LONDON: A 3% growth in UK timber product imports during the first two months of 2016 was driven by a 26% increase in plywood volumes, according to the Timber Trade Federation’s (TTF) latest statistics bulletin.
Hardwood plywood import volumes grew 16%, while softwood ply rose nearly 48%, with China and Brazil leading the pack respectively.
OSB and particleboard imports were also up in January-February compared to 2015 but MDF imports were down. In total, solid wood imports were nearly 3% lower and imports of panel products were 14.5% higher.
Softwood import volumes dropped 2.6% and the value of those imports compared to 2015 fell by around 10.5% due to a substantial drop in prices. The value of sawn goods was down by around 9% and the value of planed goods was 13% lower.
Hardwood volumes were down 6.8%, mainly due to volume falls from Africa, Asia and South and Central America.
Leading supplier North America recorded a 4% increase in export volumes to the UK.
