{"id":88918,"date":"2025-06-04T06:39:41","date_gmt":"2025-06-04T06:39:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tin.happy-projects.ro\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/"},"modified":"2025-09-19T09:04:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T09:04:22","slug":"swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/","title":{"rendered":"Swedish sawmills brace for weak H2 as margins remain thin despite stable demand"},"content":{"rendered":"

Swedish sawmills are preparing for a difficult second half of 2025 as high log prices and subdued global market sentiment weigh on margins, despite stable demand in core European markets and a solid start to the year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Industry sources say the initial optimism that followed stronger-than-expected Q1 earnings and spring price hikes has faded. Sawmills are becoming increasingly cautious, with many pointing to unsustainable log costs and limited room for further price increases.<\/p>\n

\u201cJust when we thought log prices couldn\u2019t go any higher, they climbed again,\u201d one industry executive said. \u201cAnd these cost increases haven\u2019t even fully hit yet, as we\u2019re still working through cheaper inventories.\u201d<\/p>\n

Log prices have risen sharply in recent months, squeezing margins across the industry. Even though demand remains steady in key European markets and Sweden\u2019s domestic building materials sector is holding up, economic momentum is not strong enough to support further price hikes.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Image 1: Sawmills\u2019 EBITDA margin per quarter Image 2: Sawmills\u2019 change in margin and volume in Q1 2025 compared with Q4 2024<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

U.S. lumber futures slumped sharply in April and May, signalling a lack of confidence in North America as well.<\/p>\n

Production cuts emerging<\/strong><\/p>\n

Holmen has been the only company to publicly announce layoffs so far, tied to a planned 90,000 cubic metre reduction in production. However, other producers are also scaling back output, albeit quietly, according to market contacts.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe sentiment has clearly shifted. Everyone is watching costs closely and slowing production, even if it hasn\u2019t been officially announced,\u201d another source said.<\/p>\n

Tariff risks on the horizon<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sawn timber exports from Sweden have so far avoided new U.S. import tariffs introduced in April, as softwood products remain exempt from the general 10% duties. However, concerns are growing over an ongoing U.S. review aimed at boosting domestic lumber self-sufficiency.<\/p>\n

Although additional tariffs have not been imposed on Canada either, existing duties of around 15% remain in place and could rise to 30\u201340% after the summer through automatic adjustments, sources say.<\/p>\n

Still, a weaker dollar and a subdued U.S. housing market are likely to offset any potential benefits for Swedish exporters.<\/p>\n

Thin margins across the board<\/strong><\/p>\n

Despite some improvement in log availability in recent weeks, margins are expected to remain tight. Sawmills in southern Sweden, which face higher procurement costs, are likely to be hit hardest.<\/p>\n

Companies heavily exposed to the U.S. or dollar-linked markets in the Middle East will also feel pressure from the weaker U.S. currency.<\/p>\n

EBITDA margins for leading sawmill operators remained thin in Q1 2025. According to company reports, Holmen posted an 18.7% margin while Stora Enso and S\u00f6dra came in at 6.2% and 3.4%, respectively. Vida and SCA recorded just 2.4%.<\/p>\n

Compared with Q4 2024, S\u00f6dra and Holmen showed the strongest volume growth, but only Holmen posted a meaningful improvement in profitability.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe expect the second half to look much like the first,\u201d said Danske Bank analyst Oskar Lindstr\u00f6m. \u201cThat means very slim margins for most players.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Swedish sawmills are preparing for a difficult second half of 2025 as high log prices and subdued global market sentiment weigh on margins, despite stable demand in core European markets and a solid start to the year. Industry sources say … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":96468,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4716],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-88918","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-trends"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSwedish sawmills brace for weak H2 as margins remain thin despite stable demand - Timber Industry News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"ro_RO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Swedish sawmills brace for weak H2 as margins remain thin despite stable demand - Timber Industry News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Swedish sawmills are preparing for a difficult second half of 2025 as high log prices and subdued global market sentiment weigh on margins, despite stable demand in core European markets and a solid start to the year. Industry sources say … Continue reading →\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Timber Industry News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-06-04T06:39:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-19T09:04:22+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Sweden-39.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1600\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"GWMI Admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Scris de\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"GWMI Admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Timp estimat pentru citire\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"GWMI Admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/135a1ae8119d1d1755135add5b7287ff\"},\"headline\":\"Swedish sawmills brace for weak H2 as margins remain thin despite stable demand\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-04T06:39:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-19T09:04:22+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/\"},\"wordCount\":501,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Sweden-39.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Latest Trends\"],\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/\",\"name\":\"Swedish sawmills brace for weak H2 as margins remain thin despite stable demand - Timber Industry News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Sweden-39.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-06-04T06:39:41+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-19T09:04:22+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Sweden-39.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Sweden-39.jpg\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":1200},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/\",\"name\":\"Timber Industry News\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Timber Industry News\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/logo_color.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/logo_color.svg\",\"width\":150,\"height\":57,\"caption\":\"Timber Industry News\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/135a1ae8119d1d1755135add5b7287ff\",\"name\":\"GWMI Admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7e3f366983e368f37c12ad29c07423641931b311f2561bc3cb4b4eaf6f44c3cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7e3f366983e368f37c12ad29c07423641931b311f2561bc3cb4b4eaf6f44c3cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"GWMI Admin\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Swedish sawmills brace for weak H2 as margins remain thin despite stable demand - Timber Industry News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/","og_locale":"ro_RO","og_type":"article","og_title":"Swedish sawmills brace for weak H2 as margins remain thin despite stable demand - Timber Industry News","og_description":"Swedish sawmills are preparing for a difficult second half of 2025 as high log prices and subdued global market sentiment weigh on margins, despite stable demand in core European markets and a solid start to the year. Industry sources say … Continue reading →","og_url":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/","og_site_name":"Timber Industry News","article_published_time":"2025-06-04T06:39:41+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-19T09:04:22+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1600,"height":1200,"url":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Sweden-39.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"GWMI Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Scris de":"GWMI Admin","Timp estimat pentru citire":"2 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/"},"author":{"name":"GWMI Admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/135a1ae8119d1d1755135add5b7287ff"},"headline":"Swedish sawmills brace for weak H2 as margins remain thin despite stable demand","datePublished":"2025-06-04T06:39:41+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-19T09:04:22+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/"},"wordCount":501,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Sweden-39.jpg","articleSection":["Latest Trends"],"inLanguage":"ro-RO","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/","url":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/","name":"Swedish sawmills brace for weak H2 as margins remain thin despite stable demand - Timber Industry News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Sweden-39.jpg","datePublished":"2025-06-04T06:39:41+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-19T09:04:22+00:00","inLanguage":"ro-RO","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"ro-RO","@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/swedish-sawmills-brace-for-weak-h2-as-margins-remain-thin-despite-stable-demand\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Sweden-39.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/Sweden-39.jpg","width":1600,"height":1200},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/","name":"\u0218tiri din industria lemnului","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"ro-RO"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#organization","name":"\u0218tiri din industria lemnului","url":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"ro-RO","@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/logo_color.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/logo_color.svg","width":150,"height":57,"caption":"Timber Industry News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/135a1ae8119d1d1755135add5b7287ff","name":"GWMI Admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"ro-RO","@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7e3f366983e368f37c12ad29c07423641931b311f2561bc3cb4b4eaf6f44c3cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7e3f366983e368f37c12ad29c07423641931b311f2561bc3cb4b4eaf6f44c3cb?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"GWMI Admin"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88918","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=88918"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/88918\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/96468"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=88918"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=88918"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=88918"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}