20 



TEMBER TRENDS IN THE UNITED STATES 



WOOD PRODUCTS CONSUMED 

 PER DWELLING UNIT 1962 



i^ 



O ; 

 O 



Lumber 



Building Board 



Plywood & Veneer 



- 



One-& Two- Multi- Mobile 

 Family Family Homes 



Figure 10 



tional cause of the drop in lumber use per dwelling 

 unit. In 1950 about 4 percent of single-family 

 dwellings were constructed on concrete slabs.^^ 

 By 1962 this had increased to an estimated 33 

 percent.^* Lumber displacement in this type of 

 construction occurs because of the elimination of 

 girders, floor joists, and sills and the use of non- 

 wood flooring laid directly on the slab. 



Further Decline of 18 Percent in Average 

 Lumber Use Per Dwelling Unit Assumed by 2000 



In future years lumber is expected to maintain 

 its position as a framing material, but some fur- 



'3 U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 

 New Housing and Its Materials, 19J,0-56, 1958, p. 27, and 

 1956, p. 28, Bui. No. 1231, August 1958. 



'< U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 



ther displacement by plywood and building 

 boards is anticipated in sheathing and non- 

 structural uses. The proportion of single-family 

 houses built on concrete slab foundations also 

 appears likely to increase along with a fui'ther 

 rise in the production of single-family prefabri- 

 cated units. Reduction in the average use of 

 lumber will also result from the projected in- 

 creases in multifamily dwelling units. 



As a partial offset to such trends, a moderate 

 increase in average size of dwelling unit is con- 

 sidered likely under the assumptions of this study. 

 With income per household projected to double 

 by 2000, it seems reasonable to expect that the 

 average size of dwelling unit constructed will 

 continue to expand, assuming a continuation of 

 the tendency of people to move into more spacious 

 living quarters as their incomes rise. A recent 



WOOD PRODUCTS CONSUMED 

 IN RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION 



„ Per Unit of Construction 



re feet* 



00 c 





Lumber 





O 

 U 



cr 



< ft 



^ ^ ^ m 



■ ■■ ^m ^m ^m' 



-a 

 o 

 Ji 4 





Plywood 





-o 





.^ — — ■" — — — — ■ 





S 7 



^f^"""' 







3 



o 



^r^ 





^ ^ ^ ■ 









Buildin 



g Board 



25 



^ 20 



o 



3 



o" 15 



o 10 



o 



la 



Total Use 











Lumb 



er 











.„,""" 



1970 



Plywood 



Building Board 



1990 



*Lumber measured in board feet, plywood in square 

 ft. Vi' basis, building board in sq. ft. Vi' basis. 



Figure 11 



