Figures from the latest TTF Timber Statistics – Industry Facts & Figures, June 2019, show that the growth in imports so far this year is still skewed against a slow and bad weather-related start to the same period last year.
Having said that, the first quarter of 2019 was the third consecutive quarter of volume growth of the main timber and panel imports and was still the best first quarter for UK imports since 2007. Import volumes of 365,000m3 in Q1 this year were 14.8% higher than in Q1, 2018 and 4.2% higher (or 117,000m3) than Q1, 2017.
Softwood imports from January to March this year were up 20.1% on the same period in 2018. The cumulative volume to March was 1,741,000m3, up from 1,450,000m3 in Q1 2018.
Latvia and Germany were the main drivers of this growth and each increased the volume they supplied to the UK in Q1 by over 40% over Q1, 2018. The Republic of Ireland also boosted its volumes – by 32% – and Finland’s Q1 exports to the UK rose by 13%. Swedish imports, which had been slipping, were up by about 2%.
Hardwood imports were also up in the quarter-on-quarter comparison. Cumulative volumes to March 2019 were 136,000m3, against 108,000m3, representing a 25.4% increase over Q1, 2018.
The volume of US hardwoods improved in March, enabling the country to maintain its market leading position, but its share is still much reduced – from 22% in Q1, 2018 to 16% in the first quarter of this year.
The Baltic states have made inroads into market share, with Estonia’s up from 10% in Q1, 2018 to 16% in Q1 this year and Latvia’s up from 5% to 7% in the same corresponding periods. France’s market share rose from 9% to 11%, while Italy suffered a 1% loss, from 8% to 7%. Both Italy and Cameroon lost some market share despite both exporting more hardwood to the UK in Q1 this year than the same period of 2018.
Total plywood imports were up by 6.1% in the Q1 year-on-year comparison. The cumulative volume for Q1 was 501,000m3, against 472,000m3 in Q1, 2018.
Hardwood plywood imports in March this year were 6% higher than March 2018, with China increasing its shipments and its market share – from 56% in March 2018 to 59% in March this year. Finland and Russia also increased their exports to the UK but volumes from Indonesia and Malaysia have fallen.
Softwood plywood imports were up 4.4% in the first quarter, against Q1, 2018. This rise is down to a “robust” March, which followed a “disappointing” February. Brazil, China, Finland and Chile increased their volumes and Brazil maintained its dominance with a 67% market share.
France’s exports of chipboard to the UK reached a market share of 28% in Q1 (23% in Q1, 2018), meaning it leapfrogged Germany into first place. Germany now has 27% market share, down from 29% in the Q1 year-on-year comparisons.
Chipboard imports were up by 8.2%, from 222,000m3 in Q1, 2018 to 240,000m3 in Q1 this year, although March saw a 7% dip, thanks to lower volumes from Germany that month.
OSB imports were up 1.6%, from 96,000m3 in Q1, 2018 to 97,000m3 Q1 this year, while MDF imports were up 4.4%, from 181,000m3 in Q1, 2018 to 189,000m3 in Q1 this year.
