MARKETS
Building, A Chemical Outlet Resin materials particularly in demand as result of record construction activity; vinyl floor coverings g a i n b o o m s in the past did C OXSTKUCTIOX not mean too m u c h to t h e chemi-
cal business. T o d a y t h e heavy volu m e of new building is directly boosting t h e sale of more t h a n one group of chemical products. T h e effect it has had on the plastics sales is outstanding, particularly t h e vinyls, reinforced resins, ureas a n d melamines for plywood, and vinyl flooring. The largest gain achieved by any resin in sales d u r i n g 1 9 5 4 was registered b y polyvinyl chloride a n d copolymers used i n vinyl floor coverings. T h e trade estimates their sale at 32 million pounds, w h i c h would b e an increase of about 4 0 c/c over t h e previous year. The upsurge in construction w a s reflected also by urea-melamine ac}hesives, used for bonding plywood, which h a d a sales increaseft>f 4 9 . 7 % to 20,327,000 p o u n d s . M o d e r n buildings, commercial as well as residential, are evidently e m p l o y i n g b e t t e r m e a n s of insulation. This is p a r t l y shown in last year's sales of 10,240,000 pounds of thermal insulation phenolics, which are combined with fiberglas a n d rock wool for this p u r p o s e , an increase of 57.4% over the previous year. T h e s e forms of insulation also find use in other applications besides housing. Floor Coverings. Construction gained further m o m e n t u m in March, according t o t h e F . W . D o d g e Corp., and brought t h e t o t a l for the first quarter of 1955 to t h e record total of $5.2 billion, o r 34*% more than t h e previous high for t h e s a m e period last year. There a r e other indications t h a t t h e resins volume is benefiting by the current industrial expansion. General Tire a n d R u b b e r Co. said that the sales of its plastic division were u p 5 0 % during the first three months of t h e current year. Official estimates place its sales for all of 1 9 5 5 at a total 4 0 % ahead of 1 9 5 4 . Vinyl floor coverings continue to make headway even though their costs would appear to r e m o v e them from competition with t h e older materials. T h e volume l e a d e r i n this group is felt base covering with a n estimated turnover last year of a b o u t 2.16 billion square feet. Asphalt tile sold t o t h e extent of about 6 5 0 million square feet, and from the standpoint of vol1734
u m e both are still far o u t i n front of t h e vinyls. In recent years, however, vinyl floor coverings have come u p fast a n d their annual sale is undoubtedly well in excess of 2 0 0 million square feet at t h e present time and still growing. It is somewhat difficult to obtain a n accurate estimate of the actual floor covering sold (Table I) because such compilations are based o n t h e sale of t h e resin, and Bakelite i s t h e foremost single supplier of the latter. Table I. Floor Coverings (Annual sales, estimated) Million sq. ft. Felt base 2160 Asphalt tile 650 Rubber 65 Linoleum 565 Cork 20 Vinyl 200
Q u a l i t y Competition. Vinyl polym e r producers contend that tile a n d other similar products can compete against other flooring materials on t h e basis of quality despite higher costs of t h e former. T w o vinyl properties b e ing fc
