Hardwood sawmills in Germany and Austria | 2025 edition © Holzkurier
According to the Holzkurier’s survey, 1.26 million m³ of hardwood logs were cut in German sawmills in 2024. This corresponds to an 18% decrease compared to 2023. It is also the smallest cutting volume of the past ten years. In the previous year, the companies which disclosed their production figures had reported a target cutting volume of 1.43 million m³ for 2024. This target was missed by 169,000 m³ or 12%. For 2025, German hardwood sawmills reportedly want to cut 1.47 million m³ of hardwood logs.
In 2024, Pollmeier Massivholz, with its three mills in Aschaffenburg, Creuzburg and Malchow, accounted for 675,000 m³ or 54% of overall hardwood cutting in Germany. This means that the company processed less than 700,000 m³ of hardwood logs for the first time since 2016. Back then, the Malchow site was restarted after a shutdown lasting several years due to weak hardwood markets and insufficient log supply. As for 2025, cutting is to be raised to 850,000 m³. Thus, the company could slightly exceed the production level of the past few years (840,000 m³). This would also result in a further increase of 4 percentage points in Pollmeier’s share in German hardwood cutting.
Holzwerk Obermeier in Schwindegg remained the second largest processing company in 2024, with a constant cutting volume of 100,000 m³ of hardwood logs a year. After Abalon Hardwood Hessen temporarily stopped production at its Schwalmstadt site last year and reduced cutting to 30,000 m³, i.e. to one third, compared to 2023, the company plans to cut 60,000 m³ of hardwood logs this year.
In the Datacube, you can track the production figures of all recorded production sites all the way back to the year 2007.
| Cutting volumes in m³/year | ||||||
| Company | Location | Cutting 2024 | Target cutting 2025 | Main types of wood | Employees | Products/services |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abalon Hardwood Hessen | Schwalmstadt | 30,000 | 60,000 | beech | 70 | planed and edge-trimmed beech lumber |
| Sägewerk Karl Alt | Schwebheim | 14,500 | 12,000 | oak, beech, ash | n/a | PEFC, smoked oak |
| Sägewerk Bachmann (Baro) | Reinhardshagen | 12,000 | 12,000 | beech, ash | 23 | parallel edging after KD, FSC, cutting to size and squared timbers |
| Friedrich Bansmann | Bielefeld | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| Laubholz-Sägewerk Blum | Waldkirch | 10,000 | 10,000 | beech, oak | 20 | block timber, steam-heating, drying, FSC, PEFC, IPPC, Holz von Hier |
| Holz Bröker | Extertal | n/a | n/a | beech, oak, ash | 25 | beech with parallel edging after KD, beech, oak, ash block timber |
| Sägewerk Dickel | Dickel | 10,000 | 10,000 | beech | 7 | – |
| Decker Holz | Volkmarsen | n/a | n/a | beech | n/a | beech cuttings from KD boards, edged beech up to 4.60 m |
| Wolfgang Dettendorfer | Nußdorf | 15,000 | 15,000 | beech, spruce | 10 | 5,000 m³/yr of beech, AD and KD beech lumber in AB/BC |
| Fanta & Dressler | Haldensleben | 11,000 | 10,000 | oak | 15 | squared timber in all dimensions, stored as well |
| Fehrensen | Hann. Münden | n/a | n/a | beech, oak, ash | 50 | sleepers, switch sleepers, squared timber |
| Hinrich Feldmeyer | Hemsbünde | 16,000 | 16,000 | oak, ash, red oak | 28 | European hardwoods, partially edged, PEFC, contract cutting |
| Holzwerke Gleitsmann | Unterspiesheim | 15,000 | 15,000 | beech, oak, ash | 35 | various other types of hardwood, PEFC certified, IPPC, Holz von Hier, spciealized B2C wood market |
