2024 Annual Report on China's Wooden Door Industry

2024 is a crucial year for fully implementing the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and also an important year for connecting the past and future in the '14th Five-Year Plan'. In this year, China faced a complex and volatile international situation as well as arduous and onerous tasks of domestic reform, development and stability. However, the whole nation worked together and forged ahead with determination. The economy operated steadily with progress, and the gross domestic product reached 134.9 trillion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 5.0%. Remarkable achievements were made in scientific and technological innovation, new industries and new forms of business developed vigorously, the industrial structure continued to be optimized, and green transformation advanced steadily. At the same time, the consumer market continued to recover, and the fundamental role of domestic demand in driving economic growth was continuously strengthened. In this context, the wooden door industry is also actively exploring in the tide of the times, conforming to the trend, and seeking new development and breakthroughs amid challenges and opportunities.

一、2024年行业整体情况

1、行业年度概况

Data source: Collected and sorted out by the Wood Door and Window Professional Committee of China Timber and Wood Products Distribution Association

Figure 1: Statistical Chart of Output Value of China's Wooden Door Industry

In 2024, the development of China's wooden door industry is facing many challenges. Affected by factors such as the in-depth adjustment of the real estate industry, the weakening demand in the consumer market, and fierce price competition, the overall growth rate of China's wooden door industry has continued to slow down. According to incomplete statistics, the annual output value of the industry was 117.4 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 5.32% compared with 2023 (see Figure 1). From equipment manufacturing to high-tech manufacturing, various fields are accelerating the pace of transformation and upgrading, and the wooden door and customized home furnishing industry is also moving towards high-end, intelligent, and green development. In the retail market, the advantage of differentiated operation has become increasingly prominent and continues to expand; large engineering-type enterprises are also continuously optimizing customer resources and actively seeking transformation and development. However, the 'K-shaped' differentiation among enterprises in the entire industry has accelerated significantly. Although the phenomenon of internal competition has subsided somewhat, it still lingers. Across the country, the closure of less competitive enterprises is common, and a very small number of enterprises had already suspended production as early as April and May.

In 2024, the Secretariat visited and surveyed wooden door enterprises in 16 provinces and municipalities directly under the Central Government, covering a total of 43 cities. According to the survey results, the performance of some enterprises has declined to varying degrees, with the decline ranging from 30% to 40%. Additionally, the performance of some other enterprises has decreased by less than 15%, while some have maintained the same level. A small number of enterprises have achieved counter-trend growth in performance. However, even if the output value remains the same or increases slightly, the corporate profits still show a downward trend.

2、International market situation

Source of data: Collected and sorted out by the Wood Door and Window Professional Committee of China Timber and Wood Products Distribution Association

Figure 2: Statistical Chart of Export Value of China's Wooden Door Industry

In 2024, China exported wooden door products to 197 countries and regions worldwide, with a total trade value of 807 million US dollars, an increase of 17.07% compared with 2023 (see Figure 2).

Source of data: Collected and sorted out by the Wood Door and Window Professional Committee of China Timber and Wood Products Distribution Association

Figure 3: The top six provinces in China by export value of wooden door products

From the perspective of exporting provinces and regions (see Figure 3), the top six in terms of export value remain: Guangdong Province, Zhejiang Province, Shandong Province, Liaoning Province, Fujian Province, and Jiangsu Province. Their export values are 235 million US dollars, 150 million US dollars, 110 million US dollars, 96 million US dollars, 74 million US dollars, and 54 million US dollars respectively. Their proportions of the total export value are 29.1%, 18.64%, 13.68%, 11.84%, 9.11%, and 6.71% respectively. Their year-on-year growth rates of export value are 32.62%, 10.52%, 7.21%, 6.98%, 22.89%, and 19.16% respectively.

