National Hardwood Magazine - July 2021

U.S.A. TRENDS
Supplier news about
sales, labor, prices, trends,
expansions and inventories
LAKE STATES
NORTHEAST
SOUTHEAST
WEST COAST
Across the board, sawmills in the Lake States region
are reporting “strong” markets with high demand that are
keeping lumber suppliers “really busy.”
In Michigan, one contact explained, “We’ve got a lot
of demand, we’re just trying to keep up.” He reported
that demand is not as “crazy” as it was two months ago,
“but there is good demand on everything.” His company
offers Hard and Soft Maple, Red and White Oak, Hickory,
Walnut, Cherry, and Poplar. “I’d say the main demand is
in Hard Maple and White Oak,” he stated.
This Michigan supplier sells “50/50” to end users and
distribution yards. When asked about what customers
are saying about the market for their products, the
source explained, “Those guys said they all have a ton
of orders,” and “pretty much anyone I talk to is busy.” The
lumber supplier said that transportation has been “okay,”
with access to flatbeds being easier to obtain than shipping
containers. “Containers are a challenge,” he said.
“Rates are up, but I think rates are up everywhere in the
world.”
A sawmill representative in Wisconsin reported similar
market trends. “It doesn’t matter what I saw,” said the
contact. “I can sell it.” He explained that turnover is rapid
with inventory moving quickly. “In most cases, they’re
trying to sell domestically before it even comes out of the
kilns,” the source stated.
Compared to several months ago, this sawmill is seeing
a better market. “Six months ago, my market was still
very strong, but the prices are better now,” he said. His
company is heavy to Red Oak and White Oak, Basswood,
Cherry, Hickory, and both Hard and Soft Maple,
sawn mostly to 4/4 and 5/4.
When asked which species are selling best, the source
laughed. “It really doesn’t matter, everything sells,” he
replied. The sawmill sells mostly to end users, and some
distribution yards. “They say their markets are really
strong,” he said. “But I’m not going to lie to you. I get calls
every week, and they’re trying to feel me out on what
I’m hearing.” Transportation is giving this contact some
trouble, but “not a lot.” He noted that getting containers is
The market for Hardwood lumber in the Northeast is
strong. According to a lumber provider in Pennsylvania,
it is “very strong,” even “exceptionally strong.” This lumberman
stated, “Our kilns are full. We are producing lumber
as quickly as we can. Orders are going out at a very
brisk pace, with many customers ordering ahead so they
do not run out of inventory. We’re busy.” Asked if there
are any “dead items,” he replied, “There’s really not any
dead items. We’re moving at a pretty good pace here.
It’s great to see.”
Compared to several months earlier, he observed
that the market was “of course, much better. We really
saw the increase starting to come around last September.
Business has been strong since then and has been
steadily increasing. I don’t know when a slowdown will
happen. We’ve gone through some difficult markets over
the years. Each day we have now is certainly a good
thing. There doesn’t seem to be any let-up in sight right
now with the customers that we talk to.”
He handles Hard and Soft Maple, Cherry, Poplar, Red
Oak, Hickory and Ash in 4/4 through 8/4, FAS through
Rustic. Sales are to distribution yards, end users and
wholesalers. These customers’ businesses are faring
“exceptionally well right now,” he stated. “One of the
biggest challenges for a lot of our competitors, suppliers
and customers is labor,” he noted. “You can’t get the
labor. You also can’t find trucks. We have many loads
of lumber that are ready; you just can’t put a truck underneath
it. We really need to get some people back to
work.”
A concentration yard executive in Pennsylvania said
demand is high and product is “not as hard to get.”
Therefore, he stated, his market was better than it had
been several months ago.
He handles mainly 4/4 No. 2 Common and Better Walnut,
No. 2 Common and Better Hard and Soft Maple and
Cherry. Walnut, he said, is “by far the best seller.”
He sells his lumber to distribution yards, end users and
“anyone who needs lumber.” His customers’ fiscal health
can be seen in the fact that they keep buying more lum-
The Hardwood markets in the Southeast are “very
good.” That’s the word from a lumber provider in Virginia.
It’s a sentiment echoed by other lumber companies in
the region.
The Virginia source also said the market for her company
is “much better” than it was a few months ago.
“Prices are higher, and all lumber is moving,” she stated.
She handles Red and White Oak, Poplar and Walnut
in 4/4 through 10/4 in No. 3 Common and Better. Her
sales are to domestic distribution yards and exporters.
Her customers’ sales are good, she noted.
Transportation is not a problem for her because, she
observed, “I have local truckers we’ve worked with for
years. They cover us when I need it.”
In Georgia, an international lumber supplier observed
that everything in his company’s business is strong – with
one exception. “The problem is getting logs,” he stated.
“We’re just now starting to get a few logs coming in. It
doesn’t matter what the price is if you don’t have any
lumber to sell. The entire pipeline from the woods to the
customer is pretty much depleted. There’s not a whole
lot of kiln-dried inventory. There’s not a whole lot of in
process, air-drying. There’s not a ton of containers on the
water. The distributors’ warehouses and the customers’
warehouses are empty. So, it’s going to take a while to
fill that pipeline up. If we start getting logs tomorrow, it’s
four months at a minimum by the time we get it sawn,
air-dried, kiln-dried, graded and ready to put in a container.
It’s going to be awhile before we overcome this
shortage.”
His market, he noted, is “considerably better” than it
was in the recent past. “We’ve got a little bit of wood coming
through the system. I think you’ll see the Hardwoods
pick up. But we’ll always keep some pine in the system.”
Among Hardwoods, he handles Red and White Oak,
Poplar and Ash in 4/4 in all standard grades. “All of these
species are selling well,” he stated. “It’s not a difficult situation.
You consider which customer has been with you
the longest, and you support the ones who have worked
with you up to this point. You ration the lumber among
Out on the West Coast, lumber providers report the
same phenomenon that is occurring across the country:
high demand and low supply.
A Washington lumberman stated, “People are hungry
for lumber. They are definitely freaked out about the
pricing changing so fast. So, there’s demand for a lot of
species, and supply is tight.”
Compared to six months earlier, his company is financially
better. “But it is a struggle to operate, between finding
the lumber and, definitely, issues with trucking. Problems
with transportation have been going on all year. It
is getting continuously worse. All freight costs are up 40
percent since November and December.”
He handles most all eastern species: Red and White
Oak, Poplar, Hard and Soft Maple, Walnut and Hickory,
primarily 4/4 and some thicker stock. Grades are mainly
upper but with Common grades, as well. “All species are
moving well, if we can get a fair price, we can move it,”
he stated. “From the time a vendor tells us the lumber is
available, we call our customers and within half an hour,
we have it sold. However, it’ll take weeks to get it moved
with the trucking situation.”
He sells to end users, distribution yards and sawmills,
which buy green and kiln-dried lumber from him. “Some
mills don’t produce everything they need or are in short
supply, so they buy from us to supplement when they
have to,” he explained. Many of his customers are in
the housing industry – cabinets, flooring, moulding, stair
treads: “We pretty much cover them all.” He also sells to
RV manufacturers. “But the housing industry seems to
be the real driver,” he said.
Compared to several months ago, he said, “It takes
two times as long to get trucks as it used to. There are
just not as many trucks available, and prices have gone
way up.”
An Oregon lumber provider stated, “The market is robust,
but unfortunately the supply chain is very limited.
We could sell a lot more product, but getting replacement
product in is challenging. The reality is: there’s a
shortage of labor. It starts there, and it ends there. The
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