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Austria Timber Market Report
December 2024 - LK Report |
 Rising demand for round sawn timber The Austrian economy remains in recession. Value added in the construction sector and in industry continued to decline, albeit at a somewhat slower rate. Softwood sawn timber Despite weakening sales markets for sawn softwood and a continued decline in building permits, demand for sawn softwood has increased. The sawmill industry is generally receptive to the current supply. Quantities made available are being transported quickly, provided there are no weather-related restrictions. In regions with existing calamity timber, prices are stable; outside of these regions, prices have increased slightly and are between EUR 95 and EUR 115 for spruce A/C 2b+ throughout Austria. Pine can be sold at stable prices. Demand for larch remains brisk due to the lack of supply of Siberian larch. An average price of EUR 264 per FMO was achieved at the coniferous timber auction held in Upper Austria. The highest bid was for a spruce at 692 euros per FMO. The low level of construction activity is also slowly becoming noticeable on the hardwood sawlog market. In the case of oak and ash, the good qualities are still in particularly high demand, while C qualities are falling behind somewhat. Round timber prices for light-coloured hardwoods such as cherry and maple are falling due to the lower order situation in interior construction. Industrial wood The locations of the paper, pulp and board industry are usually very well stocked with coniferous industrial timber. Supply and demand are balanced, even if there is a regional increase in supply due to calamity. Removal and acceptance are taking place continuously. Prices are unchanged from the previous month. Demand for copper beech fibrewood is also stable, and ash fibrewood can also be sold. Energy wood The situation on the energy wood market is still not easing. Buyers have sufficient stocks. The marketing of non-contractual quantities remains difficult. The supply of high-quality firewood currently exceeds demand. All prices quoted refer to business transactions in the period November - early December 2024 and are net prices to which VAT is to be added. The following tax rates apply to timber sales to entrepreneurs: 13% for all product ranges in the case of flat-rate VAT, 13% for energy wood/firewood and 20% for round timber in the case of standard taxation. Source: lko.at |