Source of data: Collected and sorted out by the Wood Door and Window Professional Committee of China Timber and Wood Products Distribution Association

Figure 4: Proportion of Global Trade Partners' Procurement Amounts in 2024

From the perspective of trading partner countries and regions (see Figure 4), the top ten countries and regions in terms of procurement volume share are: the United States, China's Hong Kong, the United Kingdom, Japan, Canada, Singapore, Australia, Romania, Ireland, and Malaysia. The ranking order of the first nine has not changed much, while Malaysia has entered the top ten for the first time in the past three years. A brief analysis of the reasons for the year-on-year growth/decline in procurement volume of each of the above major trading partners is shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Brief Analysis of Reasons for Year-on-Year Growth/Decline in Procurement Amounts from Major Trading Partners

Data source: Collected and sorted out by the Wood Door and Window Professional Committee of China Timber and Wood Products Distribution Association

I have made statistics on the export situation of some household and building materials products in 2024 (see Figure 5).

Source of data: Collected and sorted out by the Wood Door and Window Professional Committee of China Timber and Wood Products Distribution Association

Figure 5: Export Situation of Some Home Furnishing and Building Materials Products in 2024

According to statistical data, the categories that have achieved simultaneous growth in export value and export volume are wooden doors, aluminum alloy doors and windows, solid wood composite flooring, laminate flooring, bamboo flooring, plywood, fiberboard, particleboard, office wooden furniture, kitchen wooden furniture, and bedroom wooden furniture. The categories with a decline in export value but an increase in export volume are solid wood flooring, wood-plastic flooring, other wooden furniture, and ceramic sanitary ware. The two categories of wooden windows and ceramic tiles have seen a simultaneous decline in both export value and export volume.

3. Changes in enterprise products

Data source: Collected and sorted out by the Wood Door and Window Professional Committee of China Timber and Wood Products Distribution Association

Figure 6: Proportion of output value of various products

In early 2025, the association conducted a survey on some representative enterprises of different scales in the industry that 'extend from doors to the customization field'. The statistical results (see Figure 6) show that in 2024, wooden door products remained the advantageous products of the surveyed enterprises, accounting for 55.52% of the output value, a slight decrease compared with 2023 (56.37%); the output value of cabinet products accounted for 20.79%, an increase compared with 2023 (19.98%); the output value of wall panel products accounted for 8.01%, an increase compared with 2023 (7.89%). The above statistical results can basically reflect the current situation of the product category structure of 'enterprises extending from wooden doors to customization'. The increase in the proportion of cabinet and wall panel categories indicates that enterprises in the industry are further integrating and extending towards the direction of customized home furnishing.

Data source: Collected and sorted out by the Wood Door and Window Professional Committee of China Timber and Wood Products Distribution Association

Figure 7: Classification Statistics Data

According to the classified statistical data (see Figure 7), the output ratio of painted doors to paint-free doors in the wooden door industry remains approximately 4:6, and the output value ratio is close to 1:1. The proportion of painted door output has increased from 38.29% in 2023 to 38.93% in 2024. In terms of painted products, in the 2024 survey, a considerable number of enterprises are producing painted doors, walls, and cabinet products, reflecting that the market demand for painted products has increased. In particular, 'combined painted and paint-free' products are more cost-effective and more likely to be favored by consumers. From the perspective of the sales proportion of paint-free products, the proportion of PVC-faced doors decreased from 60.8% in 2023 to 56.88% in 2024; the proportion of melamine/CPL-faced doors increased from 20.36% in 2023 to 24.02% in 2024; the proportions of PP-faced doors and PET/PETG-faced doors have changed little compared with 2023.

Source of data: Collected and sorted out by the Wood Door and Window Professional Committee of China Timber and Wood Products Distribution Association

Figure 8: Product color schemes and styles

Regarding product color schemes and styles (see Figure 8). Light-colored and medium-colored products are more favored by consumers, and the proportion of dark-colored products has decreased compared to 21.88% in 2023. Modern and minimalist styles remain the mainstream in the market, but their total proportion has decreased slightly compared to 2023, while the proportion of Chinese-style products has increased from 8.89% in 2023 to 10.81% in 2024. The dealer channel remains the fundamental pillar supporting the development of the industry and enterprises.

