The combination of Remembrance Day in Canada and two big lumber industry association annual meetings took a lot of folks away from their desks.
The combination of Remembrance Day in Canada and two big lumber industry association annual meetings took a lot of folks away from their desks. As such, lumber sales in mid-November were soft. Naturally, prices continued to drop a bit as the usual seasonal slow-down truly took effect.
The lack of data releases for US housing starts was troubling, as this information is necessary for operators to make plans for production activity to come the following year. Winter is the time that sawmills across North America invest in timber harvest, to get the log supply they will need for lumber demand in advance of the next construction season. This is a months-long effort.
So solid wood manufacturers must know where the housing market stands at this time of year to estimate the requirements for loading up on feedstock for the next building cycle.
In the week ending November 14, 2025, the price of benchmark softwood lumber item Western Spruce-Pine-Fir 2×4 #2&Btr KD (RL) was US$410 mfbm. This was down -$20, or -5%, from the previous week when it was $430, said weekly forest products industry price guide newsletter Madison’s Lumber Reporter.
That week’s price was down -$55, or -12%, from one month ago when it was $465.
Remembrance Day in Canada and two major lumber industry conventions had many away from their desks.
To subscribe to Madison’s Lumber Reporter, simply fill out an order form here: https://madisonsreport.com/subscribe/
KEY TAKE-AWAYS:
- Several Western-SPF producers in the US indicated their openness to counter-offers.
- Canadian Western-SPF suppliers reported zero urgency and subpar demand from downstream buyers.
- Primary and secondary suppliers worked to move inventory and solidify sawmill order files through December.
- Decreasing Eastern-SPF prices cajoled many buyers into covering at least some of their more pressing needs.
- Price spreads were evident in Southern Yellow Pine with differing numbers across mills, the distribution network, and geographical zones.
- Eastern stocking wholesalers mostly had their yard stock and incoming shipments to the ports at New Jersey covered for the balance of this year.
Madison’s Benchmark Top-Six Softwood Lumber and Panel Prices: Monthly Averages
