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Lumber Prices and Market Update: Feb 2023
In the week ending February 10, 2023, the price of benchmark softwood lumber item Western Spruce-Pine-Fir 2×4 #2&Btr KD (RL) was US$476 mfbm, which is up by +$16 or +3%, from the previous week when it was US$360 mfbm, said weekly forest products industry price guide newsletter Madison’s Lumber Reporter. This is up by +$104,…
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More Lumber Price Increases on Tightened Supply
The sawmill curtailments of recent months, especially those ongoing in the western part of North America, served to bring lumber prices up slightly. At this point, levels are still somewhat below cost-of-production in the important supply basket of British Columbia — which has been roughly estimated at approximately US$500 mfbm. The strategy of reducing production,…
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Sawmill Curtailments Bring Increasing Lumber Prices
Since October 2022, quite a few sawmill operators have taken downtime and curtailments. This is normal for the time of year, as usually lumber demand slows in winter and regular maintenance needs to take place, as well as employee vacation time. Over the past few months there has been perhaps a bit more than the…
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Softwood Lumber Prices Come Up Off Seasonal Lows
January 2023 is well under way, and with it the usual seasonal large-volume buying by the big US home builders has begun. Because they want the wood needed for their projects on the ground before spring building activity, customers make their orders now to accommodate possibly extended delivery times. As such, it is usual for…
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US Housing Market Full-Year 2022 & Softwood Lumber Prices January 2023
Full-year 2022 US housing starts and new home sales data has been released and while the dampening effects of rising mortgage rates remain, the numbers for December show a slight uptick. In 2022 the US began building 1.55 million homes, just a -3% drop from full-year 2021. Single-family starts in 2022 totalled 1.01 million, down…
