US are projected to grow over 12 percent per year during this period. After declining sharply between 2006 and 2011, the amount of new residential floor space in the country is expected to increase at a double-digit pace. Rapid nonresidential building construction spending gains are also expected to stimulate growth in the US market. In China, demand for drywall is forecast to grow nearly 12 percent per year through 2016.
Numerous industrializing countries are also projected to register robust growth between 2011 and 2016, including India, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Thailand, and Turkey. Increasing demand for urban housing will drive residential building construction spending and related drywall sales. Consumption in these countries will also grow because of advances in office and commercial construction activity. Going forward, local construction firms will increase their use of modern building materials (such as drywall) at the expense of other products (such as building plaster).
The drywall market in Western Europe is forecast to expand 3.6 percent per year, a considerable improvement over the 2006-2011 pace. Spain is expected to register the fastest growth during this period, as new residential construction activity begins to recover, even though inflation-adjusted spending in 2016 will be well below the 2006 level. Among the other major markets that are expected to perform well are Italy, France, and the UK. Drywall demand in Western Europe will rise primarily because of increases in new residential construction from a depressed 2011 level.
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.
