Timber and panel import volumes were 0.6% higher in Q1 2025 than they were in 2024, reaching 2.26 million m3, according to the latest Timber Development UK figures.
The figures represent the first Q1 growth on the previous year the sector has seen since 2021.
The start of the year was described by TDUK as “challenging”, with volumes falling 1% in January 2025, and 9% in February, but a 13% increase in volumes in March 2025 resulted in cumulative growth for the quarter as a whole.
Strong Q1 growth in volumes were realised in OSB, Plywood and engineered wood products Softwood imports also grew by nearly 2%. The reduction in MDF volumes seen in Q1 2025 is being measured against a strong performance in Q1 2024.
Sawn and planed pine import volumes increased strongly in the early months of 2025, with pine volumes 32% higher in Q1 2025 than in Q1 2024 – an increase of more than 95,000m3. Most of this increase came Sweden, but good import growth was also recorded from Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, and Estonia.
The average prices of imported pine also rose by 4% in Q1 2025. Meanwhile, whitewood import volumes were 10% lower.
Total softwood import values rose by 12% year-on-year, supported by a 2% increase in volume and a 10% rise in average prices to £268/m³. Redwood values soared by 37% and mixed species by 24%, while whitewood values remained flat.
Hardwood import volumes declined by 2.8%, though key suppliers like the USA (+8%) and France (+4%) expanded their shipments. Tropical hardwoods grew nearly 3% in volume, led by Cameroon (+17%) and the DRC (+58%). In contrast, temperate hardwood volumes fell by 4%.
Plywood imports were mixed; hardwood plywood volumes edged up 1.1%, led by China and Malaysia, though values fell 1% due to lower prices. Softwood plywood values surged by 34% on the back of a 25% rise in volume and a 7% price increase, with Brazil supplying 80% of UK imports.
TDUK said overall, Q1 2025 exceeded the sector’s low expectations, with stronger-than-expected volumes and a clear upward movement in pricing, especially across softwood and softwood plywood.
“While challenges remain across the construction landscape, it’s encouraging to see import growth and forecasts pointing to improvements in the housing and RMI sectors – both key markets for timber,” said TDUK Head of Technical and Trade, Nick Boulton.
“After a difficult few years, signs of recovery in new housing and the hope of a continued momentum in RMI give cause for cautious optimism but we fear may not come soon enough for some within the sector.”
