Framing lumber trading was uneventful, and most
changes in reported prices were modest.
Producers were content with current returns and
held quotes at or near previous levels, hoping
to bolster order files. Shipments were usually
quoted in the last two weeks of the month; order
files on the strongest items reached into
September. Buyers in all levels of the market
put up little resistance to current prices.
However, the extended run-up in prices that can
be traced back to last fall — with three
pullbacks along the way — kept most buyers
concerned about downside risk.
| This Week Aug 12 |
Last Week Aug 5 |
Year Ago 2015 |
|
| Random Lengths Framing Lumber Composite Price* | $369 | $367 | $329 |
| KD Western S-P-F #2&Btr 2x4 R/L Mill Price | 330 | 329 | 278 |
| KD Eastern S-P-F #1&2 2x4 R/L, delivered Great Lakes | 431 | 431 | 375 |
| Green Douglas Fir Std&Btr 2x4 R/L (Portland) | 350 | 353 | 337 |
| Southern Pine (Westside) #2 2x4 R/L | 426 | 419 | 333 |
| KD Coast Hem-Fir #2&Btr 2x4 R/L | 345 | 350 | 320 |
| Ponderosa Pine (Inland) #2&Btr 1x12 R/L | 705 | 705 | 665 |
| * Weighted average of 15 key items | |||
Random Lengths Panel Market Report
Structural panel demand ebbed. The recent run that pushed OSB
prices to three-year highs ran out of steam, and discounts emerged
more broadly. The steepest counters were reported out of Western
Canada. While most prices of Southern Pine rated sheathing items
finished lower, sharp discounts that were available in early trading
had mostly dried up by Friday. The trading pace slowed in western
Fir plywood. One producer’s midweek announcement of two mills
shutting down for maintenance in early September briefly helped the
pace accelerate, but the overall impact was muted.
(f.o.b. mill prices)
| (f.o.b. mill prices) | This Week Aug 12 |
Last Week Aug 5 |
Year Ago 2015 |
| Random Lengths Structural Panel Composite Price* | $394 | $395 | $341 |
| Southern (west-east) 15/32-inch 3-ply rated sheathing plywood | 365-385 | 365-390 | 363-405 |
| Southern (west-east) 15/32-inch 4-ply rated sheathing plywood | 365-387 | 365-390 | 363-410 |
| Western 1/2-inch 4-ply rated sheathing plywood | 413 | 420 | 380 |
| North Central 7/16-inch Oriented Strand Board | 310 | 310 | 187 |
| *Weighted average of 11 key items | |||
