Average price for imported softwood lumber in China in April was $180 per m3, a decline of 6.1% since January 2019 and 11.8% down compared to April 2018, according to China Customs data. In April 2019 the average price for softwood lumber supplied from Russia was down 9.0% y-o-y to $170 per m3 and that from Canada decreased 13.2% to $184 per m3.

From January through April, softwood lumber exports to China from Russia increased 23.2% y-o-y to 5.4 million m3 with export value expanded 11.7% to $921.0 million, and those from Canada soared 56.4% to 1.8 million m3 with export value jumped 42.7% to $350.8 million. The Russia’s share in Chinese softwood lumber imports in the first four months of 2019 gained 1.56 pp to 60.4% while that of Canada’s increased 4.81 pp to 20.6%.

Exports from Finland and Sweden in January-April dropped 26.0% and 35.9% with volumes of 381.3 thousand m3 and 196.7 thousand m3, respectively. The average price for softwood lumber supplied from Finland in China was $225 per m3 in April, and that from Sweden was $222 per m3.

Lumber exports from Ukraine to China increased significantly in the first four months. Exports volume soared 177.3% to 248.4 thousand m3 with average price of $184 per m3.