Australian timber exports to China unlikely to reach historic levels

Posted on July 3, 2023   |  

China introduced a ban on importing pine logs from Australia at the end of 2020, collapsing Australian exports as China was the only market for logs.  

As a result, in 2022, shipments from Australia fell to less than 400,000 m³.

Australian log traders looked for alternative destinations in Asia and, in 2021, shipped 1.2 million m³ of logs to India, South Korea, and Vietnam.

However, the increase in shipments to those markets was temporary due to higher competition from US log exporters.

The outlook for softwood lumber prices is growing worldwide, and lumber imports from Europe could be expensive, which could open possibilities for shipments of logs and lumber from New Zealand to Australia.