The demand for sawn timber has increased dramatically in Sweden during the pandemic. A lot being bought by diy:ers remodeling and building (In my opinion) rather uneccessary decks in impregnated pine. There has been talk of a shortage of certain dimensions and qualities. That might affect the prices in the UK together with the pandemic and brexit complicating things.
What is going on with wood prices right now
- Thread starter shed9
- Start date
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Covid has made everything crazy. At the moment there is a shortage of transport on the seas. Still prices are crazy. Quotes our company is getting are only good for two days.
Never have this problem as mill all my own stuff
lucky man, I’d love to have a go at that! Chainsaw mill or a bandsaw?
topchippyles
Established Member
Both gog and not a million miles from you.About 15 minutes from abergavenny
sometimewoodworker
Established Member
The material is sitting in the originating counties for months longer than usual and can’t get shipped as the containers can’t get moved from the port areas once they get in county. So quotes are getting shorter and shorter. Demand is going up as construction and woodworking were not reduced much by restrictions and those who had a £150 a week coffee/drink budget have free money to spend on making the home look better.
Will prices come down? Yes they certainly will. By how much and when is another matter. Many saw mills and suppliers are going out of business or have already gone. I am lucky that Thailand has a native timber industry and (by U.K. standards) is virtually unaffected by Covid19 domestically (16 months Thailand = 5 days U.K. currently for cases and total deaths, 92, are less that 2 days for the U.K.)
MarkDennehy
Established Member
Well, according to the american podcasters (okay, granted, Shannon Rogers _does_ work for the largest hardwood timber yard in the US), covid and DIY came together in an unexpected way and spiked prices, but before covid you had the US-Canada trade war going on (so there's your CLS and OSB spike), and you were starting to see the beginnings of a US-EU war, and from my personal viewpoint in Ireland, Brexit has well and truly screwed us over for timber because all the Irish timber yards now can't use the land bridge or buy from larger British timber yards so they're having to go through new logistics setups. Prices here are now silly. Also, buying in bowl blanks from the UK has gotten pricier
Ican't see how Brexit won't also have an impact on timber prices in the UK on top of everything else as well since the UK hasn't been self-sufficient in timber since the 12th century. But at least timber isn't food - it can sit in a truck for ages without rotting away to nothing.
Ican't see how Brexit won't also have an impact on timber prices in the UK on top of everything else as well since the UK hasn't been self-sufficient in timber since the 12th century. But at least timber isn't food - it can sit in a truck for ages without rotting away to nothing.
I agree, Westminster has screwed everyone in recent years, unless you count the handful of people they've handed millions to for no good reason.
But OSB content wood is usually sourced locally from small woody offcuts. The idea behind it is that it's a waste free product, as such cheaper than typical wood products.
But OSB content wood is usually sourced locally from small woody offcuts. The idea behind it is that it's a waste free product, as such cheaper than typical wood products.
SpursDave
Member
I sell recycled wood and I cannot keep up with demand
Limburger
Established Member
I heard someone say, the prices went up because USA normally buys alot of wood from Canada, but that went haywire or some in that direction and so they buy alot from EU and Skandinavic countries. But I cant verify that
Fidget
Trying
I just went to my local yard (Chilworth Timber) to pick up a small order, and I was eyeing up some 6x2 lengths of Cedar which was laid out for an order. My contact me told me it was the last cedar they had and it was being sold at £14/metre. He said that there wasn't any coming into the country anytime soon. Their sheds were half empty
Edit: that should be 6x1, not 6x2
Edit: that should be 6x1, not 6x2
Last edited:
LeeAkeroyd
Established Member
Believe me that is cheap given what the replacement cost is.
Fidget
Trying
Last year I bought cedar for about a third of that from the same supplier
LeeAkeroyd
Established Member
Not surprised to be honest, timber prices have leapt up massively fr this time last year.
Rallymantony
Established Member
I had a call from my regular timber supplier back in August last year telling me that timber prices were going to increase dramatically for a number of reasons: fires in Australia, fires in America (being the main issue), US - Canada having a tiff and Covid (of course)... He was telling me that they have had to find and import from new mills all around the world just to keep up with basic levels of supply which was failing fast.. It does make you wonder if we will see prices fall any time soon
Doug B
Shy Tot
Well I’ve had a conversation today & I still can’t believe it.
In front of me at the timber merchants was a guy who was paying for over £1500 of sheet materials, he then placed an order for more sheet material that was a bigger amount £££
I joked about him being busy he replied there was going to be a 60% price hike, I looked at the sales guy who said it was a distinct possibility as he’d heard the industry were trying to kill demand as they can’t satisfy supply, & if it did go ahead it would mean we’ve had a 120% increase in 18months
As I say I don’t know whether to believe it or not & wondered if anyone else had heard about this, the customer said he’d heard it from Travis Perkins.
In front of me at the timber merchants was a guy who was paying for over £1500 of sheet materials, he then placed an order for more sheet material that was a bigger amount £££
I joked about him being busy he replied there was going to be a 60% price hike, I looked at the sales guy who said it was a distinct possibility as he’d heard the industry were trying to kill demand as they can’t satisfy supply, & if it did go ahead it would mean we’ve had a 120% increase in 18months
As I say I don’t know whether to believe it or not & wondered if anyone else had heard about this, the customer said he’d heard it from Travis Perkins.
LeeAkeroyd
Established Member
Well I’ve had a conversation today & I still can’t believe it.
In front of me at the timber merchants was a guy who was paying for over £1500 of sheet materials, he then placed an order for more sheet material that was a bigger amount £££
I joked about him being busy he replied there was going to be a 60% price hike, I looked at the sales guy who said it was a distinct possibility as he’d heard the industry were trying to kill demand as they can’t satisfy supply, & if it did go ahead it would mean we’ve had a 120% increase in 18months
As I say I don’t know whether to believe it or not & wondered if anyone else had heard about this, the customer said he’d heard it from Travis Perkins.
I work in the timber industry and to give you some ideas the price of CLS has risen over 170% in two years, joinery Redwood you're looking at an increase of approximately
£140m3 for the third quarter (July to September) with further increases likely in the fourth quarter of this year.
topchippyles
Established Member
You are correct sir and only glad i have access to a local woods and self mill
thetyreman
Established Member
I'm tempted to buy loads of redwood pine now as an investment and then sell it on at the end of this year.
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