According to Timber Trade Federation (TTF) March 2016 statistics, 996,000m3 of hardwood plywood was imported into the UK between January-December 2015 – a 9.4% increase on the corresponding period in 2014.

The vast majority of this increase, the TTF said, was down to China’s dominant supply position, with volumes from the country up by around 17%. Chinese plywood now has 59% market share. Imports of hardwood plywood from Finland, Russia and Indonesia also grew but volumes from Malaysia and other smaller countries were lower.

Softwood plywood volumes were down by 2.8%, from 489,000m3 between January- December 2014, to 475,000m3 between January-December 2015. This decline is attributed to a 12% drop in volume from Finland and a more dramatic decrease in volume from China by over a third.

Countering those drops, imports of softwood plywood from Brazil were up by 11%, raising its market share to 55%. Imports from Chile were virtually identical to 2014’s levels, maintaining a 7% market share.

Of the top five countries exporting chipboard to the UK (France, Germany, Portugal, Belgium and the Republic of Ireland), only Belgian volumes grew between January-December 2015 – by 8%. Volumes from France were down by about 12%, Germany was down 6% and Portugal was down by about 9%. Volumes from ROI were down by 29%.

These losses were offset by a significant increase in imports of chipboard from Latvia which now claims a 4% market share but, overall, chipboard imports in 2015 were down by 5.3% compared to the previous year.

OSB imports were up by 8% between January-December 2015 on the corresponding period of 2014 (from 278,000m3 to 301,000m3). Exports of OSB were down – by 25.9% (from 146,000m3 between January-December 2014 to 108,000m3 between January-December 2015.

In the same year-on-year comparison, MDF imports were down by 16.7%, from 669,000m3 in 2014 to 558,000m3 in 2015, while exports were down 43%, from 96,000m3 between January-December 2014, to 55,000m3 in the same period in 2015.

Two supplier countries highlighted by the TTF’s statistics, Chile and Belgium have increased their exports to the UK and distributor Price & Pierce Forest Products Ltd has had first hand experience in both.

The company has represented Chilean softwood plywood producer CMPC for around 28 years. CMPC’s Selex plywood plant has an annual capacity of 500,000m3 and the manufacturer has ambitions to double production during the next 10 years.

Structural grade Selex II/III is available in a range of thicknesses, from 6.5-25mm and is suitable for construction and a number of other applications such as flooring, decorative sheathing, furniture and cabinetry.

New developments include the introduction of a T&G panel in 18, 21 and 22mm, which is suitable for flooring applications.

Selex plywood is gaining ground in both the retail/DIY and the merchant sectors. Volumes have grown “significantly” within B&Q, where it is the only softwood plywood stocked, and both Wickes and Travis Perkins have increased their intake.

CMPC is very committed to the UK and to long-term partners who can commit to the brand, said Price & Pierce managing director Stephen Pitt.

He added that CMPC is opening a stock facility at Tilbury. “They will use this to facilitate sales to their existing customers,” he said. “They’re not going to offer it as stock for the [wider] market, but if existing customers need to take more volume, it will enable them to react to it more quickly.”

Tilbury also figures in Price & Pierce’s distribution of chipboard from the Belgian panel manufacturing giant Unilin. Its Durélis brand is making inroads in the P5 chipboard market and sales are growing through panel specialists and B&Q.

“In December last year we trialled bringing it into Tilbury from Zeebrugge and we’re now shipping on a weekly basis,” said Mr Pitt.

“It’s a much more competitive and costeffective way of getting it into the market and some of the big companies are based in Tilbury because there are panel products from all over the world arriving there.”

Mr Pitt said that sales of Durélis into the flooring market had been improving and the company had had “a good start to the year”.

He also flagged up a new product, developed by Unilin in conjunction with Steico.

According to Steico UK MD (sales) Andy Moore, STEICODurelisdek will feature the following triple protection for floor decks.

(1) The Durelis board is a higher density P5 particleboard with “Top Surface” technology making it less prone to moisture related swelling and thermal expansion.

(2) The top surface has an additional wax sealer applied, which adds further protection and allows the finished floor to be cleaned easily for a pristine finish on handover.

(3) A final slip resistant and durable peel-off layer together with a customised fixing kit protects the floor for the exposed construction period..