The global plywood industry is currently affected by the US-China trade war and the slowdown of China's economy. In 2018, its market size was estimated at $73.9B, surging by 2.6% against the previous year. This figure reflects the total revenues of producers and importers (excluding logistics costs, retail marketing costs, and retailers' margins, which will be included in the final consumer price).

Over the period under review, plywood consumption continues to indicate a buoyant increase. The most prominent rate of growth was recorded in 2014 with an increase of 34% y-o-y. Over the period under review, the global plywood market reached its peak figure level at $93.9B in 2015; however, from 2016 to 2018, consumption remained at a lower figure.

Consumption By Country

China (101M cubic meters) remains the largest plywood consuming country worldwide, accounting for 64% of total consumption. Moreover, plywood consumption in China exceeded the figures recorded by the world's second-largest consumer, the U.S. (16M cubic meters), sixfold. The third position in this ranking was occupied by Japan (6.2M cubic meters), with a 3.9% share.

In China, plywood consumption increased at an average annual rate of +9.7% over the period from 2007-2018. In the other countries, the average annual rates were as follows: the U.S. (-0.4% per year) and Japan (+4.5% per year).

In value terms, China ($45.8B) led the market, alone. The second position in the ranking was occupied by the U.S. ($7.3B). It was followed by Japan.