Import volumes in the third quarter of 2021 reached record levels at 3.3 million m3. All of the main timber and panel products achieved double digit growth rates to the end of September and all imports from January- September were 34% up.
Those statistics are revealed in the latest figures from the Timber Trade Federation (TTF) and TTF Timber Industry Facts & Figures, December 2021 goes on to say that the volume of timber and panel imports in Q3 2021 were nearly 23% higher than in Q3 2020. “This completes four quarters of very high growth since Q4 2020,” said the TTF.
Softwood imports in the January- September year-on-year comparison were up 39.4% on 2020, with cumulative volume for the 2021 period at 6,226,000m3 (2020: 4,464,000m3).
The high demand in the UK resulted in increased volumes shipped by three of the leading countries of supply – Latvia, Finland and Germany – which together accounted for more than 1.1 million m3 of the 1.8 million m3 more that was supplied between January- September 2021.
Sweden also increased its supply to the UK – by 15% – but the triple digit growth rates of some of the other supplier countries meant that Sweden’s share of supply fell from 42% in January-September 2020 to 34% in the equivalent period in 2021.
The value of all softwood imports in the nine month period increased by 125%, with the value of sawn goods up 108% and planed goods up 148%.
Hardwood imports were also up, with a 27% rise on the January-September 2020 figure. Cumulative volume for January- September 2021 was 405,000m3 (2020: 319,000m3).
All the leading countries of supply increased their shipments to the UK, with standout figures over the nine month period coming from Latvia (up 87%), Ireland (up 71%) and Lithuania (up 211%). Imports from Cameroon were up by 54%, while those from the US were up 20%.
All plywood imports were up 17.5% in the January-September comparison periods, with cumulative volume for the first nine months of 2021 at 1,211,000m3 (2020: 1,030,000m3) Within this overall figure, hardwood plywood imports were up 27%, with cumulative volume at 844,000m3 (2020: 665,000m3).
Along with other leading hardwood plywood suppliers, Russia has upped its volumes to the UK – but only by 0.3%, compared to an 162% increase from Finland.
Shipments of hardwood plywood from China were up by 21% and while its share of supply to the UK fell from 63% to 60% in the comparison periods, it still accounts for more than half of the total increase in hardwood plywood imports in the first nine months of 2021.
Softwood plywood imports were up by a more modest 0.3%, with cumulative volume from January-September at 367,000m3 (2020: 366,000m3). Whilst the overall figure remains similar to last year, the make-up of the volume has changed significantly, with volume lost from Brazil being made up for by volumes from China and Finland. There were also losses in volume from South Africa, Chile and France and increases from Uruguay, Russia and Poland.
Chipboard imports were up 21% in the comparison period, with cumulative value at 508,000m3 (2020: 418,000m3). The majority of the increase has come from Germany and Portugal, with both countries exporting around 37,000m3 more over the period.
Supply from Belgium was up by 11% but volume from France was down by 12%. OSB imports were up by 38.7%, with cumulative volume at 379,000m3 (2020: 274,000m3). Meanwhile, MDF imports were up by 34.6%, with cumulative volume at 672,000m3 (2020: 499,000m3)
