Wood Products and Other Building Materials Used in New Residential Construction in the United States: with comparison to previous studies

Abstract

On average, new residential construction accounts for about one-third of all wood products consumed in the United States annually. During periods of robust housing activity, 45% or more of all wood products consumed are for new single-family and multifamily housing. This can fall to as low as 20% or less during times of economic recession. Unfortunately, 2012 was not an average year for new residential construction. The housing boom that occurred between 2000 and 2006 turned into a major housing recession in 2007. The recession bottomed out in 2009, with steady improvements being made since then. In 2005, at the peak of the boom, housingstarts totaled 2,086,000 units. In 2009, starts had fallen to just 554,000. By 2012, starts had rebounded to 781,000. Single-family housing starts were harder hit than multifamily housing, further affecting wood use. In 2012, 24% of all solid wood consumed domestically was for new residential construction. This difference was equivalent to a loss of about 20 billion board feet equivalents (20 x 10⁹ bfe).

Citation

McKeever, David B.; Elling, Joe. 2015. Wood Products and Other Building Materials Used in New Residential Construction in the United States: with comparison to previous studies. Tacoma, WA: APA - The Engineered Wood Assoc. 2015; 131 p.