Australia’s total imports of Engineered Wood Products (EWPs)* were valued at AUD286 million on a free-on-board (FOB) basis, year-ended December 2023. The result saw the value of annual imports raised 12.4% compared to the prior month.
Australia’s EWP Imports by Main Type: Jan ’22 – Dec ’23 (AUD million)
Source: ABS and IndustryEdge
The chart shows the peak import month was August 2022, when imports were valued at AUDFob49.7 million. Since August 2022, imports fell sharply but as of recent been seeing in the range of AUDFob20-30million, at least on a value basis. In December, imports totalled AUD25 million, increased compared to last month.
Below, the table shows the experience of the last three months. It should be noted the ‘Other’ designation is widely expected to include some Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL).
Monthly EWP Import Values: Oct ’23 – Dec ’23 (AUD)
| AUDFob | LVL | GLT | I-BEAMS | OTHER | TOTAL |
| Oct-23 | 8,529,293 | 3,389,166 | 5,318,555 | 6,982,157 | 24,219,171 |
| Nov-23 | 7,743,304 | 3,048,084 | 6,314,767 | 5,107,655 | 22,213,810 |
| Dec-23 | 11,454,515 | 3,090,983 | 4,039,326 | 6,387,327 | 24,972,151 |
| % Change (Latest Month) | 47.9% | 1.4% | -36.0% | 25.1% | 12.4% |
Source: ABS and IndustryEdge
* These measures are based on data analysis by IndustryEdge, of a data series that commenced January 2022. The relatively new status of the data impedes some analysis, but that will improve over time. It should be noted that some imports of EWPs may still be reported under previous import codes.
LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber)
Over the year-ended December 2023, specifically declared imports of LVL totalled 109,115 m3. These specific imports are not all the LVL imported to Australia. As described above, much of the volume is expected to be included in the ‘Other’ designation for engineered wood product imports.
Specifically declared imports of LVL are the only engineered wood product for which volume or quantity details are available.
Australia’s LVL Imports by Grade: Jan ’22 – Dec ’23 (m3)
Source: ABS and IndustryEdge
| m3 | LVL, Hardwood (Tropical) | LVL, Hardwood | LVL, Softwood | Total |
| YE Dec ’23 | 4,834.8 | 21,454.4 | 82,825.4 | 109,114.5 |
| Proportion (%) | 4.4% | 19.7% | 75.9% |
In December 2023, the weighted average price of LVL imports was AUDFob1,105/m3. As the chart shows, the hardwood LVL that includes tropical timbers is very varied in price, consistent with small and variable import volumes. By contrast, the larger volumes of softwood LVL are more consistently priced and as a result, drive the weighted average price.
Australia’s LVL Imports by Grade: Jan ’22 – Dec ’23 (AUDFob/m3)
Source: ABS and IndustryEdge
| AUDFob/m3 | LVL, Hardwood (Tropical) | LVL, Hardwood | LVL, Softwood | Total |
| Dec ’22 | 1,519.6 | 1,223.2 | 1,220.4 | 1,244.8 |
| Dec ’23 | 1,963.5 | 1,048.1 | 1,065.8 | 1,105.3 |
| % Change | 29.2% | -14.3% | -12.7% | -11.2% |
China was the main supplier over the year, contributing just less than half of total declared LVL imports.
Australia’s LVL Imports by Country: Jan ’22 – Dec ’23 (m3)
Source: ABS and IndustryEdge
| m3 | China (Mainland) | Finland | Poland | USA | Germany | NZ | Other |
| YE Dec ’23 | 51,271.96 | 15,778.89 | 11,474.76 | 13,071.08 | 8,217.37 | 5,322.24 | 3,671.02 |
| Proportion (%) | 47.1% | 14.5% | 10.5% | 12.0% | 7.6% | 4.9% | 3.4% |
GLT (Glue Laminated Timber)
Imports of GLT were valued at AUD49.6 million year-ended December 2023, 2.9% lower than for the previous month. Monthly imports were valued at AUD3.1 million in December, 1.4% higher than the previous month of AUD3 million.
As the chart and table demonstrate, New Zealand (28.7%) and China (17%) dominated import supply across the year. Unfortunately, the data does not provide further details – of volumes, quantities or species for instance – but the data does add to understanding the total size and value of the Australian market.
Australia’s GLT Imports by Country: Jan ’22 – Dec ’23 (AUD million)
Source: ABS and IndustryEdge
| AUD Million | China (Mainland) | Finland | Germany | Indonesia | NZ | Malaysia | Other | ANNUAL TOTAL |
| YE Dec ’23 | 8.4 | 4.1 | 1.7 | 7.9 | 14.3 | 1.8 | 11.3 | 49.6 |
| Proportion (%) | 17.0% | 8.3% | 3.5% | 16.0% | 28.7% | 3.6% | 22.9% |
