Wood-plastic gains more ground

It might come in the form of a pencil that apparently lasts twice as long as a conventional wooden one, or as cladding with its own integrated extruded polystyrene insulation.

Either way, the march of wood-plastic composites (WPC) continues to gather pace, as happy delegates heard at the January conference of the German WPC Congress in Cologne.

Annual growth is double-digit, with traditional wood markets such as concrete formwork boards, container floors and facing panels now being lost to the substitute.

More than 1.5 million tonnes of WPC is produced worldwide, with North American production accounting for two-thirds, followed by China (200,000 tonnes), Japan and Germany.

Chinese WPC market growth is 30% per year, with production expected to increase by 5 million tonnes annually through to 2015. Applications include windows and doors, thermal insulating systems, park benches, garden sheds and sunscreens for tower blocks.

The complete article is available in the February issue of In-Wood – out now.