Raw materials used by Mississippi's upholstered, wood household furniture manufacturers, 1999

Mississippi is a leader in the production of upholstered, wood household furniture. In 1998, Mississippi had over 32,000 employees in furniture and related products manufacturing. Raw materials that these manufacturers use are important to the entire forest products industry in Mississippi. In addition to the large number of furniture manufacturing employees, Mississippi had 5,800 workers in sawmills and 3,300 workers in engineered wood products manufacturing facilities. Mississippi has the advantage of quality wood-based raw materials and an adequate infrastructure for transport to major markets in the eastern U.S.;Studying the trends in materials used by Mississippi's upholstered furniture manufacturers is important to better understand how to meet the future raw material needs of these manufacturers. Trends indicating a shift to more engineered wood products, for example, could serve as an indicator to raw materials producers to produce a particular product to meet the needs of upholstered furniture firms. Knowledge and understanding of the trends in materials used will help Mississippi's wood products' producers to be competitive in this important market.;Upholstered, wood household furniture manufacturers were contacted by phone and then by mail questionnaire. Firms were asked about the raw materials used in production for 1999. Results from the current study were compared with results from a similar study that was done in 1989. Results indicated an increase in the use of engineered wood products by the upholstered, wood household furniture manufacturers from 1989 to 1999.