Articles

According to TCNA, many key economic indicators were positive in 2019, as the U.S. economy experienced its tenth consecutive year of expansion on the heels of the Great Recession. However, the American ceramic tile market did not follow suit and declined for the first time in a decade.U.S. ceramic tile consumption in 2019 was 2.9 billion sq. ft. (273.2 million m2), down 5.4 percent from the previous year, according to the U.S. Dept. of Commerce and TCNA. (Total Consumption is U.S. Shipments + Imports - Exports). Read More

Once the reins are taken off the economy and consumers regain confidence, kitchen and bath product demand is expected to spring back. Historically low interest rates should give a boost to housing demand, and we expect housing sales to resume double-digit growth rates. Households may also begin to trade up to a larger dwelling if they determine they need more work-at-home space. Read More

In 2019, Canadian ceramic tile consumption registered a further decrease, declining by 11.2% to 35.3 million sq.m Read More

According to Catalina Research’s latest Floor Coverings Industry Quarterly Update, “Ceramic tile lost share of total manufacturer sales in the first quarter of 2020 due to supply chain problems. This was due to the sharp drop in Chinese ceramic tile imports since the U.S. Department of Commerce imposed preliminary duties on Chinese-made tiles.” Read More

The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) is urging members, and all residential construction companies, to halt work for at least 10 minutes on Thursday, April 16, to educate workers on what they should do to keep themselves safe from coronavirus and to help "flatten the curve" for everyone. NAHB has developed a blueprint for builders to conduct these COVID-19 safety stand downs. Read More

U.S floor coverings manufacturer and retailer sales were about to take off in 2020 when the coronavirus hit the country. In the first two months of 2020 housing starts soared, increasing by 35.4 percent. This followed a nearly 20 percent gain in the fourth quarter of 2019, after being flat over the first three quarters of the year.  Existing home sales also increased at double-digit rates in early 2020, after rebounding in the fourth quarter of 2019 from weak sales earlier in the year. The rebound in existing home sales resulted in homeowner residential improvement spending also increasing close to 20 percent over the first two months of 2020. And then the country was shut down. Read More

U.S. residential construction showed good health in 2019. Negative forecasts for 2020 24/03/2020 from CWW Ceramic World Web Total new home starts grew by 3.2%, while new… Read More

In 2019, U.S. ceramic tile consumption declined for the first time in a decade to 273.2 million sq.m. (-5,4% on 2018). This affected both the domestic production (83 million sq,m, -4.8%) and imports (193 million sq.m, -5.5%), with China dropping by 36.4%. Read More

The Top 50 Retailer Listing serves as a benchmark for the industry — number of stores versus revenue for retailers across the country. While some businesses are forthcoming with their financials, others are more private. Read More

With the adoption of countervailing and antidumping duties on Chinese tile imports in the US, the race is on for both US tile manufacturers and all the other supplying countries to win a slice of the 64.3 million sq.m of Chinese products. Read More