In the first quarter of 2022, six countries exported more than 1 million m³ of softwood lumber. The same number of countries imported seven-figure quantities.
Russia recorded the biggest decrease in exports, i.e. -46%, and a total of only 4.14 million m³. However, it has to be noted that the Russian Statistical Office has not published any figures on foreign trade since March. For this reason, the Holzkurier used statistics of importing countries to identify Russian export volumes. China remains the most important export market for Russian softwood lumber. In the first three months, it bought 2.55 million m³, which is 23% less than in the same period of last year. In total, Chinese imports fell by 28% to 3.49 million m³.
In the first quarter, the biggest global softwood lumber trade flow was the one from Canada to the US, even though export volumes decreased by 9.3% to 7.19 million m³, which corresponds to Canadian curtailments of production. Overall, Canadian exports fell by 12% 7.96 million m³.
The US imported 8.77 million m³ of softwood lumber, i.e. 3.8% less compared to the first quarter of last year. Part of the decrease in imports from Canada could be compensated by additional shipments from Europe. Sweden sold 364,000 m³ (+94%) to the US, while Germany shipped 661,000 m³ (+20%) across the Atlantic. Finland and Austria, on the other hand, exported smaller volumes of softwood lumber to the US compared to the first quarter of 2021.
Sweden (3.56 million m³; +8.7%), Germany (2.66 million m³; +3.5%), Finland (2.21 million m³; -0.5%) and Austria (1.62 million m³; +8.8%) are among the six biggest softwood lumber exporters behind Canada and Russia.
Global foreign trade | Q1 2022
| Table of global softwood lumber trade flows from the 15 biggest exporting countries to the 15 biggest importing countries and the MENA region (export volumes in 1,000 m³). National statistics on lumber exports were used as sources (as of June 2022). |
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| HORIZONTAL: 15 biggest importing countries | VERTICAL: 15 biggest exporting countries | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Countries | Total | USA | China | Japan | Great Britain | Germany | Italy | Netherlands | Egypt | France | Mexico | Belgium | Estonia | Austria | South Korea | Uzbekistan | Other countries | MENA |
| Canada | 7,960 | 7,194 | 189 | 231 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 24 | 11 | 0.1 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 278 | 16 |
| Russia | 4,138 | 23 | 2,547 | 261 | 27 | 148 | 16 | 98 | n/s | 49 | n/s | 37 | 200 | 4 | 124 | 203 | 401 | n/s |
| Sweden | 3,559 | 364 | 142 | 226 | 559 | 212 | 20 | 275 | 291 | 111 | 0 | 124 | 25 | 9 | 38 | 0 | 1,162 | 573 |
| Germany | 2,659 | 661 | 121 | 35 | 116 | – | 133 | 212 | 1 | 213 | 12 | 216 | 0.1 | 215 | 43 | 0 | 680 | 130 |
| Finland | 2,211 | 14 | 185 | 213 | 170 | 153 | 43 | 72 | 291 | 147 | 0.4 | 43 | 133 | 46 | 4 | 0 | 698 | 657 |
| Austria | 1,619 | 43 | 11 | 77 | 8 | 334 | 741 | 4 | 1 | 28 | 0 | 1 | 0 | – | 12 | 0 | 360 | 151 |
| USA | 730 | – | 15 | 52 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 1 | 224 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 415 | 6 |
| Chile | 687 | 62 | 58 | 67 | 1 | 0 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0 | 0 | 122 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 119 | 0 | 259 | 61 |
| Latvia | 685 | 34 | 7 | 25 | 268 | 24 | 7 | 39 | 26 | 32 | 0 | 12 | 60 | 4 | 26 | 0 | 121 | 44 |
| Czech Republic | 629 | 12 | 5 | 23 | 10 | 172 | 72 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 143 | 5 | 0 | 179 | 1 |
| Brazil | 612 | 203 | 51 | 0 | 0.1 | 0.04 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 136 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 214 | 84 |
| Belarus | 603 | 0 | 76 | 0.5 | 1 | 81 | 10 | 31 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 29 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 354 | 2 |
| Romania | 365 | 110 | 16 | 31 | 0.5 | 1 | 13 | 0.001 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 169 | 136 |
| New Zealand | 294 | 50 | 38 | 13 | 0.2 | 1 | 0.1 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0.2 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 143 | 6 |
| Belgium | 285 | 0.1 | 31 | 0 | 9 | 30 | 0.03 | 40 | 15 | 121 | 0 | – | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0 | 0 | 40 | 29 |
| Total | 27,037 | 8,769 | 3,491 | 1,256 | 1,188 | 1,159 | 1,060 | 799 | 642 | 710 | 523 | 482 | 436 | 425 | 420 | 204 | 5,474 | 1,896 |
Notes: The Russian customs authorities stopped publishing data as of February 2022. The figures in the table are the ones reported by the respective importing country. Sources: US: United States Department of Agriculture, CN: China Customs Statistics, JP: Statistics of Japan, GB: UKTRADE, KR: Korea Customs Service, UZ: UN Comtrade/State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Statistics, conversion from kg into m3, conversion factor 550 (product groups 440711, 440719) or 450 (product group 440712). As for the total volume, please note that figures of Russia’s other main importing countries (Azerbaijan, Egypt) are not available. Shipments to CN: Figures published by China Customs differ significantly from export volumes reported by RU. In 2021, CN reported 11.5 M. m3, RU reported 15.2 M. m3 to China; Shipments to UZ: Figures published by UN Comtrade differ greatly from export volumes reported by RU. In 2021, UN Comtrade reported 1.2 M. m3, RU reported 2.2 M. m3; Others: EU countries except biggest importing countries (DE, IT, NL, FR, BE, EE, AT). Product groups: 440711, 440712, 440713 (new), 440714 (new), 440719; Sources: CA: Statistics Canada, SE: Statistics Sweden, FI: Finnish Customs, DE: Destatis, AT: Statistik Austria, CZ: Czech Statistical Office, BY: National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus (Belstat), BE: Eurostat, conversion from kg into m3, conversion factor 450 (product group 440712) or 550 (product groups 440711, 440713, 4401714, 440719); BR: Comex Stat – MDIC – conversion from kg into m3, conversion factor 550 (product groups 440711, 440719), CL: Ministry of Agriculture (MINAGRI – Chile), US: United States Department of Agriculture, LV: Central Statistical Bureau of Latvia, RO: Eurostat |
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