Global pulpwood market faces a dramatic price swing as hardwood surpasses softwood rates

Big changes happened in the global wood fiber market in the last 3 years, influenced by world events and how much wood is available.  In 2023, hardwood pulp prices dropped around the world, but there was less hardwood pulp available because of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

This led to a big increase in the prices of hardwood fiber.
The Global Hardwood Fiber Price Index (HFPI) went up by 44% since late 2020, reaching its highest point in over 10 years in Q3 2023.  Places like Brazil, Germany, France, Finland, Sweden, and eastern Canada saw the prices for hardwood pulpwood go up a lot. 

However, prices went down in the US, Spain, and Australia.
China, a big buyer of wood fiber, saw the prices they pay drop by more than 20%, which is different from what happened with hardwood.

On the other hand, in North America and Europe, prices for softwood pulp went down worldwide.
In Q3 2023, the Softwood Fiber Price Index (SFPI) went down by 4.5% from Q2, the biggest drop in a quarter since 2015. But even with this drop, the index has gone up by 4.3% since Q3 2022.