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China Wood Products Prices

16-31th May 2013


US Dollar Exchange Rates of  26th  May 2013
China Yuan 6.
1314

Report from China 


 Currency volatility - Chinese exporters focus on short-term business
The depreciation in the yen has greatly affected China's exports to Japan. By mid May the accumulated appreciation of the yuan against the dollar was around 2% but the yuan had strengthened by more than 5% against the yen.


The strong yuan appreciation has hit Chinese exporter¡¯s profit margins hard and this extra burden comes on top of the rising costs of raw materials and labour.


The continued appreciation of the yuan is seriously affecting Chinese exporters and causing them to focus on short-term business arrangements instead of longer-term business developments. The challenges in the export market from very volatile exchange rates are now a threat to the survival of many small and medium sized businesses according to the Ministry of Commerce.


A survey of Chinese exporters conducted by the Ministry of Commerce indicated that more than three quarters of those surveyed experienced significant declines in profits during the first four months of the year.
See: http://english.mofcom.gov.cn/article/newsreleases

Increased April domestic sales boost profits
The profits of large Chinese industrial companies improved in April due mainly to increased sales and this is in sharp contrast to the reported decline in the manufacturing index that appeared to signal a slowing of the economy.


The National Bureau of Statistics, in a recent press release, said company profits in the first four months of the year increased 11 percent. Analysts commented that improved profit levels could stimulate industrial expansion and that this would help sustain growth in the economy.


In related news the government has made it clear that the industrial sector should not sacrifice the environment to ensure short-term growth.


Output Value of China¡¯s Forestry Industry in 2012
According to the State Forestry Administration Annual Forestry Statistical Yearbook for 2012, the total output value of China¡¯s forestry industry was RMB3.95 trillion in 2012 (calculated at present price).


This represents an increase of 29% compared to levels in 2011. The growth rate in output from China¡¯s forest industry has averaged 23% since 2001.


The output value from the primary sector was RMB1.37 trillion, accounting for 35% of the total, up by 24% year on year.


The output value of the secondary processing sector was RMB2.09 trillion, some 53% of total output and up by 25% on 2011 levels. Output from the tertiary sector was RMB0.48 trillion, accounting for 12% of the total up by 68% compared with output in 2011.


In recent years, the structure of the three main timber sectors has changed and at present the proportion of the three main industrial sectors, primary, secondary and tertiary is 35¡Ã53¡Ã12, this marks a significant change from the situation at the end of 2005 (the 10th Five Year Plan) when the distribution was 52¡Ã41¡Ã7. The proportion of secondary and tertiary industries has steadily increased.


Within the primary sector the output value of economic forest products such as dry and fresh fruit, tea, herbal medicine and food items was RMB775 billion or 56% of the total in the primary sector making it the largest segment.


Amongst the secondary sector outputs the value of timber and bamboo processing and output from manufacturing including sawnwood and wood-based panel was RMB823 billion, which at 39% of the total output from the secondary sector was the largest proportion.


Also, within the secondary sector, the output value of wood and bamboo pulp paper making was RMB475 billion and the output value of wooden and bamboo furniture manufacturing industry was RMB279 billion.


In the tertiary industry, the output value of forestry tourism and leisure services industry was RMB352 billion (73%of the total).

The expansion of new industries in the sector has been rapid with forest tourism and leisure services industry growing by 89%, output of the oil tea industry growing by 58% and wild animal breeding expanding by 39%.


Output of logs and sawnwood
In 2012, the total output of roundwood was 81.74 million cubic metres, being basically the same as in 2011. Industrial log output from national forest was 74.94 million cubic metres. Fuel wood production in 2012 was 6.80 million cubic metres.


The main log producing areas in 2012 were Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Guangdong, Fujian, Shandong, Yunnan, Anhui and Hunan provinces.


The output of sawnwood in 2012 was 55.68 million cubic metres, up by 25% over that in 2011 while the output of woodchips was 29.07 million cubic metres, up 30%year on year.


Output of woodbased panel
In 2012, furniture industries, the construction sector and the builders wood work sector were affected by the forced slowdown of the domestic real estate industry and by weaker export demand.


As a result of these two factors production of woodbased panels slowed in 2012. Total output of woodbased panels was 223.36 million cubic metres, up by 7% in comparison with that of 2011.


The output of plywood in 2012 was 109.81 million cubic metres, (plus 11% year on year) and accounted for 49% of the total output of woodbased panels. The output of fibreboard was 58 million cubic metres (of which 50 mil. was MDF), up by 4% on 2011 and accounted for 26% of the total.


Particleboard production was 23.50 million cubic metres, down 8% on 2011 levels. Output of other wood based panels was 32.50 million cubic metres up by 9% year on year.


Blockboard made up 58% of other woodbased panel output. Other outputs included veneer, 34.92 million cubic metres and decorative boards 192 million square metres.


