Timber Market Index
The Timber Market Index (TMI) provides timber industry stakeholders with critical data to support decision-making and business planning.
What is the Timber Market Index?
The TMI is developed using actual volume and price data contributed by a network of Australian softwood processors. The TMI is currently available to TMI funding partners only.
The index represents price movements across different categories of sawn softwood products, such as structural timber. By synthesising this data, the TMI offers industry benchmarks ranging from high-level insights to detailed data, supporting accurate pricing adjustments.
The TMI is independently audited periodically, ensuring correct calculations and assurance for industry stakeholders. It can serve multiple purposes, including:
- Providing a reliable industry standard for price monitoring
- Tracking timber price movements over time.
- Supporting price adjustment clauses in contracts between processors and growers.
- Enhancing business planning and forecasting in the timber industry.
Why do timber prices fluctuate in Australia?
This is an important question to answer and the foundation of why timber market data exists. Timber prices in Australia have experienced significant variations due to factors such as:
- Fluctuation in housing and construction demand.
- Global supply chain disruptions, including shortages and transportation issues.
- Environmental factors affecting timber supply.
- Production costs due to inflation and rising operational costs.
- Legislative changes at state and national levels.
Timber pricing trends and data:
Here are some recent trends around timber pricing, all of these data points, and more, are available via the FWPA Data Dashboard.
- Timber prices at aggregate levels show an increase in the early pandemic years but have slightly declined over the past two years.
- Structural timber volume and price trends over the last five years have closely followed housing construction activities.
- Prices for other timber products, such as appearance and packaging, have remained stable over the past three years.
The TMI and FWPA Data Dashboard are key industry resources that provide timber pricing insights. Below is an overview of these tools and their benefits.
What is the FWPA Data Dashboard?
The FWPA Data Dashboard is a comprehensive tool that provides access to industry data, insights, and market trends related to Australia’s forest and wood products industry.
As one of the most comprehensive timber industry data set tools, it covers:
- Selected macroeconomic indicators
- Australian forest and wood product statistics
- FWPA’s softwood sales volumes and prices
- Trade activities (export-import) on wood products
- International forest statistics
- Building activities and sustainability data
The new FWPA Data Dashboard, relaunched in October 2024, includes enhanced visualisation tools, expanded business intelligence capabilities, and improved compatibility with mobile devices.
Data customisation and export
The FWPA Data Dashboard allows users to customise data views on through interactive Power BI visualisations. Raw data and reports can be downloaded for further analysis.
How often is the data updated?
The FWPA Data Dashboard is updated regularly, with some datasets refreshed monthly, quarterly, or annually, depending on the source. You can find the update frequency noted within each dataset.
Access the FWPA Data Dashboard
The Data Dashboard is complimentary for Full (levy-paying) FWPA members. Associate members and other users can purchase access via an annual subscription through this link.
Timber pricing data is available via the FWPA Data Dashboard and is updated quarterly. The dashboard also offers:
- Exclusive price tracking for softwood products.
- Detailed reports and analytics on timber pricing trends.
- Historical pricing charts to support business planning.
Understanding the FWPA Data Dashboard
For a visual overview of how the FWPA Data Dashboard works, watch the video: