Freedonia Market Research Analyzes Global Drywall Industry

World demand for drywall (also known as plasterboard or wallboard) is forecast to expand 4.5 percent per year through 2012 to 9.75 billion square meters.  Gains will vary greatly by region, depending on a host of factors such as building construction spending and economic growth prospects, as well as trends in local construction techniques.  Gypsum-based building plaster sales will rise 5.2 percent per year through 2012 to 35 million metric tons.  In most developed countries, drywall is by far the dominant market for gypsum.  In developing countries, however, the dominant use for gypsum is as a cement additive.  Drywall based on synthetic gypsum will account for an increasing share of global demand through 2012.  These and other trends, including market share and company profiles, are presented in World Drywall & Building Plasters, a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industry research firm.

The market for drywall is concentrated in North America, which accounted for 48 percent of global sales in 2007.  However, through 2012, sales growth in North America will significantly lag all other regions, primarily due to maturation in the large US market. 

Drywall prospects in the Asia/Pacific region will be particularly robust, especially when excluding Japan.  The Japanese drywall market, although registering weak gains through 2012, will recover somewhat from the anemic performance of the past decade.  China and India will perform especially favorably, with countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam also registering healthy gains in demand.  Growth in other developing parts of the world will typically exceed nine percent per year through 2012, with new drywall plants opening in booming markets such as the UAE and Ukraine.  Both rapid construction growth and rising popularity of dry construction techniques will bolster demand in developing countries.

Drywall sales in Western Europe will register gains lagging the world average, but exceeding most other developed markets.  Gains will be particularly strong in countries such as Portugal, Italy and Spain, where drywall use is increasingly being substituted for traditional wet construction techniques.  Western Europe will remain the world’s largest market for gypsum-based building plasters through 2012.

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.