Market data suggests glazing contract boom in 2022: FGIA

The Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance (FGIA) predicts the glazing materials industry will see a national uptick in market contracts coming into 2022, based on data from the organization’s newly published FGIA 2021/2022 Study of the U.S. Market for Windows, Doors and Skylights. This report examined market data from 2021 and 2020.

The 2021 contract award total saw a five percent increase from 2020. The manufacturing/warehouse category increased by 38 percent in 2021, while contract awards in office/hotel/institutional decreased by six percent and remained flat in store/mercantile. Contract awards are expected to increase by about eight percent in 2022, and to continue growing in 2023.

Storefront windows represent the largest market segment by vision area with 27.1 percent of the overall non-residential glazing in 2021, followed closely by site-fabricated windows representing 26.5 percent.

The 2021 market for non-residential entry doors in the U.S. showed significant decline, with 2021 volume down 11 percent over 2020 and down 20 percent since 2019.

The study estimates the total U.S. market for commercial unit skylights in 2021 represents a one percent increase from 2019. Unit sizes commonly average in the range of 2.04 m² (22 sf) to 2.32 m² (25 sf) but can vary. Nearly all commercial unit skylights are aluminum framed, and most use some form of plastic glazing. Acrylic is most common. In 2021, new construction applications represented approximately 33 percent of the total, down from 35 percent in 2019 due to a lack of non-residential construction activity.

A Q&A session about the study will take place during the FGIA 2022 Virtual Summer Conference, held from June 6 to 9. Additional and more detailed information on the residential and commercial fenestration markets is contained in the FGIA report, including the items listed below.

• FGIA U.S. Industry Channel Distribution Report: Profiles the residential and non-residential market for windows and doors as it flows through the identified distribution channels.
• FGIA U.S. Industry Market Size Report: Quantifies residential and non-residential market volumes, both historic and projected.
• FGIA U.S. Industry Regional Statistical Review and Forecasts: Details information on trends and product relationships.