Plumbing Fixtures & Fittings Market size demand for plumbing fixtures and fittings in the US. totaled $9.7 billion in 2005 based on annual growth of 3.0 percent from 2000. Plumbing product demand is related to building construction, as more than 95 percent of fixtures and fittings are installed inside buildings. Trends in plumbing fixture and fitting demand, however, do not necessarily move in lockstep with those of building construction, as the aftermarket in plumbing products can support demand in face of weak new construction activity. Generally, advances in the plumbing product market lag that of building construction. For much of the 1995 to 2000 period, plumbing product price Increases were limited, posting growth slower than the building construction price deflator. During most of the 1995 to 2005 period, rising real household income helped generate demand for plumbing products in kitchen and bathroom renovations. In 2001, the US. entered a recession and subsequently struggled through a year and a half of fitful growth. Consequently, plumbing product demand slowed, even declining in 2001 and 2002. In 2004, the plumbing product market emerged from its slump to post the strongest yearly gains since 1995. The
Page 48 of 141 strong growth was driven by gains in the new housing market and a rebound in nonresidential construction spending.