According to FCNews research, the ongoing love affair with laminate flooring continues, particularly among retailers and distributors seeking alternatives to lower-quality SPC and entry-level to mid-range hardwood. However, the passion seems to be cooling a little.

FCNews research shows U.S. laminate flooring sales at the first point of distribution in 2025 totaled $1.11 billion, down 3.2% over the prior year. With respect to volume, shipments fell 5.6% to 871 million square feet. That put laminate at 4.7% of total industry sales (and 5.2% of total volume) in 2025. The category hasn’t seen numbers that low since 2018, where sales at the first point of distribution reached $1.103 billion.

Going back even further to 2015, laminate flooring generated $1.137 billion in sales and 1.034 billion square feet. Compared to 2025, that represents a decrease of only 2.3% in sales but a drop-off of nearly 16% in terms of volume.

Laminate flooring’s lackluster performance in 2025 is also evident when compared to competing hard surface categories. Last year laminate accounted for roughly 7.5% of total hard surface dollars (down from 7.9% in 2024) and 9.23% in hard surface volume (down slightly from 9.5% of total hard surface volume in 2024).

However, just as we’ve witnessed in the hardwood flooring category, the rate of sales decline is slowing. In 2024, for instance, laminate flooring sales fell 7.5% over 2023. This after falling 9.8% from 2022.

The same cannot be said for volume, unfortunately. In 2024, square footage at the first point of sale declined 4.8% to approximately 923 million square feet. Last year, laminate square footage was off 5.6%. The higher percentage in volume decrease, analysts say, is a reflection of a significant drop-off in imports from Europe, a bastion for laminate flooring production. This coupled with an ongoing decline in laminate flooring shipments out of China.

Still, the momentum that the U.S. laminate flooring category has generated since its well-documented resurgence began anew several years ago cannot be overlooked. Industry observers cite a variety of factors driving that renewed interest: more visually appealing products offering improved realism, enhanced water resistance and stronger durability characteristics. As a result, laminate flooring has regained relevance among specialty retailers, distributors and consumers seeking performance-oriented hard surface products at competitive price points.

At the same time, the U.S. laminate flooring category faces mounting challenges. Tariff uncertainty, aggressive pricing strategies from big box retailers, inflationary pressures and relentless competition from other hard surface categories—particularly luxury vinyl plank (LVP) and SPC flooring—continue to shape the marketplace.

“Laminate flooring continues to represent a terrific value to the consumer; however, the LVT category seems to be evolving at a much quicker pace in terms of style and design,” said Jeff Striegel, president, Elias Wilf, a top 20 distributor. “The new innovations in edge profiles, surface textures and tile visuals within LVT are eclipsing laminate at a surprising rate. This is especially notable within the tile visuals.”

Over the past decade in particular, laminate flooring lost momentum as waterproof vinyl products surged in popularity. Consumers gravitated toward rigid core and SPC flooring because of their waterproof attributes and relative ease of installation. Retailers followed suit, allocating more showroom space to vinyl offerings.

“In recent years LVT has grown at an incredible rate vs. laminate as a result of select product features/benefits like water resistance,” Striegel added. “While laminate has closed the gap on the waterproof aspect and some of the performance attributes, LVT growth continues to outpace laminate as a result of the improvement in the authenticity in LVT visuals, plank/tile size options and installation options, including the ability to grout dry-back LVT.”

Channel activity
In 2025, the industry continued to see slight shifts in how laminate flooring is sold in the U.S. market. FCNews research shows the specialty retail segment grew its share of laminate flooring sales from 30% in 2024 to roughly 32% last year. It’s a clear sign, observers say, of how dealers embraced the category and are moving away from low-priced, entry-level SPC imports.

Home centers, historically laminate flooring’s domain, saw their market share fall slightly in 2025. FCNews research shows the laminate market share attributed to Home Depot and Lowe’s fell to 24% and 13%, respectively, down from 27% and 16%, respectively, from 2024. This is on par with financial reports released by the big boxes, showing single-digit declines in both their flooring department sales—with Home Depot total flooring sales off by 5.29% and Lowe’s down slightly by 0.58%.

Conversely, share of sales in the “other” category of laminate flooring—which includes IKEA, Floor & Decor, Lumber Liquidators, etc.—grew from 18% in 2024 to approximately 22% last year. Floor & Decor financials show the retailer grew its laminate and vinyl revenues 4.5% to $1.154 billion.
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Declining imports
One of the more notable shifts with respect to U.S. laminate flooring sales in 2025 was a sizeable reduction in the amount of product shipped to American shores from Europe. Statistics provided by the European Producers of Laminate Flooring (EPLF) showed shipments to North America were off by 12.4% last year, with volume down 8.6% to the U.S. specifically. That’s a reduction of more than 176.6 million square feet.

It also represents a dramatic turnaround from 2024, when EPLF shipments to customers in North America increased nearly 9%. Looking at the U.S. in particular, EPLF shipments to America were up 7.3% in 2024. In fact, EPLF’s global shipments were up nearly across the board in 2024, with only several exceptions.

Still, European countries remain the largest exporters of laminate flooring to American shores. FCNews research shows Germany accounted for 40% of laminate imports last year. Meanwhile, research shows fewer and fewer laminate flooring imports from China. In 2024, laminate imports from China accounted for roughly 19%, down from 26% in 2023 and way down from roughly 70% in 2017. Last year, that share fell to approximately 15%. At the same time, industry observers have been tracking increased laminate flooring shipments from Southeast Asian countries, especially Vietnam, Cambodia and Indonesia.

One of the biggest factors impacting lower laminate import activity, experts say, has been U.S. trade policy. Since 2018, tariffs imposed on a broad range of Chinese-made products have increased the landed cost of imported laminate flooring. Additional anti-dumping and countervailing duty investigations involving wood-based products have further complicated sourcing decisions for importers, industry observers note. As a result, many distributors and retailers have shifted toward domestic suppliers or manufacturers located in some of the aforementioned Southeast Asian countries and other lower-tariff regions.

At the same time, North American laminate manufacturing capacity has grown as a result of the pivot. Major producers have invested heavily in U.S.- based manufacturing facilities, allowing them to shorten lead times, reduce freight expenses and provide more reliable inventory availability. The COVID- 19-era supply chain disruptions exposed the risks associated with long-distance sourcing, encouraging retailers and distributors to favor domestic supply chains whenever possible.

European laminate suppliers face a different set of challenges. While European manufacturers continue to produce some of the industry’s most technologically advanced products, they often struggle to compete on price in the value-oriented segments that drive much of the U.S. residential replacement market. Higher labor costs, energy expenses and trans-Atlantic shipping costs have widened the price gap between European imports and domestically produced alternatives.

Currency fluctuations have also affected competitiveness. A stronger euro relative to the U.S. dollar can increase the cost of imported flooring, while volatile freight rates have made budgeting more difficult for importers. In addition, some U.S. distributors report that longer transit times and larger minimum-order requirements associated with European suppliers reduce their flexibility in managing inventory. As a result, the U.S. market is becoming increasingly reliant on domestic production.
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Source: fcnews.net