US demand for decorative tile is forecast to increase 4.4 percent per year through 2013. Flooring will remain the dominant application. The residential construction market will generate the most rapid gains in tile demand, as housing completions rebound and consumer spending on improvement and repair projects increases.

This study analyzes the 2.7 billion square foot US decorative tile industry. It presents historical demand data for the years 1998, 2003 and 2008, and forecasts for 2013 and 2018 by tile product (e.g., ceramic, porcelain, glass), application (e.g., flooring, wall coverings, countertops) and market (residential, nonresidential).

The study also considers market environment factors, details industry structure, evaluates company market share and profiles 39 industry players, including Dal-Tile, Marizzi Group and Internacional de Ceramica.

				    TABLE OF CONTENTS

     SECTION									    PAGE

		Introduction							      ix

	I.	Executive Summary						       1

	II.	Market Environment						       4
		General								       4
		Macroeconomic Environment					       4
		Demographic Trends						       9
		Consumer Trends							      12
		   Personal Income & Expenditures				      13
		   Consumer Financing						      14
		Building Construction						      18
		   Residential Buildings					      21
		      Housing Completions					      23
		      Housing Stock						      28
		      Improvements & Repairs					      32
		   Nonresidential Buildings					      33
		      Office & Commercial					      36
		      Institutional						      37
		      Industrial						      37
		      Transportation & Other					      38
		      Improvements & Repairs					      39
		Historical Market Trends					      40
		Pricing								      41
		Environmental Issues & Regulatory Considerations		      44
		Foreign Trade							      47
		World Market							      52
		   Western Europe						      54
		   Asia/Pacific Region						      56
		   Other Regions						      57

	III.	Products							      59
		General								      59
		Value Outlook							      61
		Area Outlook							      64
		Installation Costs						      67
		Ceramic Tile							      69
		   Characteristics						      72
		   Suppliers							      75
		Porcelain Tile							      76
		   Characteristics						      79
		   Suppliers							      82
		Glass Tile							      82
		   Characteristics						      85
		   Suppliers							      88
		Other Tile							      89
		   Natural Stone						      90
		   Concrete							      93
		   Metal							      95

	IV.	Applications							      97
		General								      97
		Flooring							     102
		   Flooring Outlook						     102
		   Tile Demand							     105
		   Characteristics						     108
		   Residential Construction					     110
		   Nonresidential Construction					     111
		   Competitive Materials					     114
		Wall Coverings							     115
		   Wall Coverings Outlook					     115
		   Tile Demand							     118
		   Characteristics						     122
		   Residential Construction					     123
		   Nonresidential Construction					     125
		   Competitive Materials					     126
		Countertops							     128
		   Countertops Outlook						     128
		   Tile Demand							     131
		   Characteristics						     134
		   Residential Construction					     136
		   Nonresidential Construction					     137
		   Competitive Materials					     138
		Other Applications						     140

	V.	Markets								     145
		General								     145
		Residential							     147
		   New								     149
		      Demand by Room & Housing Type				     151
		      Demand by Product & Application				     154
		   Improvements & Repairs					     158
		      Demand by Room & Housing Type				     158
		      Demand by Product & Application				     162
		Nonresidential							     166
		   New								     169
		      Demand by Product						     171
		      Demand by Application					     172
		   Improvements & Repairs					     174
		      Demand by Product						     175
		      Demand by Application					     177
		   Project Type							     178
		      Office & Commercial					     179
		      Institutional						     181
		      Industrial						     183
		      Other Nonresidential Buildings				     185
		      Nonbuilding Construction					     186

