2592 



Chapter 22 



2.6 billion board feet of hardwood lumber. In 1977 this industry shipped $16.97 

 billion worth of goods (table 22-1 1). Broken into five classes, household furni- 

 ture accounted for two-thirds of the total value of shipments. Next was the 

 partitions and fixtures sector (15 percent of shipments for (1977), followed by 

 office furniture (13 percent), miscellaneous furniture (8 percent), and public 

 buildings and related furniture (5 percent). The industry is highly regionalized 

 with 46 percent of the work force located in the South, 24 percent in the 

 Midwest, 18 percent in the Northeast, and 12 percent in the West. 



The industry is vulnerable to business cycles. It suffered deep recessions in 

 1974-1975 and in 1980. In general, however, furniture production is expected to 

 be at high levels during the last decade of the 20th century and early decades of 

 the 21st century. 



Table 22-10 — Use of seven wood commodities in the furniture and fixtures industry 

 during the years 1960, 1965, 1967, 1972, and 1977^ (Spelter et al. 1978) 



Commodity 



1960 



1965 



1967 



Estimated 

 1972 1977 



Hardwood lumber 



Softwood lumber- 



Hardwood plywood-^ 



Softwood plywood"^ 



Particieboard"^ 



Hardboard^ 



Hardwood veneer^ 



'Data include those for kitchen cabinets. 



^Billion board feet. 



•'Billion square feet (ys-inch). 



"^Billion square feet (yt-inch). 



^Billion square feet ('/s-inch). 



^Billion square feet (surface measurement) 



