europe

Europe’s top lumber manufacturers

Every year, Timber-Online collects data on the production output of the biggest softwood sawmills in Europe. Here, you can find the most recent ranking.

Update 2023/2024

With a planned production output of 4.5 million m³ in 15 sawmills (+8%) in 2024, Binderholz will become the new market leader in Europe, taking the title from Stora Enso (maximum output 4.1 million m³ according to estimates by the Holzkurier).

In total, production is expected to increase by 5% in 2024. However, at around 41.6 million m³, the target output is still 1.5 million m³ smaller than that of 2023.

No new company made it into the Top 10.

With a planned production increase of 37%, the HS Timber Group gained seven places and now shares seventh place with Rettenmeier. The main reason for this positive development is the company’s new sawmill in Argentina, which officially started production at the end of April.

Metsä Fibre saw the biggest drop. The Finnish group lost seven places and now ranks 20th among Europe’s biggest softwood lumber producers.

Europe's Top 20 softwood lumber producers | 2023/target 2024
Ranked acc. to target production output 2024, volumes in 1,000 m³
Place 2023	>	Place 2024	Company	Headquarters	Sawmills	Production 2023	Target production 2024	Diff. in %
2	↑	1	Binderholz ¹⁾	AT	15	4,150	4,500	8
1	↓	2	Stora Enso ²⁾	FI	14	3,897	4,100	5
3	↔	3	Pfeifer Group	AT	9	3,100	3,000	–3
4	↔	4	Vida Wood	SE	12	2,500	2,700	8
7	↑	5	Moelven Group	NO	15	1,928	2,198	14
5	↓	6	SCA Timber	SE	5	1,900	2,100	11
6	↓	7	Rettenmeier Holzindustrie ³⁾	DE	5	2,050	2,050	0
14	↑	7	HS Timber Group ⁴⁾	AT	4	1,500	2,050	37
8	↓	9	Ziegler Holzindustrie	DE	4	1,650	2,040	24
10	↔	10	Mayr-Melnhof Holz	AT	5	1,685	1,865	11
9	↓	11	ante-holz	DE	3	1,800	1,850	3
12	↔	12	Södra Timber ⁵⁾	SE	8	1,770	1,770	0
19	↑	13	Holmen Wood Products	SE	5	1,450	1,520	5
11	↓	14	Setra Group ⁶⁾	SE	7	1,591	1,500	–6
14	↔	14	Ilim Timber ⁷⁾	DE	2	1,500	1,500	0
18	↑	16	Fruytier Scierie	BE	9	1,390	1,440	–7
14	↓	17	Versowood	FI	4	1,400	1,400	0
20	↑	18	Mercer Timber ⁸⁾	DE	2	1,287	1,362	6
17	↓	19	UPM Timber ⁹⁾	FI	4	1,500	1,350	–10
13	↓	20	Metsä Fibre ¹⁰⁾	FI	7	1,386	1,300	–6
					Total	39,434	41,595	5

Information:

1) Binderholz: Extrapolation from the first four months

2) Stora Enso: annual report, Deliveries 2023; still 16 sawmills in 2023; two-month shutdown in Bad St. Leonhard; 2024: estimate by the Holzkurier

3) Rettenmeier Holzindustrie: Latvian sawmill in Inčukalns is being expanded and will be put into operation in autumn

4) HS Timber: sale of sawmill in Sebeș/RO to Ziegler Group in April 2023; start of new sawmill in Argentina in Q1 2024; final assembly underway in Belarus

5) Södra Timber: 2023: annual report; 2024: estimate by the Holzkurier

6) Setra: 2023 volume as stated in Sustainability Report; 2024: estimate by the Holzkurier

7) Ilim Timber: Single production sites – production in 2023: Ilim Nordic Timber: 975,000 m³, Ilim Timber Bavaria: 525,000 m³; 2024: Ilim Nordic Timber: 975,000 m³, Ilim Timber Bavaria: 525,000 m³

8) Mercer Timber: Single production sites – production in 2023: Saalburg-Ebersdorf: 812,000 m³, Torgau: 475,000 m³; 2024: Saalburg-Ebersdorf: 862,000 m³, Torgau: 500,000 m³

9) UPM Timber: 2023: annual report; 2024: estimate by the Holzkurier

10) Metsä Fibre: 2023: annual report; 2024: estimate by the Holzkurier

Update 2022/2023

For the European sawmill industry, 2022 marked the end of a four-year period during which the industry was going at full throttle. The target cutting volumes about which we reported in 2022 were not reached. However, thanks to several acquisitions and some newly started sawmills, production output of Europe’s 20 biggest sawmills did increase in 2022.

