{"id":89099,"date":"2025-07-24T03:23:49","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T03:23:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tin.happy-projects.ro\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/"},"modified":"2025-09-19T09:04:41","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T09:04:41","slug":"the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/","title":{"rendered":"The BC lumber dilemma: balancing US tariffs with limited global markets"},"content":{"rendered":"

Since the Trump tariffs on Canadian lumber were postponed for the second time in early April, conditions in the US market have remained weak. <\/span>Between early March and early May, prices for W-SPF 2\u00d74 #2&Better random lengths (FOB bc mill) fell nearly 25%, from US$570\/Mbf ($368\/m\u00b3) down to US$437\/Mbf ($282\/m\u00b3). Prices reversed course in early June and steadily increased to US$500\/Mbf by mid-July, a 14% rise. Similarly, E-SPF 2\u00d74 delivered to the Great Lakes saw a 14% decline from US$640\/Mbf ($413\/m\u00b3) in March to US$545\/Mbf ($353\/m\u00b3) in late May, followed by a 12% increase to US$610\/Mbf in early July.<\/p>\n

The recent price increase in Canadian lumber is most likely linked to the upcoming duty hike scheduled for early August and to a 6.8% drop in Canada\u2019s lumber production during the first four months of 2025.<\/p>\n

In contrast, Southern Yellow Pine (SYP) lumber prices in the US have fallen sharply. SYP-West 2\u00d74 #2&Better random lengths (FOB mill) dropped 27% from US$467\/Mbf ($302\/m\u00b3) in early May to US$342\/Mbf ($221\/m\u00b3) in early July. Prices only started to recover in mid-July as the oversupply began to balance out.<\/p>\n

At the start of 2025, SPF lumber prices in the US rose due to the possibility of a 25% tariff on Canadian lumber, rather than stronger market demand. By early May, lower prices pushed BC Interior SPF mills close to breakeven on an EBITDA basis, assuming the current 14.4% duties. Other Canadian regions appeared only marginally profitable. Quebec mills have already implemented curtailments, including Arbec Forest Products (~800 million board feet capacity), which announced an indefinite shutdown due to weak conditions. Some BC mills have also reduced output.<\/p>\n

With tariffs temporarily suspended, US market fundamentals were revealed: demand remains weak, supply is too high, and high interest rates continue to pressure the market. These factors are expected to keep the US market weak through 2025.<\/p>\n

Canadian lumber will face higher US import duties in August, rising from 14.4% to near 34.5%, though this increase could be phased in through September. This will likely keep Canadian lumber prices elevated in the US, requiring at least a 10% price increase to maintain supply competitiveness. Any tariffs on Canada or other countries will push prices even higher to attract enough imports. If prices don\u2019t rise sufficiently due to tariffs, expect more curtailments in BC and other parts of Canada.<\/p>\n

It remains uncertain if or when tariffs from the Section 232 investigation will be applied to timber, wood products, and derivatives, or what rates will apply by country. If implemented, such tariffs would disrupt the Canadian lumber industry by raising costs and forcing US lumber prices up. How much of these costs will be passed on to consumers is unknown.<\/p>\n

Despite political noise, the US remains the main market for Canadian lumber. In 2024:<\/strong><\/p>\n

-The US accounted for 67% of BC lumber shipments and 59% of all Canadian shipments.<\/p>\n

-The US represented 77% of BC lumber exports and 90% of all Canadian lumber exports.<\/p>\n

-87% of BC lumber production was exported, with 13% staying within Canada.<\/p>\n

Outside the US, other export markets are relatively small and face significant challenges. China and Japan represent 9.4% and 6.7% of BC shipments, respectively. Both face headwinds such as aging populations, slow housing demand, and rising competition from other exporters. Other markets, including Taiwan (2.2%), other Asian countries (1.6%), and the European Union (1.1%), combined account for less than 7% of BC exports.<\/p>\n

Since 2018, BC lumber production has dropped 48%. Shipments to the US have fallen 32% (2.1 billion board feet), while offshore exports have declined by 66% (2.35 billion board feet). High log costs have led BC mills to concentrate on the US market, where they remain more competitive, and reduce shipments to offshore markets.<\/p>\n

The idea of diversifying BC and Canadian lumber markets is often mentioned but is difficult to achieve. Canada Wood has significantly scaled back its overseas offices because of limited market potential. Expanding into offshore markets is especially difficult for BC Interior SPF mills.<\/p>\n

