Roofing, Siding, and Insulation Materials

SIC 5033
ROOFING, SIDING AND INSULATION MATERIALS

This industry consists of establishments engaged in the wholesale distribution of roofing and siding (except wood) and insulation materials. Such establishments include those engaged in wholesale distribution of asphalt felts and coatings; fiberglass insulation materials; roofing, asphalt, and sheet metal; shingles (except wood); and siding (except wood).

NAICS Code(s)

421330 (Roofing, Siding, and Insulation Material Wholesalers)

In 2001, the U.S. Census Bureau reported 1,835 establishments engaged in the wholesale distribution of roofing and siding and insulation materials, except wood. There were approximately 22,287 employees who shared an annual payroll of $1.3 billion. In 2003, the total number of establishments increased to 3,820 and the employee number climbed to 36,795. The industry shared about $12.1 billion in annual sales, with the average sales per establishment at about $5.6 million.

The various sectors included roofing, siding, and insulation with 1,339 establishments; roofing and siding materials with 879; roofing, asphalt and sheet metal with 437; insulation materials with 435; siding, except wood with 335; thermal insulation with 205; fiberglass building materials with 114; asphalt felts and coating with 56; mineral wool insulation materials with ten; and shingles, except wood with nine.

The wholesale roofing, siding, and insulation industry grew steadily in the early to mid-1990s, with sales rising from $14.43 billion in 1992 to $15.65 billion in 1996. At the same time, companies in the industry were consolidating—the number of establishments dropped from 2,848 in 1992 to 2,659 in 1996. Despite the decrease in establishments, employment remained relatively stable, dropping only slightly from 30,060 in 1992 to 29,523 in 1996. The industry's payroll grew from $921.9 million in 1992 to $1.02 billion in 1996.

Inextricably tied to the larger construction industry, companies involved in wholesale distribution of roofing, siding, and insulation materials keep a close eye on such key economic indicators as housing starts, which provide a particularly accurate barometer of trends in this support industry. In the mid-1990s, housing starts were very strong. After dropping to just 1.014 million in 1991, single family and multi-family housing starts in the United States rose every year to a peak of 1.457 million in 1994. While starts dropped back to 1.354 million in 1995, they rose again to 1.451 million in 1996. Though housing starts jumped to 1.66 million in 1999, the economy is expected to slow, resulting in housing starts to drop by an estimated 3.6 percent to 1.61 million in 2000.

U.S. demand for residential/commercial/light industrial siding material was expected to reach 9 billion square feet per year, valued at more than $7 billion total. The market for specialty roofing was more than $1 billion.

The wholesale roofing, siding, and insulation industry was dominated by large firms. The top five companies in the industry had revenues of $500 million or more. The revenue leaders in this industry, according to Wholesale and Retail Trade USA and Ward's Business Directory, were T.J.T. Inc. of Emmett, Idaho, with $2.5 billion; American Builders and Contractors Supply Company Inc., of Beloit, Wisconsin, with $960 million; Boise Cascade Corp. of Boise, Idaho, with $956 million; Cameron Ashley Building Products Inc. of Dallas, later known as Guardian Building Products Inc., with $762 million; and Rugby USA Inc. of Deerfield, Illinois, with $500 million). Other leaders included Patrick Industries Inc., Elkhart, Indiana, with $404 million; Irex Corp., of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, with $244 million; and Shook and Fletcher Insulation Co. with $250 million.

While many of these establishments were solely concerned with the wholesale distribution of roofing, siding, and insulation materials, publicly held corporations such as Boise Cascade Corporation and Owens-Corning Fiberglass Corporation also had established their presence in the industry via subsidiary divisions.