Drywall
Drywall sales in North America totaled 2.0 billion square meters in 2009,
representing 29 percent of global consumption. The intensity of product use in North America, relative to building construction spending
and population size, exceeds that of most other regions. North America is home
to two well established gypsum board markets in the US
and Canada and one
developing market in Mexico;
as a result, levels of product use vary greatly from country to country. In
2009, for example, per capita drywall demand in Canada
was 8.1 square meters, compared to 0.9 square meters per person in Mexico. The
U.S., which accounted for more than four-fifths of North American demand in
2009, is both the largest consumer and producer of drywall in the
region.
On average, the drywall market in North America contracted 10.4 percent per
year during the 2004-2009 period. In practice, sales of gypsum board grew in
2005 and 2006, but then fell dramatically between 2007 and 2009. The U.S.
experienced double-digit annual declines in drywall sales, as residential
building construction activity in the country fell sharply. Canada also
recorded losses during this period, but they were considerably smaller than
those of the U.S. Mexico was the only regional country to achieve growth in
drywall demand.
Sales of drywall in North America are projected to increase 10.6 percent per
annum to 3.4 billion square meters in 2014. North America
is forecast to register the fastest rate of growth of any region. The drywall
market in the U.S.
is forecast to expand 12.3 percent per year during the 2009-2014 period, as
residential building construction spending in the country rebounds from its
depressed 2009 level. Mexico
is predicted to record solid growth, both because of rising construction
activity and because local construction firms will use drywall more frequently
in the future. Canada,
on the other hand, will see product sales rise less than one percent per year
through 2014, due to weak growth in building construction expenditures.
Gains in building construction spending will be significantly smaller than
those of the U.S. because
the 2009 base was not as downtrodden in Canada. Drywall shipments from
North America are predicted to grow 10.2 percent annually between 2009 and
2014, trailing drywall demand growth slightly and leading to a decline in the
region’s net trade surplus.
Plaster
Building plaster demand in North America totaled 740,000 metric tons in 2009,
accounting for three percent of worldwide sales. The U.S.
is the region’s leading consumer of these products, followed by Mexico and Canada. Wet construction techniques
are not commonly employed in either Canada
or the U.S.
Instead, local construction companies prefer to use drywall in wall and ceiling
construction applications. Building plaster is primarily used in association
with drywall during the installation process (usually as joint compound), which
requires considerably less product than wet construction. As a result, North
America tends to have relatively low levels of product
demand.
The regional market for plaster contracted 6 percent per year between 2004 and
2009 because of a large decline in residential building construction activity
in the U.S.
Building plaster sales in North America are projected to advance 8.3 percent
per annum through 2014 to 1.1 million metric tons, an improvement over the
2004-2009 pace and faster than the expected worldwide rate of
growth.
As the U.S. housing market recovers from several years of losses, residential
building construction spending and associated gypsum board installation
activity will surge, greatly increasing demand for building plaster. In Mexico, healthy
residential and nonresidential building construction expenditures growth will
boost product sales 3.2 percent per year between 2009 and 2014.
