Södra said September marked yet another month of very high sales figures to the Swedish building materials market, and October was following a similar pattern.

It said the increase should be viewed in light of the extremely high levels recorded in 2015, a year that was something of a record for sales to the Swedish building materials trade.

Compared with September 2015, sales to the Swedish market in September increased a further 10%, while figures for October were 6% per cent higher than in the preceding year.

“This confirms an important trend for timber construction,” said Jörgen Lindqvist, business area president for Södra Wood.

“Sweden is becoming increasingly aware of the fantastic raw material that wood represents.”

Robust demand has also been reported for coated cladding products.

The Swedish market is the largest single market for Södra’s sales of construction timber to industry and the building trade.