As the UK softwood trade drifted back from the holidays, views were mixed on the opening market situation and the prospects for Q1 of 2026.
The New Year return followed an unexpectedly strong month in December for some as a number of merchants witnessed an upturn in demand during the last 4-5 weeks of trading.
Despite harsh winter conditions holding back work on many construction sites at the beginning of January, some softwood importers reported an impetus in demand from their merchant customers due to re-stocking and the need to meet re-scheduled site call-offs being brought forward.
Against this improving trend for some, other merchants were struggling for sales, and further up the chain, certain importers were still trying to offload landed stocks by offering below-market prices. These cheap offers had a wider effect across the industry by retarding necessary price increments to improve the value of softwood, which in-turn caused frustration among those suppliers eager to move forward and return to profitability.
From the shippers perspective, production cuts made over the last 6 months combined with improving demand and pricing structures in other markets such as Belgium and Holland, are expected to lead to a supply-driven market and inevitably price rises in the British market towards Q2.
On top of production cuts by Scandinavian mills, storms in early January impacted large areas of forest stands. In Sweden, the storm (locally named Johannes), caused large-scale windthrow, with early assessments projecting damages in billions of Kronor (SEK).
• TTJ’s latest Softwood Market Report includes figures from the UNECE Committee on Forests and the Forest Industry(COFFI), November 2025 Geneva.
For full access to the TTJ report, which will appear in the Jan/Feb issue of TTJ subscribe to TTJ.
