PORTUGAL – In 2016 production of European wood-based panels increased by 1.8%, reaching a total of 55.6 million m³. The figures were presented by Mr. Clive Pinnington, Managing Director of the European Panel Federation (EPF) during the recent Annual General Meeting in Porto, Portugal on 29 & 30 June 2017. 

The economic review of the wood-based panels industry in 2016 was drawn from the recently published EPF Annual Report 2016/2017, an extensive compilation of industry statistics collected by the federation.

Almost all categories presented an increase in production against the previous year. The largest panel type by volume, Particleboard, increased production by 0.8% to 30.2 million m³. Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF) also grew, recording an increase of 2.0% to a total of 12 million m³. Oriented Strand Board (OSB), the third largest panel type by volume, rose strongly by 6.9% to 5.4 million m³. Second only to OSB in terms of growth rate was Softboard, which increased by 4% to 4.6 million m³. Plywood production in Europe developed positively with a 2.5% increase to 2.9 million m³. The only panel type that did not increase in production terms during 2016 was Hardboard which dropped 5.6% to 0.5 million m³. 

Europe Wood Panel Production

Europe (UE28+EFTA). Million m3