Table 3.5—Structural panel consumption, exports, imports, and production in the United States, by type of panel, specified years, 1952-84, 
with projections to 2030 
3/8-inch basis 
Consumption Exports Imports Production 
Soft- Other Soft- Other Soft- Other Soft- Other 
wood struc- wood struc- wood struc- wood struc- 
Per ply- tural ply- tural ply- tural ply- tural 
Year Total capita wood panels! Total wood panels’ Total wood _ panels! Total ~wood panels! 
Billion 
square Square 
feet feet Billion board feet 
1952 a2 20 3.2 = () () — ( ©) = Seren gw) = 
1962 9.3 50 9.3 Cy 3) iG) () — 9.3 930 = 
1970 14.0 68 14.0 C) Ol = 0A C) @ C) 14.1. 144 5 
1976 17.4 80 17.2 0.2 al i @® 0.1 2) 0.1 18.0 17.9 0.1 
1984 22.4 95 19.6 2.8 4 4 ) 8 0.1 a]: 22.0 19.9 2-1 
Projections 
Year Total demand Exports Imports Demand on U.S. mills 
1990 23.8 94 18.9 4.9 0.7 0.7 (*) 0.6 (7) 0.6 23.9 19.6 4.3 
2000 26.4 96 18.1 8.3 8 8 @) 8 () 8 26.4 18.9 Th) 
2010 29.0 99 18.0 11.0 9 9 ?) h2 (7) 1.2 28.7 18.9 9.8 
2020 33.0 107 19.0 14.0 1.0 (7) 1.6 (*) 1.6 32.4 20.0 12.4 
2030 34.4 108 18.9 15:5 1.1 (*) 2.0 (*) 2.0 3351222040 13.5 
' Includes oriented strand board, waferboard, and composite veneer-particle panels. 
> Less than 50 million square feet. 
Note: Data may not add to totals because of rounding. 
Sources: Production: Softwood plywood: 1952—76—U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. Softwood plywood. Curr. Ind. 
Reps. Ser. MA24H. Annual. 1984—American Plywood Association. Regional production and distribution patterns of the structural panel 
industry. Econ. Rep. E41. May 1986. Other structural panels: 1976—U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service estimate. 1984— 
American Plywood Association. Regional production and distribution patterns of the structural panel industry. Econ. Rep. E41. May 1986. 
Imports: Softwood plywood: U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. U.S. imports for consumption and general imports: 
TSUSA commodity by country of origin. F246. Annual. Other structural panels: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Sevice estimates. 
Exports: Softwood plywood: U.S.Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census. U.S. exports/schedule E, commodity by country. FT 
410. Monthly. Other structural panels: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service estimates. 
Projections: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service. 
Nonstructural Panel Products—Nonstructural panels con- 
sumption, including hardwood plywood, insulating board, 
hardboard, and particleboard, rose to 16.6 billion square 
feet (3/8-inch basis) in 1984, more than 3.5 times total use 
in the early 1950’s (table 3.6, fig. 3.5). Although all of the 
nonstructural panel products contributed to the increase, the 
most rapid growth was shown by particleboard and hard- 
board. Between 1952 and 1984, particleboard (including 
medium-density fiberboard) consumption rose from about 
98 
100 million to 8.1 billion square feet. Over the same period, 
hardboard use increased more than eightfold. Because of 
somewhat different market structures than hardboard and 
particleboard, both hardwood plywood and insulating board 
increased into the 1970’s but declined by 1984. 
Projected total demand for nonstructural panels increases to 
20.3 billion square feet in 2020 and subsequently declines 
