Statistics Update: TDUK UK Imports | 13
IMPORTS CONTINUE TO TUMBLE
Latest figures from the TDUK reveal that imports are well down on last year SUMMARY
■January-July timber and panel product imports were 15% down on the same period last year
■July was a particularly poor month for import volumes
■Softwood imports are hardest hit; hardwood imports are up
■Sanctions on Russia have eliminated that country’s hardwood plywood exports to the UK
cumulative volume from January-July at 381,000m3
(2021: 310,000m3 an increase of around 71,000m3
). This represents .
The combined increase in the volumes from Latvia and France totalled 69,000m3
over the
period, increasing their share of supply to the UK from 13% to 23% and from 9% to 14% respectively. Italy and the US continued to lose ground, with the former down by 27% and the latter by 5%.
All plywood imports were up 1.1% in the comparison period, with cumulative volume from January-July at 929,000m3 919,000m3
(2021: ).
Imports of the main timber and panel products in the first seven months of this year were 15% below the same period in 2021. These are the findings of the latest Timber Development UK report – TDUK Timber Statistics: Industry Facts & Figures, October 2022.
The report goes on to say that softwood imports have suffered the most this year, with volumes around a million m3
lower than for
the first seven months of 2021. July was a particularly poor month in terms of timber and panel import volumes, with approximately 750,000m3
imported, compared to more than a million m3 in July
2021 – a drop of around 32%. Softwood imports from January-July were down 21.2%, with cumulative volume at 3,733,000m3 (2021: 4,736,000m3
for the period ).
Between them volume losses from Sweden, Latvia and Finland accounted for more than half of the total reduction in imports to date. Germany’s softwood exports to the UK also fell.
The TDUK points out that the value of softwood imports – £1.34bn in the first seven months of 2022 – was generated by a 31% increase in average price on a 21% drop in volume.
Conversely, hardwood imports were up 22.8% in the comparison periods, with
Softwood Imports by Main Country, Jan-Jul 2022/2021
10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
0 5
36.0 41.0 Sweden
20.0 21.0 Latvia
14.0 13.0 Finland
10.0 8.0 Germany
4.0 8.0 Irish Republic
Within this total figure, hardwood plywood was up 5.2%, with cumulative volume from January-July at 668,000m3
(2021: 635,000m3
. Indonesia also increased its supply. Imports from Malaysia are 10% lower and large losses in volume have been recorded for Finland and Russia. For Finland this is down to LVL not being recorded as hardwood
China’s domination of the UK’s hardwood plywood supply continues – in fact its share of supply has risen from 61% in the first seven months of 2021, to 68% in the same period this year. Imports from China were 18% higher from January-July this year, which represents an increase of more than 68,000m3
).
plywood in 2022 and for Russia it is due to sanctions following its invasion of Ukraine. Softwood plywood imports are down by 8.1%, with cumulative volume from January- July at 261,000m3
(2021:284,000m3 ), with
the TDUK noting that this is the lowest level since 2010.
Brazil remains the largest supplying country – as it was in 2010 – volumes from the country are similar to today. Imports of softwood plywood from China, on the other hand, have doubled since 2010, replacing a significant portion of the volume lost by Finland and Chile.
Chipboard imports were down 2.4% in the comparison periods, with cumulative volume from January-July at 394,000m3 (2021: 404,000m3
). Volumes from Germany, Belgium and
Portugal are lower in 2022 to date, but real growth of imports has been seen from France and Spain.
OSB imports were down 29.7% in the comparison periods, with cumulative volume from January-July at 203,000m3 (2021:289,000m3
also down – by 11.9%, with cumulative volume from January-July at 441,000m3 (20201: 501,000m3
). ■ ). And MDF imports were
2021 2022
The TDUK is the UK’s foremost membership body for the timber supply chain. Its members constitute timber importers, merchants, agents and manufacturers and account for around two-thirds of the £10bn UK timber industry.
www.ttjonline.com | November/December 2022 | TTJ
% of Total
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85