4. Supporting situation of the wooden door industry chain

Table 2: Changes in Costs and Prices of Some Industrial Chain Products

Source of data: Collected and compiled by the Wood Door and Window Professional Committee of China Timber and Wood Products Distribution Association

At the end of 2024, the association conducted research on some industrial chain enterprises (see Table 2). From the perspective of raw material price fluctuations in various fields, the average raw material costs in most industries remained flat or decreased throughout the year, with only individual categories experiencing cost increases. Due to the overall decline in market demand and the increased demand for cost-effective products, the purchasing prices of finished product enterprises further decreased compared to 2023. The vast majority of the surveyed industrial chain enterprises also adjusted their product ex-factory prices according to actual conditions to meet the needs of finished product enterprises. A small number of industrial chain enterprises kept their product prices unchanged, and very few industrial chain enterprises increased the ex-factory prices of new products.

II. Problems Faced by the Industry

1. The concept of differentiated development needs to be further enhanced.

Currently, some enterprises have already established the development concepts of differentiation, personalization, segmentation, and valuation. However, on the whole, many enterprises still lack brand positioning, product positioning, and product innovation capabilities. They are unable to lead and create demand with high-quality supply. The phenomenon of homogeneous competition in the industry remains relatively serious, price wars still occupy a dominant position, industry involution has intensified, enterprises are under operational pressure, and the concept of differentiated development needs to be further enhanced.

2. The digital marketing model needs further accumulation and optimization

Although some enterprises and distributors have begun to use various digital marketing tools, including Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and WeChat Channels, as well as even AI tools, due to the shortage of professional talents and the increase in customer acquisition costs, the overall digital penetration rate of the industry's marketing system remains low. There is a lack of in-depth interaction with consumers, insufficient integration of online and offline channels, and there is still room for improvement in content creation capabilities, accuracy, and operational capabilities. The digital marketing model still needs further accumulation and optimization.

3. The uncertainties in import and export trade have increased to some extent.

Although China's wooden door exports have maintained growth, they still face multiple risks. Some enterprises are highly dependent on imported wood. Geopolitical conflicts, exchange rate fluctuations, and pest infestations can lead to significant fluctuations in raw material prices. As the United States pursues 'tariff blackmail,' relevant countries introduce reciprocal countermeasures, and the possible subsequent transformation of the international political and economic pattern from globalization to regionalization, the risk of uncertainty in the international trade environment has increased.

III. Development Trends

1. Policy-driven efforts to expand and strengthen the domestic circulation

On April 9, 2025, a symposium of experts on economic situation and entrepreneurs was held in Beijing. The meeting pointed out that efforts should be made to strengthen and expand the domestic circulation, and expanding domestic demand should be taken as a long-term strategy.

In the 2025 'Government Work Report', 'stabilizing the property market' was included in the overall requirements for the first time, and 'continuing to make efforts to promote the real estate market to stop falling and stabilize' remains the core policy goal. With the release of a combination of policies such as the gradual relaxation of purchase restrictions in the real estate sector, the reduction of down payment ratios and mortgage interest rates, and the increase of loan amounts, housing prices in first-tier cities have stopped falling and stabilized, confidence in the real estate market has been boosted, and the market is expected to gradually recover. At the same time, the national standard for 'good houses', 'Residential Project Specifications', will be formally implemented starting from May. The Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development also plans to fully complete the renovation of urban old residential communities built before the end of 2000 in the urban renewal and renovation projects to be implemented in 2025.

According to our association's calculations, taking only the renovation needs of houses that have been inhabited for 5 to 15 years as an example, the cumulative sales area of commercial housing from 2010 to 2020 reached 13.57 billion square meters. This huge base, when converted into household products including doors, walls, cabinets, floors, kitchens, bathrooms, windows, furniture, etc., has a potential demand exceeding 10 trillion yuan. Among them, the demand for the three categories of doors, walls, and cabinets is close to 3 trillion yuan, and the demand for wooden door products alone exceeds 670 billion yuan, indicating that the stock market space is still huge. In 2025, the Ministry of Commerce, together with various regions and relevant departments, will strengthen and expand the implementation of the trade-in program for consumer goods. The 'renovation and renewal' work for home decoration, kitchens, and bathrooms will list five major categories, including decoration materials, sanitary ware, furniture and lighting, smart home products, and home aging-adaptation renovation products, as the key areas for subsidies. The continuous release of demands in the new housing market, old house renovations, second-hand house renovations, and the construction of indemnificatory housing will bring new development opportunities to the wooden door industry.