| Häberlein | Hardthausen | n/a | n/a | oak, red oak, ash, maple, walnut, beech | 25 | FSC, PEFC, other fine hardwood and softwood block timber |
| Sägewerk Hagedorn | Füchtorf | 9,000 | 9,000 | oak | 17 | lumber, lamellas, mass timber floor boards |
| Johann Hardkop | Schönberg/Lauenb. | n/a | n/a | beech, oak, ash | 14 | oak block timber, drying, steam-heating |
| Laubholz Harting | Glandorf | 3,500 | 3,500 | oak, larch, poplar | 5 | oak construction timber, packaging wood |
| Sägewerk Hartmann | Eiterfeld | 15,000 | 15,000 | beech, oak, ash, pine | 19 | – |
| Sägewerk Heidrich | Deutschneudorf | 15,000 | 15,000 | beech, oak, ash, lime | 15 | steam-heating, drying, cutting to size, air-conditioned halls |
| Wilhelm Hüster | Meschede | 7,000 | 7,000 | beech | 13 | dried squared timber, firewood |
| Keck | Ehningen | n/a | n/a | beech, oak, ash | 40 | FSC, PEFC, cuttings, air-conditioned halls |
| Gebr. Keß Sägewerk | Hammelburg | 36,000 | 36,000 | beech, oak | 45 | hornbeam, ash, European hardwoods, cuttings, FSC & PEFC |
| Sägewerk Koddenbrock | Goldenstedt | 57,000 | 60,000 | beech, poplar, softwood | 35 | wood for packaging and pallets, PEFC; IPPC |
| Emil Kömpel Sägewerk | Motten | 6,500 | 6,500 | beech, oak, ash | 4 | quality hardwood lumber, planed timber, beech with red heart, PEFC |
| Anton Kretz | Karsbach-Hessdorf | n/a | n/a | oak, beech | 5 | steam-heated beech, contract steam-heating, contract cutting |
| Gebr. Krippeit | Elsdorf-Westermühlen | 14,000 | 13,000 | oak, red oak | 22 | log house planks, oak squared timber |
| Kurtz | Wald-Michelbach | 4,500 | 4,000 | sycamore, hornbeam, ash, lime | 11 | light-colored fine hardwood, vacuum drying, cuttings |
| Kutscher | Volkmarsen-Külte | 1,500 | 1,500 | beech, oak, larch | 8 | formerly Butterweck, pallets, squared timber, sleepers, construction timber, beech scantlings (for smoke houses) |
| HPB Sägewerk-Holzhandel | Lamspringe | 3,800 | 4,500 | oak, ash, beech, pine, larch | 10 | block goods, sleepers, floor board production |
| Holz Lenninghausen | Kürten | n/a | n/a | beech, oak | n/a | n/a |
| Heinrich Lüffe-Baak | Harsewinkel-Greffen | 20,000 | 20,000 | poplar, beech | 30 | cutting exclusively for in-house pallet production |
| Mehling & Wiesmann | Lohr am Main | 5,500 | 5,500 | oak | 48 | European fine hardwoods, smoked lumber and veneers, sawn veneer, contract smoking |
| Michelholz | Königseggwald | 2,000 | 2,000 | ash, oak, maple | 6 | round block timber, planing, cross-cutting |
| Karl Nied | Assamstadt | 12,000 | 12,000 | oak, beech, ash | 27 | European hardwoods, cutting, planing, glued timber panels, PEFC/FSC |
| Franz Obermeier | Schwindegg | 100,000 | 100,000 | beech, oak, ash | 170 | solid wood panels, lot size 1, cuttings, lumber, PEFC |
| Ohnemus | Kappel-Grafenhausen | 15,500 | 14,500 | beech, oak, ash, red oak | 25 | block timber, cuttings, solid wood panels |
| Sägewerk Dominik, Ost Werk Weisel | Weisel | 11,500 | 9,000 | oak, red oak, chestnut, ash | 6 | oak with edging in fixed dimensions, squared oak timber in stock, block timber, chestnut lumber, beech switch sleepers of up to 5.8 m in length |
| Pollmeier Massivholz | Aschaffenburg | 320,000 | 370,000 | beech | 220 | – |
| Pollmeier Massivholz | Creuzburg | 275,000 | 340,000 | beech | 600 | beech sawmill and LVL plant for the production of beech lumber and spruce LVL; employees incl. central administration |
| Pollmeier Massivholz | Malchow | 80,000 | 140,000 | beech | 100 | – |
