This is a reflection, said a spokesperson, of several factors including: the price differential between OSB and structural plywood; reduced availability of structural plywood from South America; the decline in OSB imports from North America; and, as ever, rising costs. “Demand is generally flat but supply is under pressure,” he said. “Prices are going only in one direction.”
Another supplier to the UK, which recently raised prices by around 5%, described demand as “steady” of late. April was a relatively good month and expectations are of a further improvement in orders heading towards the summer, a spokesperson said. The EUTR has provided no perceptible fillip as yet to demand for OSB3, according to several contacts, and yet there is a widespread belief that this product “ticks a lot of the boxes” and thus may make deeper inroads into some applications. Roofing, flooring and wall sheathing were three areas identified by one major distributor as having significant growth potential. UK imports of OSB plummeted 65.5% to 9,000m3 in January this year compared to January 2012. Exports edged just 1.4% lower to remain around 13,000m3, according to Timber Trade Federation figures.
