2001 Brick Production Among Highest in 30 Years, Says BIA; Housing Boom Driving Momentum Since Late 1990's.

Business Editors

RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 2, 2002

The nation's brick manufacturers produced and shipped approximately 8 billion brick last year, ranking 2001 among the six or seven best years over the past 30, according to the Brick Industry Association (BIA) here.

Spurred by the continuing boom in new housing construction since the late 1990s, brick's steady demand supports an industry expected to remain strong over the next decade.

"The numbers show that consumers continue to have a strong preference for brick, based on the beauty, quality and value that it adds to any new home," said Tom Perry, vice president, marketing, BIA. "Coupled with increasing options at every price point, brick is now becoming available to more home buyers," he said.

The U.S. Census Bureau reported that the industry produced 8.21 billion brick last year, and shipped 7.88 billion.

With 84.1 percent of shipments for residential use and 78.8 percent of shipments for single-family residential use, brick's 2001 numbers reflect another record year for the housing industry.

"The high demand for brick is no surprise, given the number of housing starts last year (approximately 1.6 million) and that fact that it was a record year for materials in terms of square footage," said Stanley Duobinis, director of forecasting for the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).

"The record was in the early 1970s with about 2 million starts, but the difference today is that single-family homes have gotten a lot bigger than they were 10 or 20 years ago," said Duobinis. "The average single family home is 2,100 square feet with multi-family housing at 1,000 square feet. Plus, garages have gone from one-car to two-car to three-car--that's more brick on the whole house," he said.

The highest concentration was the South Atlantic region, with 40.1 percent of total shipments. The Pacific region was the lowest.

Voluntary data was reported by 44 brick companies (34 BIA member firms, 10 non-member companies). For a copy of the report, contact Tom Perry at BIA: 703-620-0010, Ext. 106, or e-mail: [e-mail].

The Brick Industry Association (BIA), Reston, Va., represents the nation's brick distributors, manufacturers and suppliers. Web site: www.brickinfo.org.