One of the main barriers is product sizing. North America uses imperial sizes for lumber thickness, width, and length\u2014especially for planed 2\u00d74 to 2\u00d712 boards. Only a few other countries (Australia, New Zealand, the UK) use imperial sizes, but not North American dimensions. Japan and China do import BC lumber in imperial sizes, but volumes have declined over the past decade.<\/p>\n

Most other countries produce and trade lumber in metric sizes, typically rough sawn, and usually single-species rather than mixed species like SPF. Their sawmills use different processes, including expensive log merchandisers that pre-sort logs by diameter, length, and grade. This enables those mills to target specific markets and create value-added lumber with minimal lower-grade output.<\/p>\n

European sawmills, for example, can supply lumber to markets that Canadian SPF mills cannot effectively serve. BC Interior mills are mostly limited to offshore markets compatible with imperial lumber sizes. While some Interior mills can produce metric lumber, the majority cannot.<\/p>\n

BC Coast mills have traditionally produced metric lumber and served more diverse markets. However, they have become less competitive and reduced both production and offshore market presence.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Since the Trump tariffs on Canadian lumber were postponed for the second time in early April, conditions in the US market have remained weak. Between early March and early May, prices for W-SPF 2\u00d74 #2&Better random lengths (FOB bc mill) … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":50460,"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-89099","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-trends"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThe BC lumber dilemma: balancing US tariffs with limited global markets - 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\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"ro_RO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The BC lumber dilemma: balancing US tariffs with limited global markets - Timber Industry News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Since the Trump tariffs on Canadian lumber were postponed for the second time in early April, conditions in the US market have remained weak. Between early March and early May, prices for W-SPF 2\u00d74 #2&Better random lengths (FOB bc mill) … Continue reading →\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Timber Industry News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-24T03:23:49+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-19T09:04:41+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/lumber-41.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"950\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"535\" \/>\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=\"4 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"GWMI Admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/135a1ae8119d1d1755135add5b7287ff\"},\"headline\":\"The BC lumber dilemma: balancing US tariffs with limited global markets\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-24T03:23:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-19T09:04:41+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/\"},\"wordCount\":835,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/lumber-41.jpeg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Latest Trends\"],\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/\",\"name\":\"The BC lumber dilemma: balancing US tariffs with limited global markets - Timber Industry News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/lumber-41.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-24T03:23:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-19T09:04:41+00:00\",\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"ro-RO\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/lumber-41.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/lumber-41.jpeg\",\"width\":950,\"height\":535},{\"@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":"The BC lumber dilemma: balancing US tariffs with limited global markets - 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\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/","og_locale":"ro_RO","og_type":"article","og_title":"The BC lumber dilemma: balancing US tariffs with limited global markets - Timber Industry News","og_description":"Since the Trump tariffs on Canadian lumber were postponed for the second time in early April, conditions in the US market have remained weak. Between early March and early May, prices for W-SPF 2\u00d74 #2&Better random lengths (FOB bc mill) … Continue reading →","og_url":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/","og_site_name":"Timber Industry News","article_published_time":"2025-07-24T03:23:49+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-19T09:04:41+00:00","og_image":[{"width":950,"height":535,"url":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/lumber-41.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"GWMI Admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Scris de":"GWMI Admin","Timp estimat pentru citire":"4 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/"},"author":{"name":"GWMI Admin","@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/135a1ae8119d1d1755135add5b7287ff"},"headline":"The BC lumber dilemma: balancing US tariffs with limited global markets","datePublished":"2025-07-24T03:23:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-19T09:04:41+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/"},"wordCount":835,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/lumber-41.jpeg","articleSection":["Latest Trends"],"inLanguage":"ro-RO","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/","url":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/","name":"The BC lumber dilemma: balancing US tariffs with limited global markets - Timber Industry News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/lumber-41.jpeg","datePublished":"2025-07-24T03:23:49+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-19T09:04:41+00:00","inLanguage":"ro-RO","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"ro-RO","@id":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/the-bc-lumber-dilemma-balancing-us-tariffs-with-limited-global-markets\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/lumber-41.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/lumber-41.jpeg","width":950,"height":535},{"@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\/89099","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=89099"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/89099\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50460"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=89099"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=89099"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.timberindustrynews.com\/ro\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=89099"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}