Structural and nonstructural panels have been the fastest grow-ing sector among wood products for the past two decades. The recent spate of plant construction and drop in product prices indicate slower growth and consolidation in the next 2 years. Growth in demand is unlikely to catch up with projected capaci-ties until the next century, unless attrition of some existing capacity reduces industry growth. Among structural panels, costs of production are lowest for oriented strandboard, but there is a wide range among plants. Plywood costs are lowest in the U.S. South and highest in the West. Thus, the contraction of western plywood is likely to continue. Overcapacity also looms for nonstructural panels (particleboard and medium density fiberboard), but engineered structural wood products show opportunities for growth.

• construction industry
• OSB - Oriented strandboard : OSB as woos panel
• wood, lumber, timber : review of wood panel sector 1999, US, Canada

1. Emerging nonwood building materials in residential construction
2. Profile 2005 : softwood sawmills in the United States and Canada  

1. Building codes obstacle or opportunity?
2. Engineered wood products: a response to the changing timber resource
3. Wood products used in new nonresidential building construction