August 24, 2011
Wellesley, Mass. – In a recent release, WOOD-PLASTIC COMPOSITES: TECHNOLOGIES AND GLOBAL MARKETS (PLS034B) from BCC Research (www.bccresearch.com), the global market for wood-plastic composites (WPCs), cellulosic plastics, plastic lumber, and natural fiber composites totaled 2.4 million metric tons in 2011. That number is projected to reach more than 4.6 million metric tons in 2016, after increasing at a five-year compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.8%.
The global market for wood-plastic composites can be broken down into four segments by application – building products, automotive, infrastructure, and other consumer/industrial.
The segment comprised of building products held the largest share of the WPC market in 2011 at nearly 1.8 million metric tons. That amount is expected to climb to 3.2 million metric tons in 2016, yielding a CAGR of 12.4%.
The automotive segment, totaling 358,000 metric tons in 2011, should grow to 788,000 metric tons in 2016, a CAGR of 17.1%.
The infrastructure segment will total 144,000 metric tons in 2011, and in 2016 should total 324,000 metric tons after growing at a CAGR of 17.6%.
The last segment, made up of other consumer/industrial, totaled 143,000 metric tons in 2011, and in 2016 should total nearly 325,000 metric tons, yielding a CAGR of 17.8%.
WPCs are defined as thermoplastics that contain wood (in various forms) and do not include thermosets nor particleboard products such as fiberboard. Generally, wood composites are made using wood that has been ground into flour-like powder, which is mixed with plastics that bind the wood together when melted. The resultant mixed and melted composite is then usually extruded, and occasionally injection-molded, into an array of products.
These new materials extend the concept of wood composites beyond the traditional compressed materials such as particleboard and medium-density fiberboard into new areas and a “new generation” of higher performance products. The wood can be derived from sawdust and scrap wood products, which means that, in these instances, no additional wood resources are depleted. In addition, the plastic portion of WPCs, sourced from recycled plastics, makes for a product from recyclable materials.
The global market for WPCs will grow at a robust rate through the forecast period. Growth in the building products market will be higher than the overall global economic growth rate because the building industry is currently recovering from a steep recession in 2008 and 2009 that severely affected the wood-plastic composites industry.
This report will be of interest to a wide variety of readers, and will most specifically benefit those involved in the plastics, forest products, and wood-plastic composites industries.
Wood-Plastic Composites: Technologies and Global Markets( PLS034B )
Publish Date: Jun 2011
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