The timber import landscape is a tale of subtle shifts and nuanced trends. While the overall picture shows a slight uptick in imports, there's a complex web of factors at play. The year 2025 has been a rollercoaster for the timber industry, with a mixed bag of results.
Let's dive into the numbers. Year-to-date, we're still lagging behind 2024, but there are glimmers of hope as we progress through the year. Timber Development UK's latest stats reveal a 2.1% decrease in total imports for the first nine months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. However, this gap has narrowed since the halfway mark, indicating a potential turnaround.
But here's where it gets interesting: the slight increase in imports is attributed to restocking after a surge in construction activity in Q2. This led to a more positive Q3, with higher volumes across various sectors like softwood, hardwood, plywood, OSB, and engineered wood products. Overall, Q3 imports were just 0.2% lower than Q3 2024, but a notable drop in MDF imports prevented overall growth.
For the year so far, solid wood imports have decreased by 2.5%, and panel products by 1.3%. The main culprits? Weaker demand for softwood and a significant 25% drop in imported MDF. However, not all is doom and gloom. Hardwood, particleboard, and OSB imports have surpassed 2024 levels, and products like hardwood plywood, softwood plywood, and engineered wood have consistently gained throughout 2025.
And this is the part most people miss: the supply balance within softwood imports has shifted. Despite a strong September from Sweden, reduced volumes from the country contributed to the overall year-to-date deficit. Germany and the Republic of Ireland also saw declines, while Latvia and Finland picked up the slack with increased volumes.
Softwood import values took a sharp turn upwards in the first nine months, increasing by a whopping 9% compared to 2024. Planed softwood values climbed 8%, and sawn goods rose 11%. This surge was driven by a 12% rise in the average price of all softwood imports, despite a 3% drop in overall volumes. But recent months suggest softwood prices might be softening again.
Hardwood imports remained relatively stable, growing by a mere 0.2% in total volume. The USA, Latvia, France, and Cameroon all increased their supplies, while tropical hardwood volumes fell due to reductions from other key suppliers. Temperate hardwood imports took a hit, dropping by around 6%, with only France managing to offset the declines.
The panel products sector presented a mixed bag. Hardwood plywood imports rose significantly, primarily due to increased supply from China and Malaysia. TDUK speculates whether this increase is due to higher consumption or a diversion of Chinese hardwood plywood because of EU anti-dumping measures. Particleboard volumes saw a modest 1% increase, but supply patterns shifted notably.
In the world of engineered products, Finland continues to dominate the UK Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) market, supplying the majority of volume. While their share is slightly lower than in 2024, Finnish volumes still grew by around 14%.
According to the NSD Softwood Import Forecast, import volumes are expected to fall by around 3% in 2025, before bouncing back with a 3.7% growth in 2026. Nick Boulton, head of technical and trade at TDUK, commented on the latest figures, emphasizing the sensitivity of demand across the sector and the need for sustained stability before full confidence can return to the market.
What are your thoughts on the timber import trends? Do you think the industry will see a full recovery in 2026, or are there underlying issues that could impact future growth? We'd love to hear your insights and predictions in the comments below!
