Europe Lumber Imports Witnessed Notable Surge

SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): The Wood Resources International (WRI) announced lumber market update for Q3 2020.

In Europe, lumber imports showed notable increase in Q3 last year. However, the cumulative imports during the initial nine-month period witnessed decline by 22%, compared with the corresponding nine-month period in 2019. The import prices stood generally higher in the fall. The shipments from Sweden to the UK declined less than imports from other countries in the Europe.

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The lumber imports to China slowed in Q3 2020. The total volumes declined 4% from Q3 2019. The total imports during the first three quarters of 2020 recorded 10% decline from the same period in 2019. Russia and Canada accounted for roughly two-thirds of imported softwood lumber. However, market share of both the countries declined until Q3 last year. The lumber import prices in Q3 2020 touched the highest level in nearly two years. Incidentally, Russian lumber prices hit close to record-high.

The lumber imports to Japan dipped by almost 10% during the first nine months of 2020. The imports from Canada, Finland and Russia witnessed decline. On the contrary, the Swedish export volumes to Japan surged by 19%. The Canadian hemlock import prices increased by 15%, while the European whitewood prices dropped by 13%.