CLEVELAND - Sales of decorative laminates in the United States are forecast to increase 3.8% per year to 16.6 billion square feet in 2011, valued at $8.2 billion.

Gains will be sparked by increased demand from the flooring industry, where the market for laminate flooring is projected to advance 9.6% per annum to 1.5 billion square feet in 2011, according to The Freedonia Group Inc., an industry market research firm.

Laminate flooring will play a major role in this increase. Other gains for decorative laminates will be driven by strong activity in nonresidential construction, which will benefit demand for laminate store fixtures and wall panels.

Cabinets will use 4.4 billion square feet of decorative laminates in 2011, despite below-average growth. Demand for laminate cabinets will occur at the expense of other materials, such as softwood plywood.

Laminates made from low-pressure overlays, including low-basis weight papers, saturated papers, decorative foils and vinyl films are forecast to comprise 81% of decorative laminate sales volume in 2011.

Freedoniaâ??s study, Decorative Laminates, is available for $4,400. For further details, contact Corinne Gangloff at (440) 684-9600 or visit www.freedoniagroup.com.

U.S. DECORATIVE LAMINATES DEMAND

                     (million square feet)

                         2001     2006     2011

Low-Pressure    9,235   11,100  13,310

High-Pressure    1,660     2,404    2,992

Edgebanding         175        206      248

Total               11,070   13,710  16,550

Source: The Freedonia Group Inc.