IndexBox has just published a new report: ‘EU – Casks, Barrels, Vats, Tubs, And Coopers Products Of Wood – Market Analysis, Forecast, Size, Trends And Insights’. Here is a summary of the report’s key findings.

The EU wood barrel market expanded remarkably to $1.2B in 2019, picking up by 5.5% against the previous year. This figure reflects the total revenues of producers and importers (excluding logistics costs, retail marketing costs, and retailers’ margins, which will be included in the final consumer price). The market value increased at an average annual rate of +2.5% from 2013 to 2019; the trend pattern remained relatively stable, with somewhat noticeable fluctuations throughout the analyzed period.

Consumption by Country

The countries with the highest volumes of wood barrel consumption in 2019 were the UK (85M units), France (48M units) and Spain (17M units), with a combined 75% share of total consumption. Ireland, Poland, Portugal and the Netherlands lagged somewhat behind, together comprising a further 15%.

From 2013 to 2019, the most notable rate of growth in terms of wood barrel consumption, amongst the key consuming countries, was attained by Portugal, while wood barrel consumption for the other leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

In value terms, France ($589M) led the market, alone. The second position in the ranking was occupied by the UK ($269M). It was followed by Spain.

In 2019, the highest levels of wood barrel per capita consumption were registered in Ireland (3,326 units per 1000 persons), followed by the UK (1,260 units per 1000 persons), France (729 units per 1000 persons) and Portugal (410 units per 1000 persons), while the world average per capita consumption of wood barrel was estimated at 390 units per 1000 persons.

Production in the EU

In 2019, the production of casks, barrels, vats, tubs, and coopers products of wood was finally on the rise to reach 155M units for the first time since 2016, thus ending a two-year declining trend. The total output volume increased at an average annual rate of +1.4% from 2013 to 2019. The growth pace was the most rapid in 2014 when the production volume increased by 14% y-o-y. As a result, production attained the peak volume of 164M units. From 2015 to 2019, production growth remained at a somewhat lower figure.

Production by Country

France (72M units) constituted the country with the largest volume of wood barrel production, accounting for 46% of total volume. Moreover, wood barrel production in France exceeded the figures recorded by the second-largest producer, the UK (27M units), threefold. Spain (23M units) ranked third in terms of total production with a 15% share.

From 2013 to 2019, the average annual rate of growth in terms of volume in France amounted to +1.1%. The remaining producing countries recorded the following average annual rates of production growth: the UK (+1.2% per year) and Spain (+5.0% per year).

Exports in the EU

In 2019, shipments abroad of casks, barrels, vats, tubs, and coopers products of wood increased by 1% to 77M units, rising for the third consecutive year after two years of decline. The total export volume increased at an average annual rate of +4.2% over the period from 2013 to 2019. The volume of export peaked in 2019 and is expected to retain growth in the immediate term. In value terms, wood barrel exports reached $729M (IndexBox estimates) in 2019.

Exports by Country

France was the main exporter of casks, barrels, vats, tubs, and coopers products of wood in the European Union, with the volume of exports reaching 39M units, which was approx. 51% of total exports in 2019. Spain (19M units) ranks second in terms of the total exports with a 24% share, followed by the UK (5.2%). Hungary (2.2M units), Lithuania (2.1M units), Luxembourg (2M units), Romania (1.8M units), Portugal (1.6M units) and Austria (1.3M units) followed a long way behind the leaders.

Exports from France increased at an average annual rate of +1.8% from 2013 to 2019. At the same time, the UK (+24.7%), Lithuania (+19.2%), Luxembourg (+17.5%), Austria (+16.6%), Spain (+9.1%) and Portugal (+8.2%) displayed positive paces of growth. Moreover, the UK emerged as the fastest-growing exporter exported in the European Union, with a CAGR of +24.7% from 2013-2019. Hungary experienced a relatively flat trend pattern. By contrast, Romania (-2.8%) illustrated a downward trend over the same period.

In value terms, France ($515M) remains the largest wood barrel supplier in the European Union, comprising 71% of total exports. The second position in the ranking was occupied by Spain ($109M), with a 15% share of total exports. It was followed by Austria, with a 2.1% share.

Source: IndexBox AI Platform