Commitments and Contingencies

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2023

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

18.	COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

Product Warranty

The Company warrants that for the applicable warranty period its Trex Residential products, when properly installed, used and maintained, will be free from material defects in workmanship and materials and its decking, cladding, fascia and railing products will not split, splinter, rot or suffer structural damage from termites or fungal decay.

Products sold on or after January 1, 2023: The warranty period for residential use is 50 years for Transcend

decking, 35 years for Select

decking and Universal Fascia, and 25 years for Enhance

decking and Transcend, Select, Enhance and Signature

railing. The warranty period for commercial use is 10 years, excluding Signature railing and Transcend cladding, which each have a warranty period of 25 years. The Company further warrants that Trex Transcend, Trex Enhance and Trex Select decking and cladding and Universal Fascia products will not fade in color from light and weathering exposure more than a certain amount and will be resistant to permanent staining from food and beverage substances or mold and mildew, provided the stain is cleaned within seven days of appearance, for the warranty period referred to above. If there is a breach of such warranties, the Company has an obligation either to replace the defective product or refund the purchase price.

Products sold prior to January 1, 2023: The warranty period is 25 years for residential use and 10 years for commercial use. With respect to Trex Signature railing, the warranty period is 25 years for both residential and commercial use. The Company further warrants that Trex Transcend, Trex Enhance, Trex Select and Universal Fascia products will not fade in color more than a certain amount and will be resistant to permanent staining from food substances or mold, provided the stain is cleaned within seven days of appearance, for the warranty period referred to above. If there is a breach of such warranties, the company has an obligation either to replace the defective product or refund the purchase price.

Trex Residential continues to receive and settle claims for decking products manufactured at its Nevada facility prior to 2007 that exhibit surface flaking and maintains a warranty reserve to provide for the settlement of these claims. Estimating the warranty reserve for surface flaking claims requires management to estimate (1) the number of claims to be settled with payment and (2) the average cost to settle each claim.

To estimate the number of claims to be settled with payment, the Company utilizes actuarial techniques to determine a reasonable possible range of claims to be received and the percentage of those claims that will ultimately require payment (collectively, elements). Estimates for these elements are quantified using a range of assumptions derived from claim count history and the identification of factors influencing the claim counts to determine its best estimate of future claims for which to record a related liability. The cost per claim varies due to a number of factors, including the size of affected decks, the availability and type of replacement material used, the cost of production of replacement material and the method of claim settlement.

The Company monitors surface flaking claims activity each quarter for indications that its estimates require revision. Typically, a majority of surface flaking claims received in a year are received during the summer outdoor season, which spans the second and third quarters. It has been the Company’s practice to utilize the actuarial techniques discussed above during the third quarter, after a significant portion of all claims has been received for the fiscal year and variances to annual claims expectations are more meaningful.

The number of incoming claims received in the three months ended March 31, 2023 was lower than the number of claims received in the three months ended March 31, 2022, and lower than the Company’s expectations for 2023. Average cost per claim experienced in the three months ended March 31, 2023 was significantly lower than that experienced in the three months ended March 31, 2022, which was elevated due to the closure of three large claims, and lower than the Company’s expectations for 2023. The Company believes the reserve at March 31, 2023 is sufficient to cover future surface flaking obligations.

The Company’s analysis is based on currently known facts and a number of assumptions, as discussed above, and current expectations. Projecting future events such as the number of claims to be received, the number of claims that will require payment and the average cost of claims could cause the actual warranty liabilities to be higher or lower than those projected, which could materially affect the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. The Company estimates that the annual number of claims received will continue to decline over time and that the average cost per claim will increase slightly, primarily due to inflation. If the level of claims received or average cost per claim differs materially from expectations, it could result in additional increases or decreases to the warranty reserve and a decrease or increase in earnings and cash flows in future periods. The Company estimates that a 10% change in the expected number of remaining claims to be settled with payment or the expected cost to settle claims may result in approximately a $1.6 million change in the surface flaking warranty reserve.

The Company also maintains a warranty reserve for the settlement of other residential product warranty claims and records the provision at the time of product sale.

The following is a reconciliation of the Company’s residential product warranty reserve (in thousands):


	Three Months Ended March 31, 2023
	Surface Flaking			Other Residential			Total
Beginning balance, January 1	$	15,905		$	9,694		$	25,599
Provisions and changes in estimates		—			1,945			1,945
Settlements made during the period		(316	)		(551	)		(867	)

Ending balance, March 31	$	15,589		$	11,088		$	26,677


	Three Months Ended March 31, 2022
	Surface Flaking			Other Residential			Total
Beginning balance, January 1	$	18,542		$	10,053		$	28,595
Provisions and changes in estimates		—			1,090			1,090
Settlements made during the period		(745	)		(528	)		(1,273	)

Ending balance, March 31	$	17,797		$	10,615		$	28,412

Legal Matters

The Company has lawsuits, as well as other claims, pending against it which are ordinary routine litigation and claims incidental to the business. Management has evaluated the merits of these lawsuits and claims and believes that their ultimate resolution will not have a material effect on the Company’s consolidated financial condition, results of operations, liquidity or competitive position.

Arkansas Facility

In October 2021, the Company announced plans to add a third U.S.-based Trex Residential manufacturing facility located in Little Rock, Arkansas, that will sit on approximately 300 acres of land. The development approach for the new campus will be modular and calibrated to demand trends for Trex Residential outdoor living products. Construction began on the new facility in the second quarter of 2022, and in July 2022, the Company entered into a design-build agreement. As previously announced, the Company anticipates spending approximately $400 million on the facility and the budget for the design-build agreement is contained within this amount. Construction for the new facility will be funded primarily through the Company’s ongoing cash generation or its line of credit.