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Softwood Lumber Prices

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Lumber Prices and Market Update: Feb 2023

In the week ending February 10, 2023, the price of benchmark softwood lumber item Western Spruce-Pine-Fir 2×4 #2&Btr KD (RL) was US$476 mfbm, which is up by +$16 or +3%, from the previous week when it was US$360 mfbm, said weekly forest products industry price guide newsletter Madison’s Lumber Reporter. This is up by +$104, […]

More Lumber Price Increases on Tightened Supply

The sawmill curtailments of recent months, especially those ongoing in the western part of North America, served to bring lumber prices up slightly. At this point, levels are still somewhat below cost-of-production in the important supply basket of British Columbia — which has been roughly estimated at approximately US$500 mfbm. The strategy of reducing production, […]

Sawmill Curtailments Bring Increasing Lumber Prices

Since October 2022, quite a few sawmill operators have taken downtime and curtailments. This is normal for the time of year, as usually lumber demand slows in winter and regular maintenance needs to take place, as well as employee vacation time. Over the past few months there has been perhaps a bit more than the […]

US Housing Market Full-Year 2022 & Softwood Lumber Prices January 2023

Full-year 2022 US housing starts and new home sales data has been released and while the dampening effects of rising mortgage rates remain, the numbers for December show a slight uptick. In 2022 the US began building 1.55 million homes, just a -3% drop from full-year 2021. Single-family starts in 2022 totalled 1.01 million, down […]

Some Lumber Specialty Item Prices Increase

As January 2023 got going, while hardly a big rush, there was an increase in sales — and therefore prices — of several specialty lumber items. Even benchmark WSPF 2x4s popped up a little bit, although more due to significant supply being taken offline than growing demand. There were inklings, however, that customers are making […]

Sales of Lumber Continue Slow in New Year

As a fresh, brand new year of 2023 got started, lumber sales continued with the slow momentum which ended last year. This is normal for the season, particularly given some very harsh winter weather across the continent. Winter is not usually a good time for home building and construction. Several large-volume operators, especially in British […]

Softwood Lumber Prices Come Up Off Seasonal Lows

January 2023 is well under way, and with it the usual seasonal large-volume buying by the big US home builders has begun. Because they want the wood needed for their projects on the ground before spring building activity, customers make their orders now to accommodate possibly extended delivery times. As such, it is usual for […]

Some Lumber Specialty Item Prices Increase

As January 2023 got going, while hardly a big rush, there was an increase in sales — and therefore prices — of several specialty lumber items. Even benchmark WSPF 2x4s popped up a little bit, although more due to significant supply being taken offline than growing demand. There were inklings, however, that customers are making […]

Sales of Lumber Continue Slow in New Year

As a fresh, brand new year of 2023 got started, lumber sales continued with the slow momentum which ended last year. This is normal for the season, particularly given some very harsh winter weather across the continent. Winter is not usually a good time for home building and construction. Several large-volume operators, especially in British […]

Lumber Demand Drops as Year-End Looms

A combination of the normal seasonal slowdown in demand, due to construction activity reducing during winter, and plenty of supply throughout the marketplace brought steady-to-lower lumber prices. As the holiday season quickly approached, producers across the continent took extended downtime. This not only for the usual seasonal curtailments and maintenance, but also in response to […]