Fiber Cement Siding Gains Market

0
Off Comments / in News
Fiber Cement Siding Gains Market

Fibre Cement Siding is gaining popularity in the United States, according to the Census Bureau’s Survey of Construction (SOC). The SOC collects data on principal and secondary exterior wall materials. The principal type covers more than half the exterior. The secondary type, if present, covers the remaining part, not including trim, shutters and woodwork around openings. Adoption of this material has surged overall by 70%, and in one western region it is now the second most popular material after stucco.

One reason for their popularity in the west, is the threat of wildfires encroaching on suburban and even urban communities. Which continues to be a problem in the Western part of the United States.

The Wildland Urban Interface Code adopted in California outlines multiple methods for providing protection, such as keeping vegetation away from buildings. However, these clear distances may be compromised depending on the severity of fire the direction and speed of winds. Non-combustible construction provides property protection regardless of the proximity of combustible vegetation, so the trend toward expanding non-combustible exteriors from stucco to fiber cement siding appears to be the result of consumer demand for safer homes combined with the code requirements.

The regional preferences for siding materials vary widely, as the accompanying chart from NAHB shows. Vinyl dominates the Northeast, with an 80 percent share in the Middle Atlantic states and 71 percent in the New England. Brick is most popular in the South, especially in the West South Central and East South Central states. Stucco is the top choice in the West with a 58 percent share in the Mountain states and nearly 50 percent in the Pacific region. Fiber cement siding continues to rise as other materials fall in popularity. Nationally, the fiber cement’s market share increased from 10 percent in 2005 to 17 percent in 2013. It is now the second most popular primary siding material in the Pacific, Mountain, and West South Central states. In the Pacific division, the fiber cement share is 43 percent, the highest share in the United States.


Photo by USFWS/Southeast