Volume and price of Finnish roundwood trade, 9/2024

According to the latest reports by Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), wood prices remained high in September, although in standing sales the prices fell slightly. Top prices were paid in delivery sales, especially for pulpwood.

The volume of roundwood trade in September was higher than usual, exceeding the average for the previous five years by one sixth. The cumulative volume for January-September was 11% higher than last year and almost a fifth higher than in the previous five years.

Timber prices

- In standing sales in September, the average prices for softwood logs fell by just under 1% from August, although the average price of spruce logs remained at EUR 82 and pine logs at EUR 79 per cubic metre. The average price level for the whole of last year was exceeded by around 10% in real terms. The price of birch logs fell by 2% to EUR 65.

- Standing sales prices for pulpwood fell by two to three percent. The average price for spruce was below EUR 34, while birch and pine were around EUR 32. Prices were 23-25% above the average of the whole of last year.

- In delivery sales of pulpwood, prices continued to rise at exceptionally high levels. The average price of spruce was EUR 53 per cubic metre, birch EUR 52 and pine EUR 51. These prices were 11-13% above the level of the whole of last year.

- In the monthly statistics started in 1995, there have never been such high real delivery prices for spruce and birch pulpwood, with pine prices being higher only in July this year.

Average timber prices and their real changes, September 2024


Trade volumes
- Roundwood trade continued in September with higher than usual volumes. The volume of trade was more than half bigger than last year and one sixth above the average for the previous five years.
- The cumulative volume of trade in January-September was 11% higher than last year. The average purchase volumes of the previous five years were exceeded by 18%, the trade in logs by 20% and in pulpwood by 11%.

Background information on the statistics
Unit prices in roundwood trade are recorded in the statistical database at the fair prices valid each time. However, price changes are examined in the texts and graphs in real terms by eliminating the change in value using the cost-of-living index. In September 2024, the annual increase in consumer prices was around one per cent.

The recorded prices are based on prices entered in wood trade agreements between the buyers and sellers. Any other increments and services related to wood trade are not included in the statistics.

Wood trade data for statistics are provided by the largest buyers of wood and forest management associations. As the information is not rounded up to correspond to the total non-industrial private wood trade in Finland, the published wood volumes only represent about 90 per cent of the wood purchased by forest industries from non-industrial private forests.

Source: Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)