Engineered wood flooring trends include the following:
1. Environmental protection materials: With the improvement of people's awareness of environmental protection, more and more consumers choose to use environmental protection materials. Engineered wood flooring is a combination of wood and man-made materials. Compared with solid wood flooring, the wood used is more economical and can reduce the cutting of natural forests.
2. High-quality appearance: Engineered wood flooring has the natural beauty and texture of solid wood flooring, and it can also create more diversified appearance effects through processing technology. Consumers are increasingly demanding the appearance of the floor, Engineered wood flooring can meet their needs for high-quality appearance.
3. Durability and wear resistance: Engineered wood flooring adopts a multi-layer structure to make it have high durability and wear resistance. This makes it suitable for use in high-traffic areas such as kitchens and hallways in commercial premises and homes.
4. Convenient installation and maintenance: Engineered wood flooring is more convenient to install than solid wood flooring. It can be installed by locking system or adhesive, reducing installation time and cost. At the same time, Engineered wood flooring is also easier to maintain than solid wood flooring, and only needs regular cleaning and maintenance.
5. Diversified design and color choices: Engineered wood flooring provides a rich variety of design and color choices to meet consumers' needs for personalization and customization. From classic wood grain design to modern stone and metal grain design, consumers can choose the right floor according to their own preferences and home style.
In general, the popular trend of Engineered wood flooring is to develop in the direction of environmental protection, high quality, durability, convenient installation and maintenance, and diversified design and color selection. These trends reflect changes in consumer demand and preferences for flooring.
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On October 14th, the China Iron and Steel Association (CISA) reported that large and medium-sized steel companies remain in a loss-making position within the industry. This year, aside from slight profits recorded in March, April, and May, all other months have seen losses, with these losses increasing month by month. In September alone, the losses amounted to 2.376 billion yuan, a decrease of 1.82 billion yuan compared to August (a drop from the previous month). However, this reduction was primarily due to an increase in investment income totaling 1.966 billion yuan, indicating that the steel industry itself is still struggling financially.
From January to September, these steel companies reported a total loss of 5.628 billion yuan, compared to a loss of 83.692 billion yuan during the same period last year, marking a significant improvement. However, the number of loss-making enterprises surged dramatically, with their losses increasing 41.5 times year-over-year, reaching 45% of total operations—a rise of 38.75 percentage points from the previous year.
In response, Wang Xiaoqi, the vice president of CISA, highlighted yesterday that key sectors like railway construction and real estate (especially new starts) have experienced negative growth. Additionally, the shipbuilding industry saw a notable decline in new orders and orders placed. Consequently, the industrial output values (product outputs) of related industries such as machinery, automobiles, and home appliances either stagnated or showed only minor growth.
Many steel companies are grappling with financial challenges. According to data from the China Steel Association, the financial expenses for large and medium-sized steel companies totaled 61.219 billion yuan in the first three quarters, representing a 29.18% increase year-over-year. By the end of September, the debt-to-asset ratio had climbed to 68.49%, up 2.02 percentage points from the previous year.
Thankfully, steel prices have shown some improvement since the end of September. “In the fourth quarter, national fixed asset investments are expected to grow significantly, leading to a recovery in demand within the steel market. This should alleviate the weak demand for steel products we’ve seen so far this year,†Wang Xiaoqi noted.
In September, the National Development and Reform Commission approved 25 new urban rail transit projects, 13 highway projects, and 13 railway projects. The number of new railway projects rose from nine at the start of the year to 22, and the railway’s fixed asset investment plan increased from 561 billion yuan to 630 billion yuan this year.
Despite this, Wang Xiaoqi cautioned that it would be challenging for steel prices to sustain their upward trajectory. “The stability of the market requires close monitoring,†he emphasized.
Regarding potential interventions to regulate steel prices, Wang Xiaoqi stated that steel futures serve as a valuable hedging tool for businesses. However, the actual need for physical deliveries represents only about 5% of total transactions, meaning their impact on the broader steel market remains limited. He added that on September 7th, the CSPI domestic steel composite price index fell below 100 points—the lowest level since June 2009. While there was a slight recovery later in the month, the rapid rebound in raw material costs continues to place significant pressure on steel producers.