Timber: Overview
Framing, furniture, pallets and the paper in your printer
What this tab covers What the commodity is used for, why, in what volumes and with what alternatives, and its chain from mine or field to end user. Also the latest price moves, top recent news, three things to know, and buttons into each tab.Key uses
| Use | Share | Annual volume | Why this commodity | Alternatives |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sawnwood for house framing, joinery and furniture | n/a | 445 million m3 of sawnwood produced in 2023basis | Softwood lumber is light, strong for its weight, easy to cut and nail on site, and cheap where forests are large. North American and Nordic timber-frame housing is built around it. Tropical hardwoods such as teak win in furniture, doors and boats for durability and looks. FAO, Global forest products facts and figures 2023 | Steel framing Concrete and masonry Engineered wood (glulam, CLT, LVL) |
| Wood-based panels: plywood, OSB, MDF, particleboard | n/a | 381 million m3 produced in 2023basis | Panels turn small logs, plantation wood and residues into large flat sheets for sheathing, flooring, furniture and shuttering. In India, plywood made from poplar and eucalyptus grown on farms is the main wood product for homes and furniture. FAO 2023; ITTO Tropical Timber Market Report, Mar 2025 | Gypsum board Plastic and aluminium composite panels Solid wood |
| Pulp for paper, board and packaging | n/a | 193 Mt of wood pulp and 401 Mt of paper and paperboard in 2023basis | Wood fibre is the cheapest renewable source of cellulose at scale. Fast-growing eucalyptus in Brazil and pine in North America and the Nordics feed pulp mills; e-commerce boxes support board demand while graphic paper shrinks. FAO 2023 | Recovered paper Agricultural residues (bagasse, straw) Plastic packaging |
| Wood pellets and fuelwood | n/a | 47 Mt of wood pellets in 2023; fuelwood volume not sourcedbasis | Wood is the main cooking and heating fuel for many households in Asia and Africa. Pellets made from sawmill residues are burned in European power plants and boilers, supported by renewable energy rules. FAO 2023 | LPG and natural gas Coal Electricity and heat pumps |
From field to user
- Forest management and planting Forests are managed for natural regeneration or replanted; Brazil had nearly 5 Mha of eucalyptus plantations in 2011 (Smil 2016).
- Harvesting Mechanised harvesters fell and cut trees in boreal and plantation forests; chainsaws and skidders in tropical selective logging. Industrial roundwood removals were 1.92 billion m3 in 2023 (FAO).
- Log transport and trade Logs move by truck, rail and ship; industrial roundwood trade fell 13% to 100 million m3 in 2023, the lowest since 2009 (FAO).
- Sawmilling Sawmills cut logs into lumber, dry and grade it; residues go to pulp, panels and pellets. Interfor's North American mills produced 1.84 billion board feet in H1 2025.
- Secondary processing Panel mills, pulp mills and joinery plants turn wood into plywood, OSB, pulp and components; world sawnwood trade was 129 million m3 in 2023 (FAO).
- Distribution Dealers and timber yards stock lumber for builders; in India, ports such as Kandla and sawmills around Gandhidham handle imported logs.
- End use Housing, furniture, packaging and paper; the US imported 23.1% and China 20.2% of world sawnwood value in 2024 (UN Comtrade).
Price movement snapshot 2026-10-25
CME lumber futures 517 US$/1,000 board feet Close 2026-10-23 · Yahoo Finance 1 week -2.9% 6 months -10.7%Three things to know
- Smil, citing FAO, puts the world wood harvest at about 3.5 billion cubic metres, roughly 2.3 billion tonnes.
- China bought 42.1% of the world's chemical wood pulp imports (HS 4703) by value in 2024.
- In 1820, 52% of Belgium's forested area was used to make charcoal for ironmaking (Smil).
Top recent news snapshot 2026-10-25, last 30 days
- Canada Takes Fight Over 2% Lumber Dumping Test to US Appeals CourtWood Central · 2026-09-30
- US-China tariff list covers major log, softwood and hardwood lumber productsFordaq · 2026-09-30
- NAFTA Panel Sends Nothing Back in Canada's Lumber Subsidy ChallengeWood Central · 2026-10-11
- US Cuts Duties on Most Canadian Softwood Lumber to 24.75 Per CentWood Central · 2026-10-18
- US Lumber Slides From Its Wildfire High Despite Duties on CanadaWood Central · 2026-10-06