A Division Report on Wood Composition Board Industry

This report is an annual FPRS review of the status of the hardboard, particleboard, and softboard industries from 30 key personnel working in research, production, or sales of wood composition board. Most of the plants in 1959 had a good backlog of orders. Hardboard is being accepted in new markets at a rapid rate due to the excellent product improvement and development work being done by the manufacturers and fabricators. Very large tonnage is going into house sheathing and prefinished interior panels for both homes and offices. However, new companies are coming into the hardboard field and present manufacturers are materially increasing their production capacity, so that the sale of full output will continue to be a tough job. Many new particleboard plants have been built in 1959. There is a trend in the industry toward greater production of particleboard with phenolic binders for limited exterior exposures. A proposed set of particleboard specifications is being circulated by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce. The manufacturers of softboard are putting more effort into research than they have for many years. One effort involves improving regular products to hold their established markets and to expand to new markets. The other involves development of new products in the intermediate density range which will help them take over markets now supplied by wood and plywood. The domestic market for acoustical tile is barely being touched. Several softboard manufacturers have introduced intermediate density boards as nailable sheathing for homes. When this product is used as sheathing, no wood corner bracing is required and shingles can be nailed directly to the sheathing,

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