Looking at the growth in UK housing starts, you don’t need to be an Einstein to work out that the engineered wood floor systems market has grown as well in the past year.

More houses, of course, mean more structural floors, but while the housebuilding boost is clearly welcomed by the sector, there are feelings in the market that construction could still be better and that competitive pricing and oversupply are factors very much at work.

Probably the biggest news in the sector is the return of Masonite Beams to the UK (see page 8), in a partnership with Crown Timber – the latter transitioning supply over from Boise Cascade, which has supplied Crown for the past decade.

This development may in itself not change the UK engineered wood floor systems market greatly but it is interesting in that we have another I-joist supplier which uses fibreboard, like Steico, as its web material.

James Jones Timber Systems, Steico, Metsä Wood, Masonite and Louisiana-Pacific are the companies vying for UK I-joist market share, while the Posi-Joist, Easi-Joist and Space- Joist/Eco-Joist are the metal web brands in the market place.

Contacting both system suppliers and fabricators reveals that I-joist and metalwebs enjoyed healthy volume increases in 2015, to the order of 10-15%.

"The GDP figures show that the UK continues to develop at a pace that is outperforming much of mainland Europe, in addition there is still a strong pent up demand for housing so with interest rates unlikely to increase aggressively then one would expect the new build sector to continue to prosper," said Kevin Riley, sales director EWP at Crown Timber.

He predicted the RMI market would also develop positively, buoyed by house price inflation persuading people to improve and extend rather than move.

"2015 has seen a marked reduction in pricing, due to oversupply, new entrants and currency fluctuations," he added.

"2016 remains to be seen as the outlook remains uncertain."

Steico is predicting I-joist market growth will reduce from 15% in 2015 to perhaps only 5% organic growth this year.

"However, this could be better if government finally gets it act together on providing social housing," said Steico UK managing director Andy Moore.

He reported a quiet start to the year but with new build once again starting to ramp up, while smaller works being subdued.

"All the Top 20 house builders use I-joists and I’m not aware of any of the top 50 using solid timber which is now restricted to extensions, self build and small works," he added.

"There is a trend amongst some of the very largest national housebuilders to dual or multi source their I-joists which has opened up the market further."

Cost-conscious volume builders have clearly been switched on by cost-effective high-performance I-joists.

Meanwhile, metal-web joists are estimated to have a market share about one-tenth the size of I-joists.

Metal web has reportedly grown somewhat in the timber frame sector as manufacturers like to achieve an in-house manufacturing margin.

I-joist pricing is reportedly on the low side but stable over the last 18 months, though with some evidence of players dropping prices to secure business.

I-joist market leader by volume James Jones Timber Systems said the market was strong in 2015 but it was too early to say if new government policy was having a marked effect on housebuilding, although Help to Buy created confidence for builders.

The JJI-Joist is seeing good penetration in the school and hotel construction sector because of I-joist performance, ease of use and speed of build.

"Smaller builders and the repair/ refurbishment sector still predominantly use solid timber although that is beginning to change," the company said.

James Jones anticipates further growth in the timber frame sector, while product prices have remained "fairly steady" over the last 12 months.

JJI-Joists are increasingly being used as part of cassette builds for wall, floor and roofing sections – areas James Jones believes will grow as offsite construction gains momentum.

"Our £4.5m investment in a new fingerjointing line and related plant and site improvements is testament to our commitment to the market and our belief in the JJI-Joist product," it said.

"We want builders to be confident that we are capable of meeting their volume demands both now and in the future."

Meanwhile, fabricator Donaldson Timber Engineering reported increasing demand for I-joists and open web joists as individual components for flat roofs, typically apartment blocks.

Improved Quality

Metsä Wood, which produces the Finnjoist, believes the market is evolving, with customers looking for improved quality from their floor systems whilst embracing new design tools such as BIM.

"More recently we have seen a move to "up spec" the performance of the floor to improve the feel," said Matt Collins, Metsä Wood’s sales director for building and industry.

This is achieved by using software so the floor design is tailored to suit the needs of the client.

"The use of BIM has gradually increased year-on-year and the government’s mandate that public sector centrally procured construction projects will be delivered using BIM 2016 is bound to see it’s use increase even more this year."

BIM models were created for Metsä Wood’s range of engineered wood products back in 2013 for ease of specification and include Finnjoists.

He said Metsä had invested in its factory at King’s Lynn to allow efficient production of Finnjoists.

"Demand for housing in the UK is still strong so it is vitally important to have a modern and flexible production facility close to our key market," he added.

Metal-Web Joists

Posi-Joist metal-web system supplier MiTek said the specification of metal-web joists in UK housebuilding continued to grow throughout 2015.

MiTek reported a 15% increase in the sale of its metal webs for its Posi-Joist floor system.

Sales & marketing director Roy Troman attributes this growth to the requirements of Part L and the increased use of MVHR systems in UK housebuilding, as the nature of metal-webs mean services are easy to run through the gaps.

MiTek will soon release the 2016 release of Version 5.0 of the award-winning PAMIR roof and floor design software.

Since the initial release in 2014 (which won the TTJ Awards’ Market Development in Timber Innovation prize that year) the software has been rolled out to over sixty design teams across the UK and Ireland.

The 2016 release of v 5.0 of PAMIR will see the Posi-Joist system included for the first time.

Another metal-web joist system provider ITW – which markets the SpaceJoist – has also been busy developing floor system innovations.

"In partnership with housebuilders, fabricators and installers, ITW Construction Products has gained a deep knowledge and understanding around their key needs and pain points, resulting in the development of an innovative I-Joist end seal," said Trudi Stewart, Alpine & Gang-Nail product manager within ITW.

Cullen’s new Hi-Vis Gripper is available in a range of vibrant colours (assigned to different joist widths) and is designed so parts are easily visible for post installation plot inspection by both housebuilder site management and NHBC.

The product is designed to reduce air leakage and achieve improved thermal conductivity and a reduction in cold bridging at the external wall and intermediate floor junction.