US demand for fibre cement products is forecast to grow 5.8% annually through 2019 to 269.4 million m² (2.9 billion sq ft), valued at US$2.2 billion. Accelerating construction expenditures, specifically in new housing, will spur demand.
Siding is by far the largest application for fibre cement, and demand will benefit from fibre cement siding’s popularity in the South and West, the US regions that will experience the strongest growth in population and housing starts going forward. These and other trends are presented in Fiber Cement, a new study from The
The residential market accounts for the majority of fibre cement demand. According to construction group leader Tom Bowne: “While new housing demand for fibre cement products will rise at the fastest pace through 2019, residential improvement and repair will continue to account for a larger portion of residential demand. Sales of existing housing will generate demand for fibre cement products as homeowners look to increase the value of their properties before going to market.”
Exterior fibre cement products have seen increasing use in the non-residential market in recent years, particularly in the form of fibre cement backerboard products. Fibre cement product demand in the non-residential market is forecast to grow 5.4% annually through 2019 to 62.2 million m² (670 million sq ft). Rebounding non-residential building construction demand will primarily drive gains. In addition, fibre cement siding and exterior trim will benefit from a design trend in commercial buildings that favours an exposed-wood appearance for exteriors. Fibre cement product manufacturers have responded to this demand by developing new wood-like products aimed at commercial buildings.
Siding accounts for over 70% of fibre cement product demand. Fibre cement manufacturers have found a great deal of success in this application, managing to penetrate a competitive market and becoming a major material option in siding over the course of a couple of decades. Backerboard is the second largest application for fibre cement in the US and is expected to post above average growth in the forecast years.
