Brazilian panels production steady at last year’s level

Brazil’s production of particleboard, MDF/HDF and rigid fibreboard was unchanged last year after skyrocketing in 2010. The latest figures released by the wood-based panels association Associação Brasileira da Indústria de Painéis de Madeira (ABIPA) indicated that total production reached 6.472m m³. Particleboard production improved slightly by 1.7% to 3.070m m³. MDF/HDF output only barely surpassed the previous year’s mark at 3.040m; much stronger growth rates had been recorded across the board in years past. Rigid fibreboard production fell to land at 362,453 m³.