Oct 13 2010
MarketResearch.com has announced the addition of Freedonia Group Inc's new report "Brick & Block" to their collection of Home Building & Improvement market reports.
Demand for brick and block products in the United States is expected to rise strongly through 2014, reflecting a rebound in the key new residential market from a very weak 2009 base. The sharp contraction in new housing construction from 2007 through 2009 led to a steep decline in demand for brick and block products used in siding applications. As the housing industry gradually recovers and new housing construction accelerates, brick and block products will benefit. This will be especially true for common clay brick, which will post double-digit gains.
Consumption of clay brick is projected to increase more than 16 percent yearly from a weak 2009 base to 8.9 billion units in 2014. While still below the industry high water mark set in 2004 at more than ten billion units, demand will nonetheless post strong growth through 2014. Most of this will result from rebounding new housing construction, as residential markets generally account for about 70 percent of total clay brick demand. Consumption will also increase in nonresidential markets, albeit at much slower rates.
Concrete brick and block products, on the other hand, are primarily utilized in nonresidential construction markets. These market segments, at least in recent years, have experienced less dramatic swings than residential markets, with the result that concrete brick and block demand tends to be somewhat less volatile, although consumption is cyclical. Demand for these products is forecast to expand to 3.6 billion units in 2014. Outsized growth will occur in concrete pavers, which are increasingly popular in fast-growing residential markets.