The following trade update has been supplied by IndustryEdge from its online platform, Wood Market Edge online. All the data used and referred to here is available for download by IndustryEdge subscribers and is part of the most timely and comprehensive data and information service available in Australia.
Learn more about Wood Market Edge online here.
Australia’s total imports of sawn softwood products lifted to 1,00,989 m3 year-ended November 2022, an increase of 58.8% on the previous period, with the weighted average import price at a new record AUDFob877/m3. November itself saw imports at 61,073 m3, the second strongest November recorded after 2018, when imports were 85,372 m3.
Imports are mainly dominated by structural products, reflected for the most part by the import codes: 4407.11.10.34, 4407.11.10.39, 4407.11.99.15 and 4407.12.10.16.
The dominance of a few grades (or import codes at least) is matched by the importance of just seven countries, delivering the significant bulk of supply. Between them, the following countries contributed 81% of the year-end total import volume:
- Canada
- Czech Republic
- Estonia
- Germany
- Lithuania
- New Zealand
- Sweden
Of interest to many, shipments from Russia still appear in the annualised data (for most wood products, not just sawnwood). However, as the chart below from IndustryEdge’s data service shows, the last sawnwood imports were in June and in November, Russia landed no wood products into Australia at all.
There is always some interest in where the sawnwood imported to Australia is being offloaded. The chart here shows that Melbourne continues to be the major destination, followed by Sydney and Brisbane. There are few surprises in this data and from a market perspective – that is a good thing!
