uPVC door market booming

Wooden doors were once in great demand among people from all walks of life in the country. But for over a decade, uPVC doors have been dominating the market as they are easy to install, water-resistant, lightweight, durable, affordable, and available in different colours and designs.

Businesses say uPVC doors are now used as alternatives to wooden ones in residential and commercial buildings, with their popularity growing day by day.

There are around 30 brands and non-brand companies producing uPVC doors in the country. Of them, PRAN-RFL, Partex PVC Industries, Bengal Group, National Polymer, United Group, N Mohammad Group, and Mostafa Door are the leading players.

Insiders say the uPVC door market size is Tk 1,000-1,200 crore and the market doubled in the last eight years. The market on average grows at 12-15 per cent every year. 

Local production meets 70% demand

More than 15 years ago, uPVC doors would mostly be imported from different countries, such as Malaysia and China. But local production has grown a lot now.

PRAN-RFL Group’s Director (marketing) Kamruzzaman Kamal told The Business Post his company had been making uPVC doors since 2007.

He said uPVC doors had become popular within a very short period in the country.

“We sell three types of doors – uPVC, wooden, and WPC. PVC and uPVC doors are almost similar. Our annual production capacity is around 15 lakh pieces,” he said.

Kamal further said there is no official data but the annual demand for doors is around 25-30 lakh pieces in the country.

Bengal Group started its door business in 2016. It manufactures different types of doors, including royal, cosmic, hot stamping, and super plus. It can produce nearly 1,000 metric tonnes of uPVC doors every month.

Md Ishaque, Azad and Son’s proprietor in the capital’s Nayabazar, said he sells both local and imported doors.

He said local doors meet around 70 per cent of the demand while the rest is covered by imported products from China, Malaysia, and India. 

“I sell imported doors costing between Tk 3,000 and Tk 30,000. Of them, Chinese board doors sell at Tk 3,000-7,000, Indian formica doors at Tk 6,000-10,000, and Malaysian wooden doors at Tk 15,000-30,000.”

The trader said the door market was seeing a 10-15 per cent growth each year, thanks to urbanisation and people’s changing lifestyles.

His sales recently fell as real estate developers are not buying as many doors as they used to. This is mostly because they have erected buildings but do not have enough money to decorate apartments, including door installations, due to construction material price hikes.

“We are in trouble as we sell around 80 per cent of doors to housing companies. I hope business will bounce back to the pre-Covid-19 levels soon, or even grow further,” Ishaque explained.

He added getting skilled workers in his factory to make quality doors had become a big challenge.

Jahirul Islam, proprietor of Badhon Door Centre in Old Dhaka, said the uPVC doors that he sells are priced between Tk 2,800 and Tk 9,000.

He also said such doors are safe and strong compared to normal PVC ones and that is why buyers purchase those more.

Badda resident Monir Sheikh told The Business Post he recently built a three-storey building and used uPVC doors in toilets and kitchens.

“The doors are very good fits for toilets and kitchens. They are not damaged by insects. Besides, they look good and are reasonably priced. Many of my neighbours also use these,” he added. 

Exports to India, Nepal

PRAN-RFL’s Kamal said his company has been exporting uPVC doors to India and Nepal for several years.

“The demand for such doors has also increased in the international market. We plan to introduce new doors that will help us increase our market share. We are also focusing on raising export volumes,” he said.

He further said the duty on raw materials should be reduced so that products could be supplied at reasonable prices.

It would be tough to stay competitive in the global market if Bangladesh could not export quality products at affordable prices compared to its competitors like Malaysia, Vietnam, and Cambodia, Kamal added.

The Export Promotion Bureau data shows Bangladesh exported doors, windows, frames, and plastic door thresholds worth around Tk 2.95 crore in FY22.