	VI.	Industry Structure						     187
		General								     187
		Industry Composition						     190
		Market Share							     191
		      Mohawk Industries						     192
		      Marazzi Group						     192
		      Internacional de Ceramica					     193
		      Crossville						     194
		      Grupo Lamosa						     194
		      Shaw Industries						     194
		      Florim Ceramiche						     194
		      Corporacion Empresarial Roca				     195
		      Other Leaders						     195
		Competitive Strategies						     195
		Research & Development						     198
		Manufacturing							     199
		Distribution							     200
		   Specialty Retailers						     201
		   Big-Box Retailers						     203
		   Direct Distribution						     205
		Marketing							     206
		Mergers, Acquisitions & Cooperative Agreements			     210
		Company Profiles						     211
		   American Marazzi Tile, see Marazzi Group 
		   Armstrong World Industries Incorporated			     212
		   Artflor Incorporated						     213
		   Azuvi SA							     214
		   Berkshire Hathaway Incorporated				     216
		   Casa Dolce Casa USA, see Florim Ceramiche 
		   Casa Reale Ceramic, see Gruppo Ceramiche Ricchetti
		   Castle & Cooke Incorporated					     218
		   Cecrisa Revestimentos Ceramicos SA				     219
		   Ceramic Expressions, see Quarry Tile
		   Ceramica Antique, see Walker & Zanger
		   Ceramica Saloni SA						     220
		   Ceramica San Lorenzo USA, see Etex Group
		   Corporacion Empresarial Roca SA				     222
		   Crossville Incorporated					     225
		   Dal-Tile, see Mohawk Industries
		   Ege Seramik Sanayi ve Ticaret AS				     229
		   Eliane Revestimentos Ceramicos SA				     230
		   Epro Tile Incorporated					     231
		   Etex Group SA						     232
		   Florida Brick & Clay Company Incorporated			     234
		   Florida Tile, see Panariagroup Industrie Ceramiche
		   Florim Ceramiche SpA						     235
		   GranitiFiandre, see Iris Ceramica
		   Grupo Industrial Saltillo SA de CV				     237
		   Grupo Lamosa SA de CV					     239
		   Gruppo Ceramiche Ricchetti SpA				     241
		   Hakatai Enterprises Incorporated				     243
		   Ilva SA							     244
		   Interceramic, see Internacional de Ceramica
		   Internacional de Ceramica SA de CV				     246
		   International Marble Collection, see Internacional de Ceramica 
		   Iris Ceramica SpA						     249
		   Ironrock Capital Incorporated				     252
		   Lamosa Revestimientos, see Grupo Lamosa 
		   Mannington Mills Incorporated				     253
		   Marazzi Group SpA						     255
		   Metropolitan Ceramics, see Ironrock Capital
		   Mohawk Industries Incorporated				     258
		   Oceanside Glasstile Company					     263
		   Pacific Clay Products see Castle & Cooke 
		   Pamesa Ceramica SL						     264
		   Panariagroup Industrie Ceramiche SpA				     266
		   Porcelanite Holding, see Grupo Lamosa 
		   Porcelanosa Grupo						     269
		   Portobello SA						     271
		   Quarry Tile Company						     272
		   Ragno USA, see Marazzi Group 
		   Recumbrimientos Interceramic, see Internacional de Ceramica and Mohawk Industries
		   Ricchetti Ceramic, see Gruppo Ceramiche Ricchetti 
		   Roca Tile Group, see Corporacion Empresarial Roca
		   Sandhill Industries						     274
		   Seneca Tiles Incorporated					     275
		   Shaw Industries, see Berkshire Hathaway
		   Smith-Laredo							     276
		   Sonoma Tilemakers						     277
		   StonePeak Ceramics, see Iris Ceramica
		   Summitville Tiles Incorporated				     278
		   Vitromex USA, see Grupo Industrial Saltillo
		   Walker & Zanger Incorporated					     279
		   Wausau Tile Incorporated					     282


				      LIST OF TABLES

    TABLE NUMBER								    PAGE


		SECTION I -- Executive Summary
		Summary Table							       3

		SECTION II -- Market Environment
	1	Macroeconomic Indicators					       9
	2	Population & Households						      12
	3	Personal Consumption Expenditures				      14
	4	Consumer Financing Environment, 1998-2008			      18
	5	Building Construction Expenditures				      21
	6	Residential Building Construction Expenditures			      23
	7	New Housing Indicators						      28
	8	Housing Stock by Type						      31
	9	Residential Improvement & Repair Expenditures			      33
	10	Nonresidential Building Construction Expenditures		      36
	11	Nonresidential Building Improvement & Repair Expenditures	      39
	12	Decorative Tile Market, 1998-2008				      41
	13	Tile Pricing							      44
	14	Decorative Tile Foreign Trade					      50

		SECTION III -- Products
	1	Tile Demand by Type in Value Terms				      63
	2	Tile Demand by Type in Area Terms				      66
	3	Ceramic Tile Demand						      72
	4	Porcelain Tile Demand						      79
	5	Glass Tile Demand						      85
	6	Other Tile Demand						      90

		SECTION IV -- Applications
	1	Tile Demand by Application					     100
	2	Flooring Outlook						     105
	3	Tile Demand in Flooring						     108
	4	Wall Coverings Outlook						     118
	5	Tile Demand in Wall Coverings					     121
	6	Countertop Outlook						     131
	7	Tile Demand in Countertops					     134
	8	Tile Demand in Other Applications				     144

		SECTION V -- Markets
	1	Tile Demand by Market						     147
	2	Residential Tile Demand by Market & Product			     149
	3	New Residential Tile Demand by Room & Housing Type		     154
	4	New Residential Tile Demand by Product & Application		     157
	5	Residential Improvement & Repair Tile Demand 
		   by Room & Housing Type					     162
	6	Residential Improvement & Repair Tile Demand
		    by Product & Application					     165
	7	Nonresidential Tile Demand by Market & Product			     169
	8	New Nonresidential Tile Demand					     171
	9	Nonresidential Improvement & Repair Tile Demand			     175
	10	Nonresidential Tile Demand by Project Type			     179
	11	Office & Commercial Tile Demand					     181
	12	Institutional Tile Demand					     183
	13	Industrial Tile Demand						     184
	14	Other Nonresidential Building Tile Demand			     186

		SECTION VI -- Industry Structure
	1	US Decorative Tile Sales by Company, 2008			     189

				      LIST OF CHARTS

    CHART NUMBER								    PAGE

SECTION I -- Executive Summary

		SECTION II -- Market Environment
	1	Year of Construction of Housing Stock, 2008			      32
	2	Tile Imports by Source, 2008					      51
	3	Tile Exports by Destination, 2008				      51
	4	Global Tile Demand						      54

		SECTION III -- Products
	1	Tile Demand in Value Terms, 2008				      64
	2	Tile Demand by Type in Area Terms, 2008				      67

		SECTION IV -- Applications
	1	Tile Demand by Application, 2008:  Value Versus Area		     101
SECTION V -- Markets

		SECTION VI -- Industry Structure
	1	US Decorative Tile Market Share, 2008				     192