The 24th World Ceramic Tiles Forum (WCTF) was hosted on 30 November and 1 December in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, China, by the Chinese Building Ceramics Association (CBCSA) and the Xian Yang Research & Design Institute of Ceramics (CNBM). The meetings were held in conjunction with the ISO/TC189 meetings. This edition of the Forum was attended by representatives from Australia, Brazil, China, Germany, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Spain, Turkey, the US and the European Ceramic Tiles Manufacturers’ Association (CET).
The Forum provided an opportunity to discuss global trends in the production and consumption of ceramic tiles. In correlation with the increase in consumption of ceramic tiles, worldwide production is estimated to have increased by 85% over the last ten years and by 1% in 2016 compared to 2015. In addition to the global level, each country attending the WCTF offered insight into national general trends in ceramic tiles and the construction sector.