2. Market competition accelerates the improvement of brand concentration

According to the research conducted throughout 2024, enterprises in varying numbers and scales have shut down in the production regions of South China, East China, Southwest China, Central China, and North China. At the beginning of 2025, enterprises reported that the above-mentioned phenomenon continued to occur. Currently, the problem of overall product homogenization in the wooden door industry remains relatively prominent, the recovery of consumer confidence still requires a process, the cost of acquiring customers at the sales level is rising, and the operational pressure on enterprises continues to increase. In the future, some enterprises will accelerate their withdrawal because they cannot afford compliance costs and technical investment.

Moreover, as channel dividends gradually diminish, homogeneous products can no longer meet consumer demands. Market competition will shift from price competition to value competition, and the industry has transformed from a purely 'manufacturing industry' to a 'manufacturing service industry.' A company's product capabilities, service capabilities, and its ability to provide consumers with high emotional value during the service process will become key factors in market competition. Consumers are more focused on the innovation and differentiation of products themselves. Their demands for products have extended from environmental protection, color, and style to functional attributes, intelligent attributes, cultural attributes, and even IP collaboration, further amplifying cultural value. Their demands for services have shifted from conventional online lead generation and offline transactions to triggering emotional resonance online and gaining value recognition offline. They require extreme scenario-based experiences, systematic intelligent space solutions, and complete butler-style services. 'Paying for emotions' has become a new consumer hotspot.

Under the combined effect of the above two factors, fierce market competition will accelerate the improvement of industry brand concentration. Whether it is a leading brand or a regional brand, consumers' awareness of the brand will be further strengthened. Enterprises must have determination, avoid weaknesses and play to their strengths, tap the connotation of products, lead demand with high-quality supply, create demand, and obtain brand premium and cultural premium.

3. New Pattern of Global Trade, New Opportunities in Emerging Markets

The Central Conference on Peripheral Work was held in Beijing from April 8th to 9th. The conference pointed out that at present, China's relations with its neighbors are in the best period since modern times, and at the same time, they have entered an important stage where the peripheral pattern and the world's changes are deeply linked. The conference emphasized that to build a community with a shared future for neighboring countries, it is necessary to deepen development integration with neighboring countries, build a high-level connectivity network, and strengthen cooperation in industrial chains and supply chains.

Chinese wooden door enterprises have advantages in production costs, manufacturing processes, industrial chain resource integration, etc., with high quality-price ratio or cost performance. They can meet the diversified market demands overseas and have the potential to expand into overseas markets. Against the backdrop of a relatively saturated domestic market and slowing demand growth, for enterprises with the conditions and capabilities for product export, going global seems to have become the most certain option among many uncertain factors. Relevant enterprises must vigorously explore diversified markets, actively innovate trade channels and methods, and strive to enhance product competitiveness. It is necessary to promote Chinese door and window products and services to go global, improve brand premium and service innovation capabilities. This relies not only on good quality and low price, but also on technological innovation, value output and industrial chain output in the global industrial chain. At the same time, enterprises should fully understand and control various risks in foreign trade links, strengthen research on the international market, understand the regional culture, consumption habits, environmental protection standards, quality certification requirements of different countries and regions, and develop products suitable for local needs in a targeted manner.

In terms of export markets, emerging markets such as the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the Middle East, and Africa will become new growth drivers. In recent years, some home furnishing enterprises have already established production bases in Southeast Asia. Since 2024, with the full promotion of our association, enterprises engaged in wooden doors, flooring, and related industrial chains have either already entered or are in the process of entering the markets of Saudi Arabia and South Africa. Additionally, Russia and Ukraine will have huge reconstruction needs after the war. Enterprises can establish overseas sales channels and after-sales service networks by participating in the association's overseas projects, international home furnishing and building materials exhibitions, or cross-border e-commerce, so as to enhance their international brand visibility and gradually expand their international market share.

