According to the Holzkurier’s survey, Austrian sawmills, which have an annual cutting volume of 50,000 m³ of softwood logs or more, cut a total of around 15.4 million m³ last year (reported volumes plus Holzkurier estimate). Compared to 2022, cutting decreased by around 780,000 m³ or 4.8%. In November 2023, the Austrian Timber Industry Association had even expected a 15% decrease in softwood lumber production and an output of only 8.8 million m³.
The ten biggest individual sawmills in Austria cut almost 8.4 million m³ of softwood logs in 2023. If you also include those that cut 500,000 m³ a year or more, as many as 13 sawmills had a cutting volume of 10 million m³ last year.
As for 2024, the companies are expecting a slight recovery. Target cutting (reported volumes plus estimated volumes) is just under 15.9 million m³, which would be an increase of 2.9%. Two new sawmills were added to the 2023 survey: Ortner in Tragwein and Peter Graggaber in Unternberg. The Josef Moser sawmill in Münichreith, however, is no longer included in the list because it did not cut 50,000 m³ a year anymore.
Different developments
While some companies were able to keep their cutting volume stable at the level recorded in 2022, others increased cutting in 2023. Other sawmills have curtailed their production – sometimes substantially (see table below). Two companies already announced curtailments last year: In June 2023, Stallinger Holzindustrie announced that it would temporarily reduce cutting by 50% or by one shift due to log prices being too high. In October 2023, Stora Enso announced that it would temporarily stop lumber production at the Bad St. Leonhard site from the beginning of December to the end of January 2024.
It remains to be seen how the market situation will develop in 2024. The sawmill industry fears that log prices might be so high that they do not match the current lumber sales prices. Another factor is the sharp decrease in the number of building permits in the housing segment. This trend will be felt in the new year in particular. Nevertheless, the hope or prospect remains that wood can continue to increase its market share in the construction sector despite decreasing construction volumes.
This general optimism is also reflected in the sawmills’ plans for expansion. For example, Schafferholz is currently building a new sawmill with log band saws in Eppenstein. In late summer 2023, Gebrüder Steiniger announced that they would replace their gangsaw in Rastenfeld with a circular saw line. Sägewerk Kirnbauer, too, is planning to build a new sawmill in Neunkirchen, Lower Austria, to ensure the lumber supply for its glued timber plant. The reported target cutting volume is 250,000 m³ a year in a two-shift operation.
| Austrian sawmills with an annual cutting of more than 50,000 m³, processing and drying volumes refer to 2023; cutting in 1,000 m³ | ||||||||
| Company | Location | Cutting 2021 | Cutting 2022 | Cutting 2023 | Target cutting 2024 | Staff | Further processing (m³/yr) | Drying (m³/yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binderholz | Fügen | 1,070 | 1,070 | 1,070 | 1,040 | 6,300 | planed timber: 315,000; glulam: 270,000 in Jenbach; solid wood panels: 22,000 in Fügen, 72,000 in St. Georgen | 800,000 |
| Brunner-Stern | Hohenberg | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | n/s | n/s | 40,000 |
| Egger Holz | Liezen | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s |
| Entacher | Großarl | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s |
| Adolf Erhart | Sonntag | 60 | 60 | 60 | 62 | 40 | planed timber: 3,000, cuttings: 6,000; lumber and pallet trade | 35,000 |
| Peter Graggaber | Unternberg | – | – | 50 | 50 | 40 | n/s | n/s |
| Säge Gußwerk | Gußwerk | 63 | 60 | 65 | 70 | 30 | 30,000 | 48,000 |
| Holz Hahn | Rappottenstein | 100 | 100 | 96 | 100 | 38 | solid structural timber, glulam, Duo beams: 36,500 | 30,000 |
| Säge Handlos Summerau (1) | Summerau | 205 | 315 | 430 | 500 | 82 | in the group: glulam, solid structural timber, joining, planed timber (200,000), also larch, pine, lengths of 3-6 m | 290,000 |
