Demand for various types of pressured wooden board is set to grow due to real estate, commercial and industrial expansion, said an Emirates Industrial Bank (EIB) study.

Pressured wooden boards include cement boards, which are made of cement and timber shavings and filings, and are used for schools and public buildings; block boards, made of wood waste and used in houses; and medium density fibre (MDF), which are used in hotels, offices and factories.

Between 1995 and 2000, residential units expanded by 26 per cent from 293,000 to 370,000. Annual growth was 5.3 per cent. Demand for pressured wooden boards strengthened in the past five years, with three per cent growth last year alone.

The UAE sources pressured wooden boards primarily from the U.S., Germany, South Korea, Spain and Indonesia. There is no indigenous production.

The UAE's imports rose from Dh496 million in 1999 to Dh511 million in 2000 - up 3.23 per cent. Re-exports increased 3.4 per cent to Dh61 million in 2000, said the study.

However, demand for MDF boards was the highest, touching Dh140 million in 2000 - a 6 per cent increase over 1999. This particular type of wood represents 31 per cent of the UAE's demand for pressured wooden boards.