And strong demand within Europe has prompted many European suppliers to take advantage of better returns in their domestic markets.
It has been reported that some European producers plan to cut shipments to the US by 25-40% in the coming months. This follows the record volume exported during the first quarter when US dimension prices were higher.
Sources say European markets are strong, with a booming German housing industry accounting for large proportion of trade.
More volume is also being exported to North Africa and the Middle East by European producers who are seeing increased returns from a market they find easy to access.
