Polyurethane study shows strong growth.

Usage increased 340 million pounds since 1994

Polyurethane usage in the U.S. grew by more than 340 million pounds from 1994 to 1996, according to an industry survey report released today by the Polyurethane Division of The Society of the Plastics Industry. The construction, transportation, carpet cushion and furniture industries continue to be the leading users of the materials, while other industries, such as medical applications and coating resins, demonstrate the specialty market industries' growing interest in PU materials.

The report, called "The end-use market survey on the polyurethane industry in the U.S. and Canada," cites U.S. usage of polyurethanes at 4.6 billion pounds and Canadian usage at 460 million pounds last year. The flexible foam market accounted for 44% of the total 4.6 billion pounds in the U.S. Of that, flexible slab accounted for 78% and molded foam accounted for 22%. Rigid foam, at 1.268 billion pounds in 1996, accounted for 28% of the U.S. market.

In terms of applications, construction's 1.237 billion pounds accounted for 273 to of the total U.S. market. Nearly 60% of that is from rigid foam products. Transportation, at 970 million pounds, accounted for 21% of the total domestic market.

"The polyurethane industry is indeed very healthy," said Fran W. Lichtenberg, executive director of the Polyurethane Division. "Traditional markets and application use are strong, and several relatively new markets, such as commercial specialty products and medical applications, are promising on the horizon." Lichtenberg noted that the five-year trend in growth is also indicative of a strong industry, citing U.S. growth of more than 1.6 billion pounds since 1991.

The study also confirmed that safe handling issues associated with raw material production, usage and disposal remain a priority for many segments of the industry, and identified several initiatives underway regarding the use of scrap and recycling.