Cross-laminated timber as export success

When you discuss export markets with Central European CLT producers, they often give flagship projects in Scandinavia, Great Britain, the US or Australia as examples. And yet, it is primarily the large and long-established Austrian market players who not only further developed cross-laminated timber but also planning services and timber construction systems, thereby making this product an attractive choice for real estate developers around the globe.

A look at foreign trade statistics and the resulting export share shows how important the markets within and outside the EU are, especially for Austria.

Austria with an export share of 67%

According to a Holzkurier survey, Austria produced almost 700,000 m³ of CLT in 2024, compared to 550,000 m³ in Germany. German manufacturers primarily sold their panels on the domestic market, having an export share of only 15%. Austria, on the other hand, primarily manufactured CLT for exports. According to Eurostat data, over two thirds of the produced volume, i.e. 467,000 m³, left the country last year – compared to 405,000 m³, or approximately 62% of total production output in 2023. Last year, the most important foreign market was Germany with 161,000 m³ (+21% compared to 2023), followed by Italy (82,000 m³; +56%), France (35,000 m³; -28%), and Switzerland (30,000 m³; +17%). Great Britain ranked fifth with an 8% decrease and a volume of 25,000 m³.

It is important to note that year-on-year increases or decreases of several thousand cubic meters hardly allow any conclusions to be drawn about market developments in the respective country. Often, just a few (or even just one) major projects result either in an increase or a decrease compared to the previous year.

In total, Austria sold 376,000 m³ of CLT within the EU. If you add the UK, Switzerland, Norway (6,600 m³), Iceland (5,500 m³), and other small consumers within Europe to the EU, exports total over 445,000 m³. Thus, in 2024, over 80% of the CLT produced in Austria remained in the EU and over 95% in Europe. The remaining 21,000 m³ (4.5%) were distributed primarily between the US (10,900 m³), Australia (6,200 m³), and the Bahamas (1,000 m³). Japan, however, despite being a key destination for glulam, played no role.

Neighboring trading partners

Germany exported almost 84,000 m³ of cross-laminated timber last year (-2% compared to 2023). The majority of its CLT was sold to the Netherlands (19,000 m³; -8%), Austria (14,000 m³; -1%), Switzerland (14,000 m³; +45%), Belgium (10,000 m³; +108%), and Luxembourg (5,400 m³; -49%).

Non-European markets played a negligible role in German CLT exports in 2024.