Imports reduced by over 300,000 m³

Article by Martina Nöstler (translated by Eva Guzely) | 24.06.2024 - 10:21

Chinese softwood lumber imports from the Top 3 supplying countries remained stable or saw marked increases. Nevertheless, this was not sufficient to balance out the smaller volumes coming in from other countries.

In the first five months, Chinese softwood lumber imports totaled 7.45 million m³ and were thus down by 4% compared to the same period of last year. Imports did increase by nearly 700,000 m³ compared to 2022 (6.76 million m³) but remained well below level recorded in 2019 when 10.8 million m³ of softwood lumber were imported.

Compared to the first five months of last year, China’s imports from Russia remained constant at nearly 4.77 million m³. The same is true for shipments from Canada (584,000 m³; +1%). Double-digit increases were recorded in softwood lumber imports from Belarus (524,000 m³; +47%) and the US (92,000 m³; +45%), while shipments from Finland, Germany, Sweden and Chile, for example, decreased substantially.

Data are collected and published by China Customs Statistics.