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Report from
North America
US hardwood plywood imports fell in 2018
The volume of US imports of hardwood plywood declined
by 5% in December, ending 2018 with a total volume for
the year of 2.66 million cubic metres, down 10% from
2017.
December was the strongest month of the year for imports
from China, up 62% from November. But the figures are
still well below last December’s as the volume of Chinese
hardwood plywood coming to the US. ended the year
down more than 70%.
Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Cambodia all showed
gains of more than 50% in 2018, replacing market share
previously held by China. Despite the decline in the
volume of imports, the value of hardwood plywood
imports for 2018 ended at US$1.9 billion, which was up
10% from 2017.
Sawn tropical hardwood imports fell in 2018
US imports of sawn tropical hardwood ended 2018
relatively flat. The total volume of imports in 2018 was
down 9% from the previous year.
Imports of balsa, mahogany, virola, and acajou d’Afrique
all fell by more than 20% in 2018. On the other hand,
imports of Jatoba nearly doubled in 2018 while Keruing
imports rose by over 30%.
Among the top US trading partners, imports from Ecuador
fell 23%, imports from Cameroon were down 20% and
imports from Brazil dropped 5% in 2018. In contrast,
imports from Malaysia rose by 40% in 2018.
Imports of sawn tropical hardwood from Canadian
followed the downward trend, falling 13% in 2018.
Imports of sapelli were down 34%; virola, imbuia and
balsa imports were down 26% and iroko imports fell 50%.
December imports of sawn tropical hardwood dropped
22% year on year. For the year, 2018 imports from Canada
closed at a total of US$17.3 million for the year.
Strong December for tropical veneer imports
US imports of tropical hardwood veneer grew by 39% in
December, ending a string of monthly declines and this
lifted 2018 imports well above those in 2017.
Imports of tropical veneers in 2018 expanded 26% over
the previous year, with Italy, China, and India showing the
greatest increases. Imports from key African countries
(Ghana, Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire) all fell in 2018.
 
Flooring imports strong in 2018
While flat in December, US imports of hardwood flooring
ended 2018 up 44% at a value of US$74.7 million.
Imports from China (up 71%), Malaysia (up 79%) and
Brazil (up 50%), all contributed to the rise. Imports from
Indonesia fell by 20% for the year.
Imports of assembled flooring were up by 4% in
December and grew by 11% in 2018. China and Indonesia
saw the greatest gains while imports from Brazil fell by
71% for the year.
Moulding imports rise in December
Despite a sharp rise in December, US imports of
hardwood mouldings ended the year down from
2017.Moulding imports atUS$177 million in 2018 were
down 4% from the previous year.
A more than 20% drop in imports from Canada
contributed to the loss. Imports from Malaysia rebounded
from a weak November to end the year ahead of 2017
totals by 8%. Imports from China ended the year up by
6%.
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