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Europe’s top sawn timber producers

Every year, Timber-Online collects data on production output of the biggest softwood sawmills in Europe. Here, you can find the most recent ranking.

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Update 2021/2022

Multinational timber group Stora Enso remains the number one in Europe. Timber Online estimates that the Finnish company with strong sawmills in Central Europe will produce at least 5.6 million m³ this year, which would be only 1% less than in 2021. This decrease is the result of the shuttering of the two Russian sawmills in early March.

In January, Europe’s number two, Binderholz, took over Scottish company BSW Timber, which brings the total output of Binderholz’s European sawmills to 4.7 million m³ (+7%). Including the US sawmills, Binderholz reported that it plans to produce 5.1 million m³ this year.

VidaWood is the third-biggest manufacturer of softwood lumber. Last year, the subsidiary of Canfor, the world’s largest sawmill group, rose from 12th to third place thanks to acquisitions and increases in production. In 2022, the Swedish company wants to raise its production output by 4% to around 2.6 million m³.

Europe’s top softwood lumber producers 2022

Europe’s 20 biggest sawmills are planning substantial increases in production: +6% to 44.5 million m³. Read more ...

Europe’s Top 20 softwood lumber producers | 2021/target 2022
Place in 2021	Place in 2022	Company	Headquarters	Sawmills	Production in 2021	Target production in 2022	Diff. in %
Ranked according to 2022 target production (in 1,000 m³)
1	1 ←→	Stora Enso ¹⁾ ²⁾	FI	18	5,700	5,600	–1
2	2 ←→	Binderholz ³⁾	AT	17	4,430	4,740	7
3	3 ←→	Vida Wood	SE	12	2,550	2,650	4
9	4 ↑	Mayr-Melnhof Holz ¹⁾ ⁴⁾	AT	6	1,700	2,590	52
6	5 ↑	SCA Timber ¹⁾	SE	5	2,263	2,380	5
7	6 ↑	Rettenmeier Holzindustrie	DE	5	2,050	2,350	15
5	7 ↓	Pfeifer Holz	AT	5	2,200	2,300	5
8	8 ←→	Moelven Group	NO	15	2,116	2,260	7
10	9 ↑	Södra Timber ¹⁾	SE	7	1,965	2,000	5
4	10 ↓	HS Timber Group ⁵⁾	AT	4	2,090	1,950	–7
17	11 ↑	ante-holz ⁶⁾	DE	3	1,490	1,920	29
11	12 ↓	Setra Group	SE	7	1,675	1,750	4
12	13 ↓	Ilim Timber ⁷⁾	DE	2	1,650	1,650	0
13	14 ↓	Fruytier Scierie	BE	11	1,548	1,600	3
14	14 ↓	UPM Timber ¹⁾	FI	4	1,600	1,600	0
15	16 ↓	Metsä Fibre ¹⁾ ⁸⁾	FI	5	1,710	1,500	–12
16	16 ←→	Holmen Wood Products	SE	5	1,400	1,500	7
18	18 ←→	Versowood	FI	4	1,380	1,400	1
20	19 ↑	Ziegler Holzindustrie ⁹⁾	DE	1	1,210	1,210	0
–	20	JSC Lesozavod Sawmill 25 ¹⁾ ¹⁰⁾	RU	3	1,113	1,170	5
Total					41,840	44,120	5

Information

1) 2022: Timber Online estimate;

2) Estimated growth: 5%, divestment of two Russian sawmills in 2022 (-350,000 m³/year);

3) Total output: 4.83 million m³ (2021); 5.14 million m³ (2022); figures in the table do not include US sawmills (400,000 m³/year); number of sawmills, production figures and target volumes including BSW Timber’s sites. Company was acquired in January 2022;

4) 2022 production of sawmill in Efimovskij/RU difficult to estimate; production of the three recently acquired Bergkvist Siljan sites estimated at 850,000 m³;

5) 2021: four sawmills. Radauti/RO was shuttered this year – only three sawmills since April 2022; 2022: new acquisition of Luvian Saha (300,000 m³); new construction of sawmill in Belarus was stopped in March; new construction of sawmill in Argentina started in March (fifth sawmill);

6) 2022 target output including the site in Rötenbach/DE which went into operation in June 2021;

7) Figures refer to the two German production sites;

8) Sawmill in Rauma/FI to go into operation this year, production to start at the end of Q3 2022 according to company’s website; in March 2022, shuttering of production in Kyrö/FI in summer 2022 was announced; production in Svir/RU suspended (capacity: 285,000 m³/year);

9) 2021 production figures as reported on the company’s website;

10) Information as of May 16: Ziegler Holzindustrie acquires two sawmills in Sweden (cutting: 750,000 m³/year); 15th place within reach.

Update 2020/2021

Multinational timber company Stora Enso is the number one in Europe. Timber Online estimates that the Finnish company with strong Central European sawmills will produce around 4.9 million m³ in 2021.

The number two in Europe, Binderholz of Fügen, acquired in 2020 two sawmills in the US for more than $140 million. The new saw line in Oberrot, an increase in production in Fügen and, in particular, the start-up of Binderholz’s first sawmill in the US led to a 13% jump in production, bringing the total to 3.6 million m³.

After the takeover and integration of Bergs Timber, Vida Wood now holds the third place in Europe. With the three Bergs Timber sawmills, the Canfor subsidiary bought an annual production capacity of 550,000 m³. This and big increases in production helped the company to jump from 12th place to the podium of Europe’s sawmill elite.