The latest figures from the Timber Trade Federation – TTF Timber Statistics Industry Facts & Figures, September 2020 – suggest that the recovery from the Covid-19 lockdown and subsequent disruption for timber and panel imports is under way.
Imports in the month of June showed an improvement on the previous two months, resulting in the figure for the overall reduction in volume for the first half of 2020 reducing to 24%.
Softwood imports in the January-June year-on-year comparison periods were down by 24.1%, with cumulative volume to January-June at 2,683,000m3 (2019: 3,534,000m3).
Most of the supplying nations saw percentage drops in volume to the UK broadly similar to the overall 24% decrease, although Finland saw a 45% drop.
Import volume from Latvia fell 15% and from Russia 5% compared with the same period last year and as a result of their lower than average drops, their share of supply has increased – Latvia’s to 20% (from 18% in 2019) and Russia’s to 6% (4% in 2019). Sweden remains on top with 44%.
The value of softwood imports in the first half of 2020 was lower by £248m, with sawn goods down by £158m and planed softwood down by £90m.
Hardwood imports over the first half comparison periods were down 27.1%, with cumulative volume to January-June at 197,000m3 (2019: 271,000m3).
The largest fall in volume was from the Baltic states, led by a 50% drop from Estonia. Volume from France was down 17%, from Portugal it was down 16% and from Italy it was down 23%.
The US retains the top slot of supply share with 17%.
Total plywood imports were down 14.9%, with cumulative volume to January-June at 694,000m3 (2019: 816,000m3).
Within that, hardwood plywood imports were down 11.7% on the comparison periods, with cumulative volume to January-June at 433,000m3 (2019: 490,000m3).
The two leading countries of supply, China and Russia, have supplied almost identical volumes to the UK as in the first six months of 2019. The only leading country raising volume over this period has been Malaysia – up 24%.
China had 62% of the UK supply share in the first half of 2020, with the next biggest supplier, Russia, on 10%.
Softwood plywood imports were down 19.9% on the comparison periods, with cumulative volume to January-June at 261,000m3 (2019: 326,000m3).
South Africa, Canada, Poland and Russia all increased their supply of softwood plywood into the UK during the first half of 2020 but this could not compensate for substantial falls from Finland, China and Chile, which, collectively, exported 82,000m3 less over the first six months of 2020 compared to the equivalent 2019 period.
Brazil’s supply share has risen to 69%, up from 60% in the first half of 2019. Chipboard imports were down 42.4%, with cumulative volume to January-June at 256,000m3 (2019: 444,000m3).
Italy is the only country to broadly maintain its export volume to the UK, while all the other leading supplying countries saw substantial decreases.
OSB imports were down 25.4% on the comparison periods, with cumulative volume to January-June at 150,000m3 (2019: 201,000m3).
MDF imports were down 18.3%, with cumulative volume to January-June at 286,000m3 (2019: 351,000m3).