The most standard construction framing dimension softwood lumber prices start dropping in last week. Players and industry insiders say that supply is improving as sawmills are able to get more lumber production online, just as the usual seasonal drop in demand arrives.
The unprecedented increases in North America construction framing softwood lumber prices seen so far during 2020 slowed somewhat last week. Normally by Labour Day customers have ordered, and indeed received, their wood for ongoing and expected projects to the end of the year.
The latest North American housing market data indicates no stop to relentlessly rising softwood lumber prices any time soon. Currently, sawmills in Canada and the US simply can not keep up with ongoing very strong demand for house construction in both countries.
Softwood lumber prices just kept climbing last week as Canadian housing starts and home prices for July broke records. US housing starts this week were no different; new home building in the US increased +23% in July - the biggest gain since October 2016 - to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.496 million units.
North American softwood lumber manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, buyers, and end-users alike agree that this current supply-demand situation, and resulting steep price increases week-after-week, is truly unknown territory.
At a time when end-users have usually received delivery for expected building needs until after September, demand for North American construction framing dimension softwood lumber remained strong last week.
The vast majority of logs sold, in British Columbia, Canada, and elsewhere, go to the sawmilling industry for lumber production. With this year’s lockdown due to COVID19 then ramp-up of manufacturing, lumber prices swooned down drastically in spring and are now surging back up with powerful momentum.
Canadian Softwood Plywood 3/8” or 9.5mm FOB Toronto prices last week were C$636 msf, a decrease of -$18, or -3%, from the previous week
Unabated purchasing of North American construction framing softwood lumber moved prices higher last week, as customers turned to the eastern market. Buyer dismay at record-high Western S-P-F prices brought significant demand for Eastern S-P-F, with those prices responding upward accordingly.
While demand for construction framing dimension North American softwood lumber continued to surpass supply last week, it was noticeable that buyer orders to sawmills were slowing down. Indeed, customer interest seemed to shift from the benchmark Western Spruce-Pine-Fir to the East Side, as prices of Eastern Spruce-Pine...
The Esk’etemc indigenous community in Alkali Lake, British Columbia, (BC) Canada installed biomass boilers to facilitate a transition from fossil fuel community-heating to a more stable, long-term biomass heating solution.
For the first two months of 2020 softwood lumber production in the US continued improvements compared to one-year-ago, to increase even more. For January and February 2020 US lumber production volume increased by +5% to 6,163 mfbm compared to the first two months of 2019 when it was 5,862 mfbm.
At this time of year it is usual for softwood lumber prices to be lowering, as end-users would be stocked-up on inventory needs for ongoing building projects, and sawmills would be slowing down as normal seasonal closures and curtailments come into effect. However, this year - having largely stopped production during s...
There are much fewer producers of wood panels than there are regular sawmills of North American construction framing dimension softwood lumber. As well, input costs for wood panel products are much higher. A spike in demand, whether for immediate repair needs or longer-term rebuilding, for plywood and oriented strand b...
After a wild ride down then up over the past few months, most standard construction framing dimension softwood lumber prices in stabilized last week, to levels both producers and customers are comfortable with. Inventories remain spotty as sawmill production is still constrained and buyers continue to look for highly s...
Sales of Western-Spruce-Pine-Fir construction framing dimension softwood lumber in the United States took a step back last week as civil unrest around the country led to most buyers taking a circumspect approach, by sitting on whatever inventory they had. Construction in the Western portion of the US continued to ramp ...
Given the current situation in many regions of the US, it is assured that demand for plywood and other panel sheathing is going to increase in the short-term. There are much fewer producers of this essential building material than there are regular sawmills of North American construction framing dimension softwood lumb...
Sawmills across North America looked toward the end of summer last week, as lumber prices continued to rise but sales volumes were unsteady. Lumber producers in the US and Canada considered this current market strength as temporary, and were already making plans for seasonal slow-downs when summer draws to a close. Sof...
A lot of regular life activities remain unknown as various jurisdictions “open up” from the Covid19 isolation and quarantine. Regardless, most North American construction framing dimension softwood lumber prices jumped once again last week on both continued healthy demand and uncertainty with supply.
North American construction framing dimension softwood lumber prices last week improved greatly over those one-month-ago, even surpassing what prices were in May 2019.