After Austrian exports of softwood lumber and planed timber had fallen by 6% year on year to 5.4 million m³ in 2023, exports totaled 5.7 million m³ in 2024. This corresponds to a 7% increase compared to 2023 and a return to the 2022 level.
In 2024, Austria exported 2.6 million m³ to Italy, which received 45% of all exported Austrian lumber. While the trade volume remained the same compared to 2023, Italy lost three percentage points in its share in total Austrian exports.
Trade with Germany, Austria’s second biggest foreign market, grew by 8% and amounted to 797,000 m³, as figures published by Statistik Austria show. Softwood lumber exports to Slovenia, on the other hand, decreased by 5% year on year to 508,000 m³.
Deliveries to Croatia (+2% to 184,000 m³) and France remained largely stable. The EU’s largest country in terms of area purchased 88,000 m³ from Austria, that is the same volume as in 2023.
A clear upward trend can be observed in softwood lumber exports to Japan (176,000 m³; +19%) and the Czech Republic (168,000 m³; +31%). The increase in sales in Japan did compensate for the massive slump in exports in 2023. (Since records began in 1999, 2023 and 2024 were the only years in which less than 200,000 m³ were shipped to Japan.) Austrian exports to the Czech Republic, on the other hand, reached a record level in 2024.
Softwood lumber exports to Saudi Arabia increased five-fold compared to 2023. At 75,000 m³, it was also the biggest trade volume since 2003. 2024 was generally a good year for Austrian softwood lumber exports to the MENA region: Compared to 2023, they grew by around 150% to 243,000 m³. Apart from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (48,000 m³), Kuwait (37,000 m³) and Morocco (21,000 m³) were the most important markets in the region.
In our Datacube, you can track Austrian softwood lumber exports in detail over time.
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