The insulating glass market is described in two ways by the same people on the same day: as a volume story tied to construction, and as a value story tied to regulation. Both are correct and they behave differently.
Volume
Units per square metre have been falling in some markets as fabricators consolidate and get more out of each unit. Volumes are not the growth lever they were.
Value
Every tightening of a code or an energy standard moves the specification to a better unit. That is where the value is, and it is a regulatory cycle, not a construction cycle.
For suppliers
Sell the specification, not the component. A fabricator who owns the whole-window performance number will specify a better glass than one who is buying a spacer.
