European parquet production fell 15.5% in 2008 to 84.7 million m², according to new figures.
The European Federation of the Parquet Industry (FEP) said sharp declines were recorded in Sweden, France, Spain, the Nordic cluster of countries and Germany.
The output was the lowest for six years and follows the all time high of 100.3 million m² recorded in 2007.
Consumption in the FEP area also declined by 9.51% to 101.5 million m², with several eastern European countries and Switzerland actually improving their consumption figures despite the difficult market conditions.
Poland is the largest producer with 18% of the market, followed by Sweden (14.1%) and Germany (13%).
Oak advanced further as the most popular species with a 57.6% share of parquet products. Tropical wood species accounted for 14.7%, while ash and beech followed with market shares of 7% and 6.5% respectively.
FEP estimates 2009 will remain a difficult year for parquet manufacturers.
