UK wood imports remain low but expect a recovery in 2025

Posted on October 9, 2024   |  

July 2024 saw a 2.9% increase in imports compared to July 2023, marking two months of year-on-year growth.

Import volumes rose by 0.5% in June and 2.9% in July 2024, which helped reduce the gap from 2023 levels.

From January to July 2024, overall timber and panel product imports were down by 2.8% compared to the same period in 2023. Solid wood imports dropped by 1.7%, and panel products by 4.8%.

Higher imports of softwood, particleboard, and OSB helped reduce the shortfall, with softwood imports by July 2024 only 1% behind 2023 figures.

The value of softwood imports from January to July 2024 fell by 3.4% compared to 2023, mainly due to a 1.3% drop in volume and a 2.1% decrease in average price.

The National Softwood Division expects import volumes to remain lower in 2024, at around 5.6 million m³ but forecasts a 5% recovery in 2025 to about 5.9 million m³.