Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/666889
palletcentral.com PalletCentral • March-April 2016 33 billion board feet in 2009. Since 2010, U.S. hardwood lumber consumption has trended up, hitting 8.5 billion board feet in 2015. The top three hardwood lumber consuming sectors are pallets and crating; export markets; and railroad ties. Home- related (residential) applications – including flooring, furniture, cabinets, etc. – account for nearly 23% of the U.S. total. Of all residential sub-sectors, U.S. furniture manufacturers have felt the winds of change most directly. Approximately 70% of the domestic furniture-making capacity moved offshore, reducing hardwood lumber demand in this sector by nearly 2 billion board feet. Since 1999, exports facilitated a sector-wide transition as manufacturers of furniture and other products moved to locations with lower labor costs. This shift corresponds with the growth in hardwood lumber exports, which doubled in volume since 2009. Top destinations include China, Canada, Vietnam, the European Union, and Mexico. Consumer preferences critically inform the sector. On the one hand, homebuyers rarely note the species of spruce, pine or fir studs in the walls of their houses. Builders will substitute studs of one species for another based on price or other characteristics such as weight, density, strength and workability. In comparison, hardwood decisions involve homebuyers to a greater degree. For example: • Flooring: strip flooring (solid wood) such as red or white oak or maple or hickory? If so, which species? In cases, price- sensitivity pushes consumers towards engineered wood/laminate flooring, or alternatives such as carpet or tile. • Cabinets: Wood or metal? If wood, lightly stained to show the grain? Coarse or fine-grained? Or painted or darkly stained so the wood type doesn't matter? Manufacturers note that Data sources: USDA (pre-2000); WWPA (2000+); HMR Sources: McKeever, David B., Howard, James L., 2011, Solid Wood Timber Products Consumption in Major End Uses in the United States, 1950-2009, USFS Forest Products Laboratory, General Technical Report FPL-199; Hardwood Market Report U.S. Hardwood and Softwood Consumption, BBFT U.S. Hardwood Lumber Consumption by End Use