4. The related industrial chain industries have great development potential

(1) Wood coatings

The wood coatings industry is undergoing transformation and upgrading with 'greenization, intelligentization, and high-endization' as its core, leading development trends through technological innovation and strategic layout. In terms of environmentally friendly coating, the 'dual-carbon' strategy has promoted low-VOC products such as water-based coatings and UV coatings to become mainstream. Innovative technologies not only achieve high-grade texture effects but also reduce environmental impact, supporting the low-carbon transformation of the home furnishing industry. At the level of intelligentization and digitalization, electrostatic spraying and automated production lines have improved efficiency, and digital color-mixing systems have met high-end customization needs, becoming key to industrial upgrading. Looking at the current market, the coatings industry is exploring new blue oceans with 'high-end custom coating aesthetics'. High-end trending colors have received widespread attention, and the acceleration of global layout has promoted the growth of market share of high-end products. At the same time, industry-university-research collaboration has deepened, innovative achievements have been systematized, forming full-link solutions, and functional coatings such as nanotechnology and bio-based materials have gradually matured. The technological innovation of wood coatings has shifted from the improvement of a single environmental performance to the multi-dimensional collaboration of 'environmental protection - intelligence - service', jointly promoting the green upgrading of China's wood coatings industry.

Source of information: Zhuhai Zhanchen New Materials Co., Ltd.

(2) Woodworking adhesives

Woodworking adhesives, though invisible in home products, are a key factor affecting product quality. High-performance and environmentally friendly woodworking adhesives are even more of an invisible cornerstone for the development of the home furnishing industry. Environmental protection is not just about being formaldehyde-free; it is more about sustainability. Bio-based adhesives use biomass resources such as starch and straw as the main raw materials, achieving 'negative carbon emissions' in terms of raw material usage, and enabling enterprises to engage in green manufacturing and promote green transformation through their products. Currently, a few leading adhesive enterprises have mastered the 'formaldehyde-free bio-based adhesive' technology, with products covering PUR polyurethane adhesives, EVA adhesives, water-based adhesives, PU adhesives, MS adhesives, etc. They truly promote low-carbon production from the source of the value chain, empowering the industry to take collective action for green innovation.

With the rapid development of the wood product adhesive industry, domestic substitution is being realized for some product categories. Among them, polyurethane products have made the fastest progress. From raw material research and development to product application, the localization rate has increased to 80%, with raw material innovation accounting for 95% and product innovation accounting for 85%. In terms of water-based polyurethane products, domestic enterprises have begun to independently develop single-component capsule curing agent system products, and the quality and performance of these products have surpassed those of similar foreign products. Application innovations such as edge banding adhesives for handle-free processes, flat-laminated PUR products, edge banding without cleaning, filler-free products, and PUR foaming for upholstered furniture and mattresses are also being widely implemented.

Sources: Dingli New Material Technology Co., Ltd., Guangzhou Yongtena Wood Adhesive Trading Co., Ltd.

(3) Foam rubber

Driven by the dual demands of building energy efficiency and health safety, the foam adhesive industry is achieving a dual upgrade in product performance and social value through technological innovation and industrial chain collaboration. New foaming technologies have improved the poor air tightness of traditional foam adhesives. By increasing the cell density and reducing the closed-cell rate, door and window gap fillers can enhance building air tightness, reduce air conditioning energy consumption, and contribute to the realization of energy-efficient and comfortable residences. To reduce the health hazards of VOCs, some foam adhesive enterprises have collaborated with suppliers to develop products with VOC content 389 times lower than the national standard. Moreover, no formaldehyde or benzene series substances have been detected, ensuring that there are no health risks during the production and use of the products.

Source of information: Guinuo (Tianjin) Industrial Co., Ltd.

(4) Home Sliding System

As end consumers' demands for the functionality and aesthetics of indoor spaces continue to rise, traditional 'doorway-style' partitions are rapidly evolving into 'movable wall' forms in spaces. This evolution has given rise to demands for larger and heavier door leaves, continuously breaking conventional specifications—products such as ultra-high door leaves of 6 to 7 meters, 350-kilogram offset-axis doors, and 1-ton ultra-heavy sliding doors are emerging one after another. Under this trend, the home sliding system industry presents three major development directions: First, the continuous iteration and upgrading of opening methods. Innovative opening forms such as offset-axis, central-axis, and sliding have been widely applied due to their adaptability to large door leaves. Second, multi-leaf door systems have become the mainstream. The application of single door leaves is gradually transitioning to multi-leaf sliding, folding, and linked door systems. Third, intelligent opening technologies are accelerating their popularization. In the face of operational challenges posed by heavy door leaves, intelligent solutions such as electric drives, sensor controls, and remote controls not only enable easy opening and closing of door leaves but also integrate safety functions like anti-pinch protection and automatic positioning, promoting the home sliding system to move towards intelligence and humanization.