| Hasslacher Hermagor | Hermagor | 180 | 180 | 180 | 200 | 70 | planed timber: 20,000, pellets: 25,000 t | 110,000 |
| Hasslacher-Gruppe (2) | Sachsenburg | 750 | 780 | 750 | 800 | 1,900 | planed timber: 160,000; solid structural timber: 120,000; glulam: 170,000; CLT: 70,000; pellets: 100,000 t | 700,000 |
| Preding | 450 | 500 | 500 | 525 | ||||
| Hutter Sägewerk | St. Michael/Lungau | 94 | 93 | 90 | 90 | 40 | finger-jointed and knot-free products, fir facade, middle layers for three-layer panels and parquet; ca. 10,000 m³ |
30,000 |
| Holzindustrie Kaml & Huber | Rottenmann | 110 | 100 | 85 | 100 | 28 | – | 60,000 |
| Kaml & Huber Lärchenholz | Mariazell | 55 | 65 | 65 | 65 | 29 | planing, steaming | n/s |
| Kirchner Säge- und Hobelwerk | Radstadt | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 31 | slats: 8,000 | 40,000 |
| Holzindustrie Kirnbauer | Prigglitz | 120 | 120 | 120 | 120 | 90 | solid structural timber, Duo/Trio beams, glulam: 91,000 | 68,000 |
| Klausbauer Holzindustrie | Lainbach | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s |
| Holzindustrie Maresch | Retz | 1,250 | 1,150 | 1,040 | 1,200 | 232 | – | – |
| Mayr-Melnhof Holz Leoben (3) | Leoben | 1,090 | 1,010 | 890 | 990 | 1,590 | 90,000 t of pellets, 10,000 m³ of CLT (Leoben site in ramp-up phase) | 450,000 |
| Mosser Holzindustrie | Wolfpassing | 360 | 360 | 250 | 320 | 60 | n/s | n/s |
| Neuschmied Holz | Hopfgarten/Brixental | 130 | 125 | 125 | 125 | 60 | planed timber: 9,000, cutting of slats: 21,000 | 65,000 |
| Johann Offner Holzindustrie | Wolfsberg | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s | – | n/s |
| Ortner-Holz | Tragwein | – | – | 60 | 55 | 53 | planed timber: 6,000; MH-Massivholz, Retrotimber; with subsidiary LOC: CLT: 30,000 | 11,500 |
| Johann Pabst Holzindustrie (4) | Obdach | 360 | 360 | 330 | n/s | 267 | planed timber: 95,000, glulam: 100,000 | 120,000 |
| Pfeifer Holzindustrie (5) | Kundl | 660 | 680 | 730 | 700 | 2.600 | further processing: 400,000 | 500,000 |
| Planegger Holz | Launsdorf | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s |
| Prehofer Holz | Rutzenmoos | 80 | 80 | 80 | 80 | 35 | planed timber: 20,000 | 20,000 |
| Rubner Holzindustrie | Rohrbach/Lafnitz | 380 | 400 | 380 | 370 | 127 | glued timber/Duo/Triolam beams non-visible quality (38,000) | 220,000 |
| Donausäge Rumplmayr | Enns, Altmünster | 800 | 850 | 750 | 750 | 169 | 170,000 | 405,000 |
| Schaffer Sägewerk & Holzexport | Eppenstein | 110 | 107 | 100 | 110 | 67 | – | 42,000 |
| Holzindustrie Schafler | Hirnsdorf | 60 | 60 | 60 | 60 | 80 | Europallets, special pallets, stacking frames, crates, packaging for overseas shipments |
25,000 |
| Holzhof Schmidt | Aspang | 100 | 90 | 100 | 100 | 33 | pellets | 50,000 |
| Schößwendter Holz | Saalfelden | 250 | 250 | 250 | 250 | 120 | planed timber: 55,000 | n/s |
| Holzindustrie Stallinger | Frankenmarkt | 1.000 | 950 | 900 | 900 | 167 | 115,000 t of pellets | 490,000 |
| Gebrüder Steininger | Rastenfeld | 350 | 350 | 350 | 320 | 70 | planed timber: 50,000 | 100,000 |
| Sägewerk Josef Steurer | Schwarzach | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s |
| Stora Enso Wood Products * | Brand | 740 | 700 | 650 | n/s | 310 | planed timber: 160,000, posts: 55,000 | 310,000 |
| Ybbs | 1,180 | 1,100 | 1,050 | n/s | 530 | planed timber: 330,000, posts: 80,000, CLT: 110,000 | 580,000 | |
| Bad St. Leonhard | 585 | 540 | 490 | n/s | 290 | planed timber: 35,000, CLT: 80,000 | 250,000 | |
| Brüder Theurl | Assling | 500 | 535 | 540 | 530 | 385 | glulam: 100,000, planed timber: 25,000; CLT: 65,000 | n/s |
| Troger Holz | Vomp | 330 | 340 | 330 | 340 | 100 | formwork panels: 250,000 m² | 150,000 |
| Sägewerk UPM Steyrermühl | Laakirchen | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s | n/s | – | n/s |
| VM-Holz | Vöcklamarkt | 700 | 700 | 600 | 700 | 150 | pellets: 128,000 t | 300,000 |
| Waldgenossenschaft Iseltal | Ainet | 61 | 63 | 61 | 65 | 32 | – | 24,000 |
| Weitzer Posch | Kaindorf | n/s | 55 | 50 | 40 | 30 | – | 20,000 |
| GH Winkler * | Abtenau | n/s | 78 | 80 | 80 | 40 | 28,000 | 47,000 |
| Zwickl Holz (6) | Raabs/Thaya, Jemnice/CZ | 67 | 70 | 65 | 65 | 48 | planed timber: 2,500 | 7,000 |
