American hardwood moulding

This section provides information on the American hardwood moulding industry, the approach to manufacture, guidance on availability for export and industry representation in the USA.

A moulding is a profile machined from solid lumber and then sanded if required to a smooth finish. Mouldings can also be composite with a solid wood core (either hardwood or softwood) with a hardwood veneer wrapped around to give the appearance of a solid moulding.

HARDWOOD MOULDING INDUSTRY

The American hardwood moulding industry is similar in its composition to the dimension and components industry. In fact many of the specialist manufacturers have the capability to produce all three product types. The moulding industry primarily services the domestic market in the USA with both standard and one-off moulded profiles. Some companies specialise in softwood, while others produce hardwood mouldings as well. There is a concentration of specialist moulding companies along the west coast of the United States because California has a very large consumption, by product manufacturers (i.e. kitchens) and distribution centres servicing the building and DIY sectors.

Some hardwood sawmills have diversified their production and invested in moulding capability as a way to add value and maximise yields.

PRODUCTION

Mouldings are produced according to customer requirement, often requiring detailed drawings and clearly identified quality criteria. For every new profile there is a set up cost for producing the required cutters. Therefore, for a profile to be manufactured cost effectively, a minimum volume is required.

Many hardwood moulded profiles are dimensionally small, i.e. lippings, beading, dowels, and quadrant, so they can be manufactured either from lower grades of lumber, or narrows and off cuts from other lumber and dimension production. It is also common to find window and door frames, skirting boards and ceiling crowns up to 133.35mm in width, especially in red oak and tulipwood.

Red oak is the main species for hardwood moulding in the American market, due to its acceptance in a range of furniture and building products and its widespread availability. Most commercial hardwood species can be moulded, although some, such as hickory, cottonwood and aspen, need special care with knife preparation, cutting angles and feed speeds. Other species such as tulipwood and basswood are ideal and present minimal technical difficulties.

EXPORT AVAILABILITY

The American hardwood moulding industry is large and sophisticated, with access to significant volumes of lumber, and therefore capable of offering a wide range of machined profiles for export. However, influencing factors will be:

volume required
sufficient lead times for production and shipment
species availability
specification and length requirement
colour selection
acceptance of natural characteristics

EXPORT DISTRIBUTION

Generally stocks of pre-finished mouldings are not held in export markets as they are usually manufactured to individual customer requirements. Therefore specialist hardwood importers and agents are able to supply hardwood mouldings to order from producers in the United States.

A wide range of hardwood moulding profiles, especially for one-off sizes or smaller production volumes, is also likely to be available from producers in export markets. These are companies specialising in the manufacture of mouldings from stocks of imported American hardwood lumber.