For the fourth straight year, the cabinet industry remains the largest end-use market for wood component products, followed by the building products industry and furniture industry. This information, along with other trends, is included in the “2012 Dimension & Components Market Study” by the Wood Component Manufacturers Association.

According to the study, the cabinet industry currently accounts for 36.5% of WCMA members’ total business, compared to 33.1% reported for the year prior. The residential cabinetry segment grew 3.3%, to 30.2%, while the commercial cabinetry segment held relatively steady at 6.4%.

The building products industry — trim, mouldings, millwork, staircase parts, etc. — also grew slightly, up 3.7% to 35.9%. This segment should continue to improve based on positive forecasts for new housing and remodeling for 2012 and 2013.

The furniture industry remains the third largest sales segment for dimension and component products despite a 5.7% drop, to 15.2%. Currently, sales appear to be evenly split between household furniture and commercial/office furniture, though the resurgence of companies manufacturing in North America could be a notable factor in the coming year. Expected increases in housing activity are also expected to play a role.

The market for decorative/specialty products dropped slightly to 6.9%, compared to 8.1% sales reported in 2011, while industrial products ­— handles, brush parts, etc. ­— grew slightly to 5.3%.

The majority of dimension and component products being sold are to North American customers. Of those surveyed, 29% said they were exporting products, down sharply from the 63% reported last year. In addition, these companies reported that export sales represented an average of 9.5% of total company sales, down 5.1% from the 14.6% reported last year. When you factor out Canada and the United States as export markets, the next country to top the list is Scandinavia (11.2%), followed by Mexico (10.7%), United Kingdom (8.7%) and China (8.3%).