There were some changes in the ranking of the Top 20 sawmills, mainly as a result of acquisitions and sales. 2022 was characterized by a march north: Mayr-Melnhof Holz, HS Timber Group, Ziegler and, most recently, Pfeifer Holz acquired companies in Sweden and Finland. Furthermore, there are the newly added production sites of Binderholz (following the acquisition of BSW) and Rettenmeier (construction of new sawmill to start in 2024) in the Baltic States. The “sale” of Mayr-Melnhof’s Russian sawmill took place at the turn of the year, and the Hasslacher Group had to follow suit a few months later. In 2023, the Ziegler Group acquired HS Timber Group’s sawmill in Sebeș/RO.

Europe’s Top 20 manufacturers of softwood lumber | 2022/target 2023
Rank 2022	Rank 2023	Company	Headquarters	Sawmills	Production 2022	Target production 2023	Diff. in %
Ranked according to target production in 2023 (in 1,000 m³)
1	1 ←→	Stora Enso ¹⁾	FI	16	5,540	5,430	–2
2	2 ←→	Binderholz ²⁾	AT	17	4,430	4,280	–3
7	3 ↑	Pfeifer ³⁾	AT	9	2,400	3,100	29
3	4 ↓	Vida Wood	SE	12	2,750	2,900	5
5	5 ←→	SCA Timber	SE	5	2,200	2,200	0
6	6 ←→	Rettenmeier Holzindustrie	DE	5	2,300	2,100	–9
8	7 ↑	Moelven Group	NO	15	2,054	2,085	2
19	8 ↑	Ziegler Group ⁴⁾	DE	4	1,600	2,080	30
11	9 ↑	ante-holz	DE	3	1,800	2,021	12
4	10 ↓	Mayr-Melnhof Holz ⁵⁾	AT	5	2,060	2,000	–3
12	11 ↑	Setra Group	SE	7	1,750	1,800	3
9	12 ↓	Södra Timber ⁶⁾	SE	8	1,807	1,700	–6
16	13 ↑	Metsä Fibre ⁷⁾	FI	7	1,459	1,550	6
10	14 ↓	HS Timber Group ⁸⁾	AT	3	1,900	1,500	–21
13	14 ↓	Ilim Timber	DE	2	1,650	1,500	–9
18	14 ↑	Versowood ⁹⁾	FI	4	1,500	1,500	0
14	17 ↓	UPM Timber ¹⁰⁾	FI	4	1.538	1.460	–5
14	18 ↓	Fruytier Scierie	BE	9	1,568	1,450	–8
16	19 ↓	Holmen Wood Products ¹¹⁾	SE	5	1,500	1,425	–5
–	20 ↑	Mercer ¹²⁾	DE	2	1,320	1,397	6
				Total	43,126	43,478	1

Info box

1) 2022, 2023: production capacity; 2022 sale of two Russian sawmills

2) 2023: target incl. US sawmills Live-Oak and Enfield

3) 2022: production in five sawmills; acquisition of Pölkky/FI at the end of 2022

4) In May 2022, Ziegler Group acquired two sawmills in Sweden (cutting: 750,000 m³/year); 2022: 1.21 million m³ target plus Swedish sawmills; April 2023: takeover of sawmill Sebeș/RO from HS Timber Group

5) 2022: sale of sawmill Efimovskij/RU

6) 2023: Holzkurier estimate

7) 2022 production output according to annual report; 2023: Holzkurier estimate; sawmill in Rauma/FI in test operation since autumn 2022, capacity: 750,000 m³/year, investment: €260 million; sawmill in Svir/RU shuttered in March 2022

8) Radauti/RO shuttered in 2022; end of April 2022: acquisition of Luvian Saha (300,000 m³); construction of new sawmill in Belarus stopped in March 2022; 2023: sale of sawmill in Sebeș/RO to Ziegler Group – closing has not yet taken place; new sawmill in Argentina to go into operation in Q4 2023; production: Holzkurier estimate

9) 2022 production output according to annual report; 2023: Holzkurier estimate; 2022: takeover of production site Kissakoski

10) 2022 production output according to annual report; 2023: Holzkurier estimate

11) 2022 production output according to annual report; 2023: Holzkurier estimate

12) 2022: acquisition of Holzindustrie Torgau (HIT); 2022 softwood lumber cutting volume: 2.4 million m³, 2023 target cutting volume: 2.54 million m³. Conversion: 0.55 m³ per 1 m³ of log wood

Update 2021/2022

Multinational timber group Stora Enso remains the number one in Europe. Timber Online estimates that the Finnish company with strong sawmills in Central Europe will produce at least 5.6 million m³ this year, which would be only 1% less than in 2021. This decrease is the result of the shuttering of the two Russian sawmills in early March.

In January, Europe’s number two, Binderholz, took over Scottish company BSW Timber, which brings the total output of Binderholz’s European sawmills to 4.7 million m³ (+7%). Including the US sawmills, Binderholz reported that it plans to produce 5.1 million m³ this year.