| Holz Reinlein | Geiselwind | 10,000 | 10,000 | oak, beech, maple, ash | 49 | drying chambers, parquet manufacture, timber trade, “Holz von hier”-certified |
| Sägewerk Reitz | Wonfurt | 18,000 | 18,000 | beech | 15 | steam-heating, drying, cutting, packaging wood |
| Ruhlandt Holz | Wanfried-Heldra | 7,000 | 7,000 | oak, beech | 5 | edge-trimmed lumber |
| Albrecht Sattelmacher | Obernkirchen | n/a | n/a | oak, beech | n/a | – |
| Schaeferwerk Gödeke | Dassel | 12,000 | 18,000 | beech, oak, ash | 62 | lumber, cuttings, planed elements, solid wood panels, firewood, sawdust, contract work, steam-heating, drying, PEFC, IPPC |
| Heinrich Schellinger | Bermatingen | 7,000 | 7,000 | ash | 20 | American types of wood; cuttings, thermally treated ash, European and US hardwood lumber, FSC, PEFC |
| Jürgen Schwaderer | Neuenstein-Neureut | 15,000 | 15,000 | beech, oak, ash, maple | n/a | FSC, PEFC |
| Sielemann u. Sohn | Leopoldshöhe | n/a | n/a | oak, ash, beech | n/a | KD oak, big KD warehouse |
| Sägewerk Späth 1) | Friesenheim | 1,000 | 1,000 | oak, beech | 18 | steam-heating, drying, IPPC, PEFC-certified |
| Holzindustrie Templin | Templin | n/a | n/a | beech, oak, maple, ash | n/a | steam-heating, drying, cutting of furniture parts, top-layer lamellas, FSC, PEFC |
| Toussaint | Kenzingen | 7,000 | 7,000 | oak, red oak, fine hardwood | 8 | steam-heating, drying, cuttings, veneers, FSC- and PEFC-certified |
| Gebrüder Vater Sägewerk | Zellingen | n/a | n/a | oak | 6 | oak squared timber, block timber made from 22 types of European hardwood and softwood, veneers, table top logs, edged hardwood, PEFC |
| Wagener | Erwitte-Schmerlecke | 12,000 | 12,000 | oak | 12 | production of dried raw wood for floor boards, block timber, finger-jointed products |
| Karl Wöhr | Friolzheim | 25,000 | 22,000 | beech, ash | 28 | lumber, cuttings, steam-heating, drying, jointing, PEFC, FSC, IPPC |
As in Germany, hardwood cutting in Austria, too, reached the lowest level of the past decade. The surveyed companies reported a cumulative cutting volume of 202,000 m³ of hardwood logs for 2024, which corresponds to a decrease of 66,000 m³ or 25% compared to 2023. The target cutting volume of 225,000 m³, which had previously been reported for 2024, was missed by 10%. The main reason for this was the stop to production at Abalon Hardwood’s Heiligenkreuz site in southern Burgenland.
The company, which was named “Sawmill of the Year 2025” by Holzkurier, took the economic downturn as an opportunity to carry out outstanding construction, renovation and maintenance work and to install a second horizontal band saw with a core team of 15 employees. Reinstatement guarantees were given to the remaining workforce. On December 10, the decision was made to restart production. This year, Abalon Hardwood plans to process 40,000 m³ of beech logs.
The production stop in Heiligenkreuz made EHP in Frauental the largest Austrian hardwood sawmill with an unchanged cutting volume of 40,000 m³ in 2024. At the same time, EHP was the only Austrian company to exceed the 20,000-m³-mark. Apart from EHP, only Abalon Hardwood announced that it wanted to exceed this level in 2025. At the end of December 2024, it was announced that timber wholesaler J. u. A. Frischeis, which already operates a hardwood sawmill in Laa/Thaya, will take over the sawing division of Frey Amon, Hetzmannsdorf, in January 2025.
For this year, Austrian hardwood sawmills reported a cumulative target cutting volume of 240,000 m³. If this volume is achieved, it would correspond to an 18% increase in production compared to the previous year.
