Imports of the main timber and panel products in the first seven months of this year were 15% below the same period in 2021. These are the findings of the latest Timber Development UK report – TDUK Timber Statistics: Industry Facts & Figures, October 2022.
The report goes on to say that softwood imports have suffered the most this year, with volumes around a million m3 lower than for the first seven months of 2021.
July was a particularly poor month in terms of timber and panel import volumes, with approximately 750,000m3 imported, compared to more than a million m3 in July 2021 – a drop of around 32%.
Softwood imports from January-July were down 21.2%, with cumulative volume at 3,733,000m3 for the period (2021: 4,736,000m3).
Between them volume losses from Sweden, Latvia and Finland accounted for more than half of the total reduction in imports to date. Germany’s softwood exports to the UK also fell.
The TDUK points out that the value of softwood imports – £1.34bn in the first seven months of 2022 – was generated by a 31% increase in average price on a 21% drop in volume.
Conversely, hardwood imports were up 22.8% in the comparison periods, with cumulative volume from January-July at 381,000m3 (2021: 310,000m3). This represents an increase of around 71,000m3.
The combined increase in the volumes from Latvia and France totalled 69,000m3 over the period, increasing their share of supply to the UK from 13% to 23% and from 9% to 14% respectively. Italy and the US continued to lose ground, with the former down by 27% and the latter by 5%.
All plywood imports were up 1.1% in the comparison period, with cumulative volume from January-July at 929,000m3 (2021: 919,000m3).
Within this total figure, hardwood plywood was up 5.2%, with cumulative volume from January-July at 668,000m3 (2021: 635,000m3).
China’s domination of the UK’s hardwood plywood supply continues – in fact its share of supply has risen from 61% in the first seven months of 2021, to 68% in the same period this year. Imports from China were 18% higher from January-July this year, which represents an increase of more than 68,000m3. Indonesia also increased its supply.
Imports from Malaysia are 10% lower and large losses in volume have been recorded for Finland and Russia. For Finland this is down to LVL not being recorded as hardwood plywood in 2022 and for Russia it is due to sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine.
Softwood plywood imports are down by 8.1%, with cumulative volume from January- July at 261,000m3 (2021:284,000m3), with the TDUK noting that this is the lowest level since 2010.
Brazil remains the largest supplying country – as it was in 2010 – volumes from the country are similar to today. Imports of softwood plywood from China, on the other hand, have doubled since 2010, replacing a significant portion of the volume lost by Finland and Chile.
Chipboard imports were down 2.4% in the comparison periods, with cumulative volume from January-July at 394,000m3 (2021: 404,000m3).
Volumes from Germany, Belgium and Portugal are lower in 2022 to date, but real growth of imports has been seen from France and Spain.
OSB imports were down 29.7% in the comparison periods, with cumulative volume from January-July at 203,000m3 (2021:289,000m3). And MDF imports were also down – by 11.9%, with cumulative volume from January-July at 441,000m3 (20201: 501,000m3).