Exports to Europe account for 60% of the total export revenue of €12 billion. 22% were generated through shipments to Asia. Germany and China were the most important trading partners with trade volumes of €1.4 billion each, as the Finnish Luke Institute of Helsinki reports. The value of exports of wood-based materials was €3 billion last year (-25%). In 2023, lumber worth €1.8 billion (-27%) was exported. Exports within Europe saw a slightly smaller decrease of 23%. Lumber exports totaled 8.4 million m³ last year.
Revenue generated by the pulp and paper industry fell by 13% to €9 billion. Cardboard products achieved the highest export value, i.e. €3.2 billion (-20%).
As for imports of wood products, pulp wood represented the largest share (56%), followed by wood chips (28%). Sawlogs accounted for only 2% of imports. Overall, the Luke Institute puts the volume of wood imports at 5 million m³, which corresponds to a 13% decrease compared to 2022.
In terms of volume, lumber imports were down by 68% in 2023. 79% of the imported lumber came from the European Union, with neighboring country Sweden being the main supplier. As for log wood, Finland imported the biggest volume from Estonia.
