US Single-Ply Roofing: Plastic & Rubber Membranes

Report Overview

Featuring 37 tables and 24 figures – now available in Excel and Powerpoint! Learn More

US demand for single-ply roofing membranes is projected to rise at a 1.1% annual rate through 2025 to 36.7 million squares valued at $2.1 billion. Though this will represent a moderation from the pace of growth during the 2015-2020 period – which was bolstered by strong weather-related repair and replacement demand in 2020 – the market for single-ply products will expand more quickly than that of roofing as a whole.

Gains will be supported by increasing construction of new commercial buildings, which more commonly have low-slope roofs and therefore are more likely to use roofing membranes. Although repair and replacement demand was elevated in 2020, many commercial businesses (especially restaurants and retail stores) ceased operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The glut of empty space lowered investment in new commercial building construction, leaving more room for expansion through the forecast period.

Commercial Reroofing to Remain Leading Application for Single-Ply Roofing

The commercial market accounts for most single-ply membrane roofing demand. Single-ply products are only installed on low-slope roofs, limiting their use in the residential market to high-rise multifamily complexes and, more rarely, single-family residences with low-slope roof elements. Reroofing applications account for 80% of single-ply sales in most years.

The commercial reroofing market will account for most of the anticipated increase in single-ply membrane demand through 2025, supported by the huge stock of existing roofs that need to be maintained. However, the high level of repair and replacement roofing activity in 2020 will limit greater reroofing demand gains.

Plastic Will Account for the Larger Share of Single-Ply Membrane Demand Gains

Thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), and other plastic materials will continue to account for the vast majority of single-ply roofing demand in both volume and value terms. Plastic single-ply roofing will also post stronger volume gains than rubber single-ply roofing, fueled by the relatively low cost of most plastic products, as well as by increased use of self-adhesive plastic membranes because of their ease of installation. However, demand for rubber roofing will climb at faster pace in value terms, reflecting the above average price increases expected for these products.

US Single-Ply Roofing Manufacturing Is Highly Concentrated

A relatively small number of suppliers account for most single-ply roofing demand in the US. The Carlisle SynTec subsidiary of Carlisle Companies and the Johns Manville subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway are by far the largest suppliers, dominating the market because of their leading positions in the TPO, PVC, and ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM) product segments.

Additional single-ply roofing demand is supplied by the Firestone Building Products subsidiary of Holcim, the GAF Materials subsidiary of Standard Industries, and Duro-Last.

Product Forecasts

Demand for single-ply roofing membranes is projected to rise at a 1.1% annual rate through 2025 to 36.7 million squares, valued at $2.1 billion. This will represent a moderation from the pace of growth during the 2015-2020 period, which was bolstered by strong weather-related repair and replacement demand in 2020.

Plastic single-ply roofing will post greater absolute gains in volume terms than rubber single-ply roofing, fueled by the relatively low cost of most plastic products, as well as by increased use of self-adhesive plastic membranes because of their ease of installation. However, demand for rubber roofing will climb at faster pace in dollar terms, reflecting the above average price increases expected for these products.

Markets & Applications

Market Overview

The commercial market accounts for most single-ply membrane roofing demand in the US. Single-ply products are only installed on low-slope roofs, limiting their use in the residential market to high-rise multifamily complexes and, more rarely, residences with low-slope roof elements. Reroofing applications account for 80% of the single-ply sales total.

The commercial reroofing market will account for most of the anticipated increase in single-ply membrane demand through 2025, supported by the huge stock of existing roofs that need to be maintained. However, the high level of repair and replacement roofing activity in 2020 will limit greater reroofing demand gains through 2025. The new commercial construction market will grow at a faster pace, bolstered by the increasing construction of new commercial buildings.

Commercial Buildings

Plastic and rubber single-ply products are widely used in commercial buildings where low-slope roofing predominates. The commercial market consists of:

• institutional buildings (such as healthcare and educational facilities, and religious establishments)
• office and commercial structures (e.g., office buildings, retail establishments, hospitality facilities, warehousing and storage facilities not located on industrial sites, and other commercial structures such as banks and theaters)