REPORT TRACKS DEMAND FOR CAST-POLYMER PRODUCT

摘要

Demand for cast-polymer materials is forecast to advance over 7 percent per year to 172 million sq. ft. in 2006. Gains will be fueled by ongoing consumer interest in high-end surfacing materials which are durable and require minimal maintenance. Advances will also be powered by a meteoric increase in demand for engineered stone, which is benefitting from broader distribution and growing consumer awareness. Further gains will be driven by the increasing use of cast polymers in applications other than countertops, the traditional use for these materials. Falling prices will contribute to additional volume demand by making cast polymers more affordable to a larger pool of potential customers, although this will restrain growth in market value to some extent. These and other trends are presented in Solid Surface & Other Cast Polymer Materials, a new study from The Freedonia Group, Inc., a Cleveland-based industrial market research firm. Demand for engineered stone (available in quartz or marble) is expected to register stellar growth of 17 percent per year to 46 million sq. ft. in 2006. Engineered stone, especially quartz, is still a relatively new material in the U.S. market, but will account for more than 25 percent of cast polymer sales in 2006, matching cultured stone as the second largest type. Gains will be driven by performance and aesthetic advantages. Solid surface materials will remain the largest cast polymer material type with nearly half of all volume sales in 2006 and will record respectable gains.