Fresh NAHB analysis of single-family homes started in 2025 puts vinyl siding back in the top spot for principal exterior wall material. That is more than a design footnote. For exterior suppliers, distributors, and builders heading into the second half of 2026, the mix of vinyl, stucco, fiber cement, and brick is reshaping inventory, labor planning, and regional go-to-market strategy.
According to Eye on Housing, vinyl accounted for 27.7% of principal exterior walls on 2025 starts, edging stucco at 24.1% and fiber cement at 22.6%. Brick or brick veneer held 16.8%, while wood and wood products sat at 5.9%. Vinyl surpassed stucco for only the second time since 2018, helped by a softer Sun Belt building pace that cooled stucco’s recent run.
Fiber Cement’s Long Climb Is the Real Story
Vinyl’s return to first place grabs the headline, but the multi-year trend that matters most is fiber cement. NAHB notes fiber cement has gained nearly 20 percentage points over the past 25 years. That growth tracks demand for fire resistance, moisture performance, wood-look aesthetics, and longer service life, especially in wildfire-prone and high-spec markets.
Usage also splits by home size and price. Vinyl still dominates smaller homes under 2,000 square feet and many mid-price projects. Fiber cement shows up more often on larger homes at 3,000 square feet and above. Stucco remains common across sizes, with strength in mid-size homes and higher price bands. Those patterns mean yards cannot treat “siding” as one SKU family. Entry-level production, move-up, and custom work pull different products, accessories, and lead-time risk.
Geography Still Decides the Mix
Regional building practice remains the strongest filter. Vinyl led in five of nine census divisions in 2025, including 73% of starts in the Middle Atlantic, 72% in New England, and 71% in the East North Central. Stucco led in the Pacific (65%) and South Atlantic (33%). Fiber cement slightly topped stucco in the Mountain division at 42%, a first in the available data series. Brick dominated the West South Central at 54%.
For multi-market distributors and national builders, that map is the operating plan. A Midwest branch leaning vinyl and insulated profiles is not stocking the same way as a Mountain or Pacific yard balancing fiber cement, stucco systems, and fire-rated assemblies. Cross-region transfers and national buy programs only work when local share data drives allocation, not average national catalogs.
What Suppliers and Builders Should Watch Next
Three operational pressures sit on top of the share shift. First, product complexity is rising as mixed-material facades and wood-look composites gain ground alongside commodity vinyl. Second, installation labor, not raw board availability, is often the bottleneck. Fiber cement and specialty claddings usually need more skilled crews and tighter sequencing than standard vinyl. Third, distribution is still expanding premium alternatives. Composite and poly-ash lines continue to push into more branches, giving contractors more mid-tier options between vinyl and full fiber cement packages.
Pricing has moderated from earlier supply spikes, but the spread between vinyl and higher-performance cladding still shapes bid strategy. When buyers trade up for durability or insurance-driven specs, margins and warranty exposure move with the material. Teams that quote only unit price without labor, waste, and schedule risk will keep losing the job after award.
Bottom Line for 2026 Exterior Ops
Vinyl is back on top in national share, but the market is not reverting to a single-material story. Fiber cement keeps taking durable share, stucco follows regional housing cycles, and brick remains deeply local. Exterior suppliers that win this year will stock and stage by census division reality, not national averages, and keep branch teams tight on color runs, trim packages, and job-ready bundles.
For teams juggling multi-stop exterior drops across active subdivisions, clear handoffs on what left the yard and what landed on site still matter. Platforms like ezPOD help keep those field records clean without turning the day into paperwork. The bigger edge, though, is reading the exterior mix correctly before the truck is loaded.
