Wood Framing Remained Dominant in 2025 Home Construction

While alternative materials saw shifts, the vast majority of new single-family homes still relied on wood framing.

Updated on Sept. 21, 2026 in Residential

Isometric editorial illustration of a stack of neatly piled pine lumber beams, representing structural housing materials. — Wood framing remained the primary structural choice for 94 percent of new U.S. single-family homes in 2025, according to industry data. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Wood framing accounted for 94 percent of completed single-family homes in the United States in 2025. This share remained unchanged from the previous year, despite an overall 1 percent decline in the total number of wood-framed units.

Why it matters

Understanding construction trends helps households evaluate long-term maintenance and structural expectations for new builds. Regional preferences for non-wood framing, such as in the South, are often driven by local residential resiliency requirements.

Wood framing represented 94 percent of the 947 thousand single-family completions in 2025, a 1 percent drop from 2024. Meanwhile, concrete-framed homes fell 4 percent to 53 thousand units, and steel-framed homes grew 25 percent to 5 thousand units.

The details

Builders across the U.S. overwhelmingly utilized wood as the primary structural material for single-family residences in 2025. While wood maintained its market share, alternative materials showed varied trends, with steel-framed homes seeing a 25 percent increase in production. Use of non-wood materials remained concentrated in the South, where building codes often prioritize specific resiliency requirements against local weather events.

2024 served as the baseline year for construction comparisons.
2025 was the primary reporting period for these housing data trends.

Money Landscape

The U.S. residential construction market continues to rely heavily on wood, maintaining a long-standing trend of near-total market saturation for single-family framing. This consistency persists even as specialized regional requirements and material costs lead to niche growth in steel-framed builds.

Prospective homeowners should discuss the long-term maintenance and insurance implications of their home’s specific framing material with their builder or a local professional. Understanding whether a home is wood, concrete, or steel can also inform future renovation planning and localized structural risk assessments.

The takeaway

Wood remains the standard for single-family homes, though material choices vary significantly by region based on local resilience standards. If you are shopping for a new build, clarify the structural materials used in your specific market to understand your long-term maintenance needs.