Total import volume in the first two months of 2023 was 95,000m3 lower than in the first two months of 2022.

This was the finding of the latest Timber Development UK (TDUK) market data report, Timber Statistics Industry Facts & Figures, May 2023.

The report goes on to say that although softwood imports were a little ahead of 2022, lower hardwood and panel imports combined to place all import volume around 6% below 2022 after the first two months of the year.

Softwood imports for January-February were up 2.4% on the same period of 2022, with cumulative volume for the period at 888,000m3 (2022: 867,000m3).

The much higher volumes of softwood imported from Sweden in January 2023 compared to a year earlier continued in February, resulting in a 45% increase from Sweden for those two months. As a consequence, Sweden’s share of supply to Sweden reached 52%, up from 37% in January-February 2022.

The value of softwood imports in January- February this year was around 22% lower year-on-year, a decline in value attributed almost entirely to lower prices.

Hardwood imports were down by 29.1% in the comparison periods, with cumulative volume for January-February at 76,000m3 (2022: 108,000m3).

Within this, tropical hardwood imports were down 27.3% in the year-on-year comparison, with cumulative volume at 15,000m3 (2022: 20,000m3), while temperate hardwood imports were down 16.4%, with cumulative volume at 41,000m3 (2022: 49,000m3).

Of the leading countries of supply, only the US and the Congo Republic have increased volume supplied. Latvia remains the leading supplier by volume, accounting for 16% of share, although this is down from the 22% of January-February 2022, thanks to lower volumes to date from the country.

Total plywood imports in the January- February year-on-year comparison were 29.7% down on 2022, with cumulative volume at 220,000m3 (2022: 312,000m3).

Within this, hardwood plywood imports were down 34.8% in the January-February comparison periods, with cumulative volume at 124,000m3 (2022: 190,000m3).

The TDUK notes that the weaker start to the year for hardwood plywood imports has been shared by all the leading countries of supply, except for Latvia. UK imports from Latvia were sharply higher from a small base, elevating the country’s share of supply from 2% to 5% in the comparison periods.

China remains well out in front and has increased its share of hardwood plywood supply to the UK from 63% in January- February last year to 68% this year.

Imports of softwood plywood were down 21.7% in the comparison periods, with cumulative volume from January-February this year at 95,000m3 (2022: 122,000m3).

Brazil supplied less volume than in January-February but it’s relatively small drop in supply (by 5%) meant it has sharply increased its share of supply to the UK – from 60% in the first two months of 2022, to 72% in the first two months of this year.

Chipboard imports were down 12.5%, with cumulative volume from January-February at 103,000m3 (2022: 117,000m3).

In contrast to the overall lower level of chipboard imports in the first two months of 2023, volumes from France were up by nearly 50%, resulting in a rise in the share of supply to 31% of the total (2022: 19%).

OSB imports were up 39.6% in the comparison periods, with cumulative volume at 74,000m3 (2022: 53,000m3). MDF imports were up by 0.8% in January-February 2023 year-on-year, with cumulative volume at 121,000m3 (2022: 120,000m3).