At a time of year when home building and construction is usually going strong, this year that has not yet materialized.
As such, lumber sales have not picked up from the end of winter. After succeeding in holding prices flat, mostly due to significant sawmill curtailments and downtime, in the past two weeks the producers have not been able to hold on and had to reduce their price levels. Even while field inventories are incredibly low, secondary suppliers have been able to undercut sawmill asking prices to sell enough wood at below replacement levels.
As a result, producers were no longer able to hold off customer counter-offers, as they had before. As well, order
files at sawmills were barely two weeks, which also weakened their bargaining positions.
In the week ending May 3, 2024, the price of benchmark softwood lumber item Western Spruce-Pine-Fir 2×4 #2&Btr KD (RL) was US$383 mfbm. This is down by -$25, or -6%, compared to the previous week when it was $408, said weekly forest products industry price guide newsletter Madison’s Lumber Reporter.
That week’s price is down by -$47, or -11%, from one month ago when it was $430.
The quiet week capped off a muted month of April, as commodity prices were flat to down. Plywood prices appeared to be approaching a bottom.
KEY TAKE-AWAYS:
- Wholesalers and distributors again sold below mill-replacement levels.
- Dealers avoided hanging on to any low-priced material; supplier yard stock was lean.
- Sawmills were keen on moving accumulated material on their sales lists.
- Lead times were extended into mid-May.
- Players did not expect these low prices of 2x4s to persist.
- Coastal species were stuck in price discovery mode.
- There was not much follow-through to inquiries.
- Oriented Strand Board prices were stagnant as minimal cash trading persisted.
Madison’s Benchmark Top-Six Softwood Lumber and Panel Prices: Monthly Averages
