Domestically sawn softwood sales fell 7.9% year-ended August 2023, declining to 2.823 million m3. The deterioration of sales is not especially surprising because housing construction activity is slowing and imports are also in decline. The sole grade to experience any growth is Export grade.
The headline chart below demonstrates the long decline domestic sales have been weathering since they peaked in early 2021.
For all that, monthly sales have been trending up in recent months, with August sales of 258,799 m3 recording a nine-month high.
All the main products saw sales fall, with exception of Export (shown in purple below) which at 61,384 was up 56.1% compared to a year earlier, reflecting the search for alternative markets.
Among the domestic sales grades taking up the bulk of the pain, Outdoor Domestic (-23.1%) saw sales about 73,000 m3 lower, while among the structural grades, Treated Structural <120mm (-12.1%) shed 89,000 m3 but remains the single largest grade at 646,453 m3 year-ended August 2023.