At the provincial level, the output of wood-based panel exceed 10 million cubic metres in Shandong, Jiangsu, Guangxi, Henan, Anhui and Hebei provinces and autonomous regions.


The total output of wood based panels in these six provinces was 163.93 million cubic metres, making up 73% of China¡¯s total output of wood based panels.


Output of wooden and bamboo flooring
The output of wood and bamboo flooring in 2012 was 604 million square metres, down by 4% on 2011 and the first drop in many years.


Of the total, the output of wooden flooring was 125 million square metres, (21% of the total); the output of composite wood flooring was 371 million square metres, (61% of the total); the output of other wooden flooring and bamboo flooring was 59 million square metres and 49 million square metres respectively.


The largest wood and bamboo flooring producers are Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces whose outputs were 144 million square metres and 119 million square metres respectively.


The national output of rosin products was 1.41 million tonnes in 2012 about the same as in 2011; turpentine output was 187,400 tonnes, up 3% compared to 2011 while camphor output was 11,400 tonnes.


In 2012, the output of bamboo poles was 1.644 billion pieces an increase of 7% from levels in 2011. Of the total, the output of Moso bamboo (a temperate species of giant timber bamboo native to China) was 1.115 billion pieces. The output value of the bamboo industry as a whole reached RMB122.4 billion in 2012.


Domestic prices of forest products
The average price of logs in 2012 was 757 Yuan/cubic metre, the same level as in 2011 and the average price for bamboo was 8 Yuan/piece, a slight increase on 2011.


The average price of sawnwood was 1213 Yuan/ cubic metre, (plus 6% year on year) and the average price for wood chips was 716 Yuan/cubic metre, down 17% on 2011 prices.


The average price for wooden flooring was 158 Yuan/square metre, up by 20% in comparison with 2011 and the average price for plywood was 1868 Yuan/cubic metre, down by 9% on 2011.


The average price for MDF was 1505 Yuan/cubic metre, a drop of 11% year on year but the average price for particleboard was 1103 Yuan/cubic metre, up by 3% on 2011.


China¡¯s Foreign trade in Forest Products
Because of the sharp drop in demand in the EU, US and Japanese markets China¡¯s traditional wood product exports such as wood furniture, plywood and paper fell dramatically in 2012.
The volume of China¡¯s softwood imports also fell sharply in 2012.


While demand weakened in traditional markets demand in emerging markets steadily increased in 2012 and imports by these markets and increased imports by the US on the back of improving economic conditions softened to downward trends in international trade.


A summary analysis from the statistic data of China Customs indicates that the total import and export value of China¡¯s forest products in 2012 was US$118.83 billion, down just 1% year on year.

Of the total trade exports wereUS$57.57 billion, (plus 5.0% year on year) while imports were US$61.26 billion a drop of 6% from 2011 levels.


Import of main wood products
In 2012, the volume of log imports was 37.89 million cubic metres valued at US$7.25 billion, a decline of 10% in volume and 12% in value from 2011. The volume of sawnwood imports in 2012 was 20.67 million cubic metres worth US$5.52 billion, down 4% in volume and 3.5% in value compared with levels in 2011.


The volume of paper and paper board imports were 3.254 million tonnes (down 6% year on year) valued at US$4.6 billion (down 9% year on year).


The volume of paper pulp imports was 16.46 million tons valued at US$11.04 billion, reflecting a 14% decline in volume and 7% decline in value compared to 2011.


Imports of wooden furniture amounted to 6.368 million pieces valued at US$600 million in 2012 up by 15% in terms of number of pieces and up 9% in value compared to 2011.


Export of main forest product
2012 exports of wooden furniture amounted to 290 million pieces (down almost 1% year on year) valued at US$18.33 billion (up by 7% year on year).


China¡¯s exports of paper and paper board totaled 6.065 million tonnes (plus 1%) valued at US$10.98 billion (plus 6%).


The volume of plywood exports was 10.03 million cubic metres valued at US$4.8 billion, increasing by 5% and 10% respectively on 2011 figures.

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Abbreviations

LM        Loyale Merchant, a grade of log parcel  Cu.m         Cubic Metre
QS         Qualite Superieure    Koku         0.278 Cu.m or 120BF
CI          Choix Industriel                                                       FFR            French Franc
CE         Choix Economique                                                        SQ              Sawmill Quality
CS         Choix Supplimentaire      SSQ            Select Sawmill Quality
FOB      Free-on-Board     FAS            Sawnwood Grade First and
KD        Kiln Dry                               Second 
AD        Air Dry        WBP           Water and Boil Proof
Boule    A Log Sawn Through and Through MR              Moisture Resistant
              the boards from one log are bundled                      pc         per piece      
              together                      ea                each      
BB/CC  Grade B faced and Grade C backed MBF           1000 Board Feet          
              Plywood   MDF           Medium Density Fibreboard
BF         Board Foot F.CFA         CFA Franc        
Sq.Ft     Square Foot               Price has moved up or down

Source: ITTO'  Tropical Timber Market Report

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