Supplying Timber Issue 9 0 - Autumn 2025 - Flipbook - Page 20
———— TIMBER IMPORT STATISTICS ————
OVERALL IMPORTS SLIP AS ENG
UK timber and panel product imports fell by nearly 3% in the 昀椀rst
half of 2025, according to the latest TDUK statistics. While softwood,
hardwood, and MDF shipments declined, engineered wood and
plywood recorded strong growth, re昀氀ecting shifting supply
dynamics and resilient demand for specialist products.
otal imports
reached 4.76
million m³ in the
昀椀rst six months
of 2025, down 2.9% from
4.90 million m³ in the 昀椀rst
half of 2024. The bulk of this
decline was driven by weaker
demand in the second quarter
of the year, with Q2 volumes
159,000m³ lower than in Q2
2024, outweighing a small
increase of 16,000m³ in the
昀椀rst quarter.
Across the main product
categories, imports of solid
wood fell by 3.8% in H1 2025,
while panel product imports
declined by 1.2%. Softwood,
T
THE MARKET
THE
MARKET
hardwood, and medium-density
昀椀breboard (MDF) sectors all
recorded lower volumes, with
softwood imports dropping
by 4%. Much of this was due
to a reduction of 145,000m³ in
imports from Sweden – down
10% year-on-year. Ireland and
Germany also supplied less
softwood to the UK market,
though imports from Latvia
and Finland o昀昀set some of the
decline, with combined volumes
from those countries rising by
60,000m³. Growth of 7% from
Latvia and 6% from Finland
helped boost their market share.
For tropical hardwoods, a
weaker Q2 2025 transformed a
SUPPLYING TIMBER
20
near 3% growth in Q1 2025 to a
6% loss for the 昀椀rst half of the
year. MDF also saw a signi昀椀cant
fall in volumes, with imports
down -29% compared to the
previous year.
Despite the overall downward
trend, some product areas
continued to perform well.
Particleboard, plywood, and
particularly engineered wood
products (EWP) saw notable
increases in imports, underlining
the growing importance of
these materials in construction
and manufacturing. Engineered
wood continues to buck the
broader market slowdown,
driven by its versatility and
AUTUMN 2025
↑
Image:
Engineered Wood
Products have
enjoyed import
growth this year.
