Latest builders merchants sales figures show timber & joinery outperformed heavy building materials in Q1.
The Builders Merchants Building Index (BMBI) latest figures – published in May – show Timber & Joinery Products were up +0.9% in Q1. Heavy building materials fell -6.7%.
March like-for-like sales (compared to a year ago) showed timber & joinery products up +4.2%, outperforming the total builders merchant sales, with heavy building materials down -1.7%.
Total Builders Merchants like-for-like value sales for Q1 2026, adjusted to remove the impact of trading days, were -3.2% lower than Q1 2025. Like-for-like volume sales were down -8.1%, with prices increasing +5.4%.
March 2026 like-for-like value sales were -3.6% lower than March 2025. Like-for-like volume sales dropped -7.8% while prices increased +4.6%.
James Davenport, managing director of Metsä Wood UK and BMBI’s Expert for Softwoods and Engineered Timber, said the UK market for both softwoods and engineered wood products had been subdued in Q1 2026.
“Merchant and distributor restocking in January generated volumes broadly in line with January 2025,” he said.
“However, follow-up demand was slower than expected, reflecting a cautious approach to stockholding.
“Wet weather in February across the majority of England and Wales certainly weakened demand from the housebuilding sector and impacted the stock build of timber landscaping products in preparation for the outdoor season.
“March brought further uncertainty with the conflict in Iran, and wider geopolitical and economic pressures compounding existing challenges around fuel, energy, borrowing costs, and consumer confidence.
“These factors are shaping activity in the housebuilding sector, prompting the Construction Products Association (CPA) to revise down its 2026 outlook. Its latest Spring forecast suggests a much more difficult year for construction, including a forecast decline in private housing output.
“Against this backdrop, customers continue to manage stock carefully and seek value from their supply base. This is reflected in purchasing decisions, for example, forward sales of sawn timber products shifting towards landed ‘quay stocks’ as businesses seek greater flexibility in an uncertain market.
“Inflationary pressures remain a key consideration across the supply chain, with many businesses facing higher costs. The timber market is affected by these wider pressures, though to a lesser extent than other sectors.”
The Builders Merchant Building Index (BMBI) is a brand of the Builders Merchants Federation. The BMBI report, which is produced and managed by MRA Research, uses NiQ GfK’s Builders Merchant Point of Sale Tracking Data which analyses sales out data from 88% of generalist builders’ merchants’ sales across Great Britain. The full report is on www.bmbi.co.uk.
