TIMBER and panel import volumes are ‘back on track’ for 2020 following a sharp rise in July, according to the latest timber statistics.

A Timber Trade Federation (TTF) report reveals total import volumes for main timber and panel products were approximately one per cent below July 2019 levels, with 866,000 m³ arriving in the UK.

The one per cent difference in volumes between the two months was the lowest percentage reduction in volume since April 2019.

These volumes were higher than the TTF originally predicted and raise the TTF’s forecast for total timber imports to the UK in 2020 to around 8.4 million m³ (approximately 19 per cent lower than 2019).

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Imports across all major individual product categories – softwood, hardwood, and panel products – have been on the rise.

David Hopkins, CEO of the Timber Trade Federation, said: “These figures are a good signal of a strengthening market. They will go some way to helping rebuild stocks and meet rising demand for timber products.

“The huge surge we’ve seen in DIY projects, along with increased global demand, has been unprecedented and caused spikes and longer lead times across certain product categories. This rise in imports should start to help ease that pressure, especially if the trend continues over the coming months.”

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