VidaWood is the third-biggest manufacturer of softwood lumber. Last year, the subsidiary of Canfor, the world’s largest sawmill group, rose from 12th to third place thanks to acquisitions and increases in production. In 2022, the Swedish company wants to raise its production output by 4% to around 2.6 million m³.

Europe’s top softwood lumber producers 2022

Europe’s 20 biggest sawmills are planning substantial increases in production: +6% to 44.5 million m³. Read more ...

Europe’s Top 20 softwood lumber producers | 2021/target 2022
Place in 2021	Place in 2022	Company	Headquarters	Sawmills	Production in 2021	Target production in 2022	Diff. in %
Ranked according to 2022 target production (in 1,000 m³)
1	1 ←→	Stora Enso ¹⁾ ²⁾	FI	18	5,700	5,600	–1
2	2 ←→	Binderholz ³⁾	AT	17	4,430	4,740	7
3	3 ←→	Vida Wood	SE	12	2,550	2,650	4
9	4 ↑	Mayr-Melnhof Holz ¹⁾ ⁴⁾	AT	6	1,700	2,590	52
6	5 ↑	SCA Timber ¹⁾	SE	5	2,263	2,380	5
7	6 ↑	Rettenmeier Holzindustrie	DE	5	2,050	2,350	15
5	7 ↓	Pfeifer Holz	AT	5	2,200	2,300	5
8	8 ←→	Moelven Group	NO	15	2,116	2,260	7
10	9 ↑	Södra Timber ¹⁾	SE	7	1,965	2,000	5
4	10 ↓	HS Timber Group ⁵⁾	AT	4	2,090	1,950	–7
17	11 ↑	ante-holz ⁶⁾	DE	3	1,490	1,920	29
11	12 ↓	Setra Group	SE	7	1,675	1,750	4
12	13 ↓	Ilim Timber ⁷⁾	DE	2	1,650	1,650	0
13	14 ↓	Fruytier Scierie	BE	11	1,548	1,600	3
14	14 ↓	UPM Timber ¹⁾	FI	4	1,600	1,600	0
15	16 ↓	Metsä Fibre ¹⁾ ⁸⁾	FI	5	1,710	1,500	–12
16	16 ←→	Holmen Wood Products	SE	5	1,400	1,500	7
18	18 ←→	Versowood	FI	4	1,380	1,400	1
20	19 ↑	Ziegler Holzindustrie ⁹⁾	DE	1	1,210	1,210	0
–	20	JSC Lesozavod Sawmill 25 ¹⁾ ¹⁰⁾	RU	3	1,113	1,170	5
Total					41,840	44,120	5

Information

1) 2022: Timber Online estimate;

2) Estimated growth: 5%, divestment of two Russian sawmills in 2022 (-350,000 m³/year);

3) Total output: 4.83 million m³ (2021); 5.14 million m³ (2022); figures in the table do not include US sawmills (400,000 m³/year); number of sawmills, production figures and target volumes including BSW Timber’s sites. Company was acquired in January 2022;

4) 2022 production of sawmill in Efimovskij/RU difficult to estimate; production of the three recently acquired Bergkvist Siljan sites estimated at 850,000 m³;

5) 2021: four sawmills. Radauti/RO was shuttered this year – only three sawmills since April 2022; 2022: new acquisition of Luvian Saha (300,000 m³); new construction of sawmill in Belarus was stopped in March; new construction of sawmill in Argentina started in March (fifth sawmill);

6) 2022 target output including the site in Rötenbach/DE which went into operation in June 2021;

7) Figures refer to the two German production sites;

8) Sawmill in Rauma/FI to go into operation this year, production to start at the end of Q3 2022 according to company’s website; in March 2022, shuttering of production in Kyrö/FI in summer 2022 was announced; production in Svir/RU suspended (capacity: 285,000 m³/year);

9) 2021 production figures as reported on the company’s website;

10) Information as of May 16: Ziegler Holzindustrie acquires two sawmills in Sweden (cutting: 750,000 m³/year); 15th place within reach.

Update 2020/2021

Multinational timber company Stora Enso is the number one in Europe. Timber Online estimates that the Finnish company with strong Central European sawmills will produce around 4.9 million m³ in 2021.

The number two in Europe, Binderholz of Fügen, acquired in 2020 two sawmills in the US for more than $140 million. The new saw line in Oberrot, an increase in production in Fügen and, in particular, the start-up of Binderholz’s first sawmill in the US led to a 13% jump in production, bringing the total to 3.6 million m³.

After the takeover and integration of Bergs Timber, Vida Wood now holds the third place in Europe. With the three Bergs Timber sawmills, the Canfor subsidiary bought an annual production capacity of 550,000 m³. This and big increases in production helped the company to jump from 12th place to the podium of Europe’s sawmill elite.