Prices for the rough sawn timber and panels are also soaring, with the price of slats up from 13p each to more than 30p.
Extra demand caused by the January storms exacerbated the continuing shortage of timber, primarily from the fall off in supply from eastern Europe.
Industry figures confirmed that despite the boom in demand, some companies were on short time.
“The problem is we don’t really know when or how it will end,” said Peter Keane, managing director of Challenge Fencing, which sells panels through five branches in England and Scotland.
“When the storms came, we reacted quickly to ensure our supplies and we have found some other mills that can meet our needs. Prices have gone up 20-30%, which we have had to pass on.
“The problem is for the smaller companies that make their own panels. They have been scrambling around and they can’t buy what they need.”
One sawmiller said the larger panel manufacturers were taking the lion’s share of the available supply. “Slats that were selling for 13p are now going for 30p, if you can get them. The large suppliers are buying them up, so if you are the size where you take one delivery a week or are making 100 panels, they are being squeezed out.”
Rowlinson Garden Products, part of the Rowlinson Group, said it had ramped up production, but was also looking to up-sell end users to the more decorative continental screens, which cost about £50-plus per panel, compared with about £16.
“End users can take this opportunity to fix their fence and give it a new look at the same time,” said sales director Paul Taylor.
