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This Freedonia industry study analyzes the 711 million square meter global countertop market.
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Global demand for countertops is forecast to increase an average of 4.3% per year to 711 million square meters in 2027, valued at $54.6 billion. Market advances will be supported by rising installations of countertops in both residential and nonresidential applications, as countertops continue to be selected over freestanding or wall-mounted fixtures in kitchens and bathrooms. In addition, demand will be bolstered by an increase in residential remodeling, as countertop replacement remains one of the most popular ways to update kitchens and bathrooms.
However, further gains will be restrained by weak new housing outlooks in the US, China, Japan, South Korea, and Europe. Additionally, a deceleration in global market value through 2027 is expected due to unusually high 2022 price levels, brought on by inflation.
Engineered Stone Gains Market Share at Expense of Laminate, Solid Surface, & Granite
Demand for engineered stone is expected to grow at a strong pace through 2027; it will surpass both laminate and granite to become the second most popular countertop product in the world. Growth will be fueled by:
broadened distribution networks and sales channels for engineered stone products in both developed and developing countries
engineered stone’s durability, resistance to damage, and availability in a wide variety of colors
major expansions to the global production base – particularly in the Asia/Pacific region – leading to increasing availability of these products in developing regions
Demand for Porcelain Slab Increasing Rapidly in all Regions
Porcelain slab will be the fastest growing countertop product – albeit from a small base – in the world, with demand rising at a rate of 27% annually through 2027. This robust growth will be fueled by rising consumer awareness of porcelain slab’s favorable performance properties, such as its:
stain and temperature resistance, which makes it a top choice for outdoor kitchens
greater strength and durability versus granite
absence of discoloration or color change issues
wide variety of finishes, patterns, and colors available from manufacturers
ability to be used as backsplashes
easy-to-clean, hygienic surface
Historical Market Patterns
Countertop demand is driven by many factors, including:
economic factors, such as local economic activity, personal incomes, and standards of living
new housing construction
single-family residential remodels, which often include the replacement of countertops or the addition of a bathroom, outdoor kitchen, or wet bar
commercial building construction
shifts in consumer tastes, such as a change in preference toward countertops with a more natural stone aesthetic and away from laminates, which can result in increased demand in the residential remodeling market
the popularity and use of competitive products such as furniture with integrated countertops
The pandemic had a negative impact on the global countertops industry in 2020. Demand for countertops fell by 4.4% in that year, representing the only contraction in demand over the past decade. This was primarily a result of drops in construction in many countries, production shutdowns, and labor shortages in the construction industry.
Regional Demand Trends
Global demand for countertops (also called benchtops or worktops in some parts of the world) is forecast to rise 4.3% per year to 711 million square meters in 2027.
Countertop demand varies on a regional and country-by-country basis, influenced by:
the building construction market, including construction activity, building stock, and building size
existing home sales, as there is more countertop demand in countries with frequent existing home sales as a good deal of home remodeling is spurred by the acquisition of an existing structure decorated to someone else’s tastes or having upgraded a room prior to sale
Sales of countertops in most developing countries are projected to increase faster than in the more mature markets in the industrialized world. Rising incomes in areas such as China, India, other Asia/Pacific countries, and the Africa/Mideast region will lead to increasing demand for countertop materials. However, the small size and simple construction of housing in many of these regions limit the amount of space dedicated to countertops in kitchens and bathrooms.
Countertop suppliers will also benefit from growing construction activity in the nonresidential sector, where countertop usage is rising from a relatively low level of penetration, as low cost shelving units are more frequently used in these markets.
International Trade & Impact of Tariffs
The level of international trade of countertops varies considerably by material type. For example, laminate and solid surface materials are traded most extensively because they are the easiest to ship. Laminate and solid surface sheets can be easily transported throughout the world and then applied to substrates and fabricated to countertops at their destination.
Heavier products such as stainless steel, granite, and marble are traded at lower levels due to their bulk and high transportation costs. However, engineered stone is an exception to this as quartz slabs are frequently shipped from countries with low labor and production costs to the US where demand has soared over the past decade and domestic production is far below current demand levels.
From 2018 to 2020, US tariffs on Chinese quartz slabs had a major impact on the global engineered stone market, as the world’s largest end user of engineered stone countertops had effectively eliminated imports from the world’s largest producer due to tariffs greater than 300% on Chinese quartz slabs. Soon after, this led to a spike in US imports from India and Turkey as these countries were able to meet the demand for low cost quartz that China had previously fulfilled. However, tariffs were eventually placed on both Indian and Turkish quartz slabs, but at a much lower rate than those imposed on China. Imports from Turkey and India were not heavily impacted by the tariffs, leading to India becoming the leading source of engineered quartz slabs for the US.
Pricing Comparison & Outlook
Average prices for countertops (at the material manufacturer level) are expected to remain flat through 2027 at $77 per square meter from an unusually high 2022 base, which saw most countertop materials experiencing major price increases due to increased raw material cost, supply chain issues, and other inflationary pressures.
Solid surface and laminate products are the two most popular low-cost countertop options.
Solid surface is widely available in the Asia/Pacific region, as it is produced in large quantities in much of the region; consequently, it is relatively low-cost and viewed as a basic material there.
In North America and Western Europe, the solid surface industry is less established and laminate is instead the low cost, basic option.
Stone countertops – whether natural or engineered – are among the highest priced products:
Natural stone is generally an expensive countertop material, although there is some variation in its price points, based on aesthetic preference, availability of certain stone types, and the strength, material composition, and appearance of a given slab.
Engineered stone produced by Breton licensees is usually high priced due to its desirability (it is considered very high quality) and restricted availability – there are only a tightly controlled number of production operations.
However, engineered stone produced using different machinery is widely available, especially in the Asia/Pacific region, and these products are often sold at a much lower price that brand name engineered stone. As a result, growth in engineered stone production between 2012 and 2022 led to increased supply that pushed the average price of engineered products down.
The prices of most other countertop materials are highly variable. This category includes products such as:
ceramic tile, concrete, and wood, which are lower value and used extensively in developing markets, particularly because they are not dedicated countertop materials and are therefore more widely available
stainless steel, which is high-end and is used primarily in developed countries and high-performance commercial applications