The European wood flooring sector saw a substantial downturn in 2023, with production dropping 29.5%, according to statistics from the European Federation of the Parquet Industry (FEP).
After total production in Europe reached 92.3 million square meters in 2022 and 81.8 square meters in 2021, the industry fell to 64.7 million square meters in 2023; the FEP reported that the industry “seems to have reached bottom.”
The drop in the industry can be attributed to high interest rates, decreasing construction activity and unfair competition from outside Europe, according to FEP.
Type of wood flooring production in 2023 has remained similar to previous years, with multi-layered wood making up 84% of production, solid at 14% and mosaic at 2%. This is compared to 83%, 15% and 2%, respectively, in 2022.
Across Europe, Poland holds the top spot for production with 18.18% of the market, according to FEP. Behind Poland is Austria with 14.47% of production and Sweden with 11.86%.
Oak remains the top species used, making up 83% of the industry in 2023 and up slightly from 82% in 2022. After oak, ash represents 4.5% of usage and beech at 2.7%.
