Japan’s production of composite flooring in 2016 was 67.8 million square metres, 4.4% more than 2015. Active housing starts supported increased production. Market of composite flooring has changed largely in 2016, ITTO reported.
Floor base is shifting from South Sea hardwood plywood to domestic cedar plywood. Sheet type with resin based materials for surface decoration also largely increased.
In 2016 production, floor base with South Sea hardwood plywood including composite with MDF was 44.6 million square meter, 12.9% less than 2015. In total production share of imported hardwood plywood is still high with 66% but compared to 2015’s 78.7%, 12.7 points dropped in 2016.
Meantime, domestic floor base (domestic plywood and combination of plywood and MDF) was 11,781 M square metres, 101.3%. Share of domestic base is 17.4% but from 2015’s 9%, 8.4 points increased in 2016.
Domestic base with cedar, cypress and fir plywood combined with thin MDF to make surface smooth has been increasing largely in last one and two years because imported plywood prices have been high and exchange fluctuation influences yen cost but domestic products are nothing to do with exchange rate then the government encourages use of domestic wood with point system and consumers’ concern to environmental protection promote use of domestic wood products.
About 80% of composite flooring is used for floor heating floor. By technical improvement, domestic wood base can be used for floor heating floor so share of domestic floor base will continue increasing while South Sea hardwood plywood cost seems to keep climbing due to tight log supply.
Production of particleboard base type increased to 5.5 million square metres in 2016, 164.5% more. It is ecological product and cost performance is good. For surface coating, use of sliced wood veneer decrease and there are more use of resin based materials like olefinic resin.