Source of information: Guangdong Oupai Ke Home Intelligent Technology Co., Ltd.

(5) Door hardware and home hardware

Due to changes in people's lifestyles, traditional mechanical door locks have begun to shift from a 'key-based' to a 'keyless' direction. As consumers' personalized demands continue to upgrade and AI intelligent control technology becomes increasingly mature, intelligence and interactivity have become the development trends in door hardware and home hardware. Intelligent door locks are evolving from simple remote control and biometric unlocking to deeper integration with smart home ecosystems, including but not limited to seamless linkage with security systems, smart lighting, environmental control, home hardware and other devices, to achieve scenario-based and automated smart experiences.

More precise biometric recognition algorithms (such as 3D face recognition and vein recognition) as well as more convenient and interesting human-computer interactions (personalized messages, welcome greetings, cute pets, holiday blessings) are also continuously being developed and applied. The ways of interactive experience will become increasingly rich and more interesting, providing users with safer, more convenient, and personalized smart home entrance solutions. In general, the door hardware and home hardware industry is accelerating its evolution towards three major directions: material cost optimization, experience upgrading, and intelligent interconnection.

Sources: Guangdong Mingmen Lock Industry Co., Ltd., Zhongshan Haishiman Hardware Co., Ltd.

(6) Laser Edge Banding

Currently, the laser edge banding industry is undergoing dual drives of technological innovation and upgrading market demand. Consumers' pursuit of seamless appearance and environmental performance is pushing enterprises to accelerate technological iteration. The production of glue-line-free products through laser technology can effectively reduce glue line residues and improve production efficiency. The cooperation between upstream and downstream in the industrial chain is also continuously optimized. Strategic cooperation between leading home furnishing enterprises and leading laser edge banding enterprises is conducive to promoting the upgrading of laser edge banding technology and equipment transformation, focusing on the research and development of materials for green home furnishing ecosystems, leading the industry's environmental protection trend through technological iteration, and providing more environmentally friendly and healthy solutions for high-end customized home furnishings.

Source of information: Dongguan Huali Industrial Co., Ltd.

(7) Energy-saving dust removal system

With the advancement of equipment manufacturing and the continuous improvement of environmental protection standards, the environmental protection requirements for dust and particulate matter emissions in the wood processing industry have also increased. Especially in terms of air emissions, the emission requirements in many domestic regions have raised the standard for dust emission concentration to 10mg/m³. The central dust collection system is a high-energy-consuming link in the production process. Under the background of the 'dual carbon' goals, enterprises have simultaneously generated a demand for 'energy conservation' in the process of 'emission reduction'. How to reduce energy consumption has become an important direction in the development of dust collection equipment, and wood processing enterprises need more efficient dust suction systems to reduce dust emissions. In terms of reducing compressed air consumption, the new back-blowing technology can save 70-80% of compressed air compared with the traditional pulse valve ash cleaning. Frequency conversion technology has also been applied to the main fan. By dynamically adjusting the air volume demand through frequency conversion technology, better energy-saving effects can be achieved. At present, there are mature energy-saving and high-efficiency central dust collection equipment that can control the dust emission concentration at 5mg/m³, and can save 30-50% of energy through frequency conversion technology.

Source: Ouma (Tianjin) Mechanical Equipment Co., Ltd.

IV. Conclusion

The ideas and measures of the '14th Five-Year Plan' for high-quality economic development clearly state: Deepen supply-side structural reform, optimize the supply system, improve supply quality, achieve a high-level balance between supply and demand, solve deep-seated problems such as overcapacity, zombie enterprises, and real estate bubbles, stimulate market vitality, and enhance enterprise competitiveness. In 2025, China's wooden door industry will face many challenges such as the restructuring of the global supply chain and domestic imbalance between supply and demand, while also ushering in new opportunities in cultural innovation, real estate recovery, 'renovation' consumption, and product exports. It is suggested that enterprises should base themselves on their core positioning, focus on advantageous fields, build competitive barriers with professional capabilities, and explore incremental space with strategic confidence.

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