| Cutting in m³/year | ||||||
| Company | Location | Cutting 2024 | Target cutting 2025 | Main types of wood | Employees | Products/services |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abalon Hardwood | Heiligenkreuz | 0 | 40,000 | beech | 50 | planed and edged beech lumber |
| Holzindustrie Amashaufer | Bergland | 13,000 | 13,000 | oak, ash | 45 | PEFC, three-layer hardwood parquet; all common types of European hardwood for country house floor boards, plank floors, herringbone, panel parquet, ladder or English strip parquet |
| Bauernhofer Holz | Pöllau | 7,500 | 7,500 | beech, oak | 8 | lumber with and without edging, sleepers, contract cutting, PEFC |
| DH-Design Holzverarbeitung 1) | Kematen/Ybbs | 5,000 | 3,000 | oak, black locust, elm | 40 | production of veneers and lamellas for the parquet and panel industry gradually moving from standard oak towards special lamellas and other types of wood and mainly old wood, lumber as main raw material |
| Dickbauer | Schlierbach | 6,000 | 6,000 | oak, ash, beech, larch | 15 | circulating air and vacuum drying chamber, solid plank floor “Schlierbacher Klosterdielenboden”, terrace systems, assembly, cutting of all domestic types of wood |
| Holzindustrie Ebner | Grein/Donau | 2,400 | 2,200 | ash | 23 | cutting only for in-house production of tool handles, FSC and PEFC |
| EHP | Frauental | 40,000 | 40,000 | beech, oak, ash | 30 | lumber with edging in fixed widths and decreasing widths, lumber without edging, top-layer lamellas, PEFC |
| Fassold Sägewerk & Holzhandel | Eggersdorf | 5,000 | 5,000 | oak | 15 | production of top layers for the parquet industry |
| Hans J. Fischer | Rotenturm | 10,000 | 10,000 | oak, ash | 15 | 10,000 m²-big air-conditioned halls, well-stocked warehouse, PEFC, high-quality dried lumber, 20 types of wood |
| Frey-Amon Holzwerk | Hetzmannsdorf | 15,000 | 15,000 | oak, ash, beech | 23 | quality-oriented, oak cuttings and terrace boards, FSC and PEFC, fine hardwood, larch |
| J. u. A. Frischeis/Sägewerk Laa | Laa an der Thaya | 4,200 | 6,000 | oak, ash | 12 | block timber, quality-graded lumber with edging, cuttings, log and lumber trade, PEFC and FSC |
| Anton Gruber Säge- & Holztrocknungswerk | Taufkirchen/Pram | 1,800 | 1,800 | beech, oak, ash, maple | 9 | production of Vento slats/stacking sticks, PEFC; lumber & special cuttings, drying chambers |
| Hanger Holz | Kleinraming | 6,500 | 6,000 | larch, oak, ash, black walnut | 15 | 35 types of domestic wood, dried and stored in air-conditioned halls, cutting and planing mill, production of veneers and solid plank flooring in lengths of up to 13 m |
| Hanger Holz | Ybbsitz | 8,000 | 8,000 | beech, ash, maple | 12 | contract steam-heating, contract cutting |
| Kriegl Bandsägewerk | Wettmannstätten | 3,000 | 3,000 | oak | 7 | – |
| Meister Laubholz | Riegersburg | 10,000 | 10,000 | oak | 20 | lumber with/without edging, country house planks, cuttings, PEFC, FSC |
| Mirako | Gaflenz | 7,000 | 7,000 | ash | 16 | thermally treated wood, cuttings, PEFC |
| Josef Moser | Münichreith | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | – |
| Neubauer Christian | Gratwein-Straßengel | 2,500 | 2,500 | oak, Swiss pine | 2 | Swiss pine lumber, sleepers, oak lumber, contract cutting |
| Rudolf Postl | Oberndorf a. d. Melk | n/a | n/a | ash, oak, beech | 4 | contract woodworking only: from cutting of log wood, steam-heating, drying to cutting of mass timber |
| Pußwald Holz | Sinabelkirchen | 10,000 | 10,000 | oak, beech, ash | 16 | steam-heating, drying, lumber with/without edging, sleepers, fine hardwood, PEFC, contract debarking, trade in carpentry products |
| Franz Tschuchnigg Sägewerk | St. Martin/Sulmtal | n/a | n/a | oak, ash | 1 | fine hardwoods, fruitwoods |
| Franz Wagner | Strengberg | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | – |
| Holzwerk Stefl | Ort/Innkreis | 10,000 | 8,000 | oak, ash, poplar, larch | 8 | formerly Sägewerk Wagner |
| Wibeba-Holz | Wieselburg | 17,000 | 18,000 | oak, beech | 60 | – |
| WIHO – Rupert Wimmer | Kuchl | 13,000 | 12,000 | beech, oak, ash, maple | 33 | 15 types of wood, PEFC, lumber, special cuttings, woodworking with lathe, drying and steam-heating chambers, air-conditioned halls, WIHO cash-and-carry store |
| Franz Windisch | St. Stefan/Stainz | 5,000 | 5,000 | oak, ash, larch | 4 | everything from log wood to veneer |
| Kurt Zangl | St. Johann/Saggautal | 500 | 500 | fine hardwood | – | contract cutting, all types of wood (fruitwood, old wood), special cuttings |
