Europe\u2019s roundwood market is moving out of the strong upward price cycle that shaped much of 2025. The shift is not uniform, and it is not a collapse. But the tone has changed. From the Nordics to Central Europe, industrial buyers are better supplied, sawmills are more cautious, and the ability to push log prices higher is weakening.<\/p>\n
The clearest correction is visible in Northern Europe. Norway and Sweden are already showing softer price signals, while Germany and Austria appear to be moving from tight supply into a more balanced market. Finland and Estonia still show support for prime sawlogs, but even there the picture is not one of broad strength.<\/p>\n
The market has moved from general price inflation to selective pricing. Spruce still holds where supply is tight. Pine is under more pressure in several regions. Larch remains firm in Austria. Oak is more resilient than beech. Pulpwood is weaker in many markets, but the main story is now sawlog pricing and sawmill demand.<\/p>\n
Comparative sawlog price signals in Europe<\/strong><\/p>\n Northern Europe: the correction is visible<\/strong><\/p>\n Norway gives one of the clearest signs that the market has turned. Harvesting remained high in the first quarter of 2026, reaching 3.76 million m\u00b3<\/strong>, slightly above the same period last year. Prices moved in the opposite direction.<\/p>\n Between December 2025 and March 2026, spruce sawlog prices fell by 7.3%<\/strong> to NOK 915\/m\u00b3<\/strong>, or around \u20ac79\/m\u00b3<\/strong>. Pine sawlogs dropped by 10.9%<\/strong> to NOK 764\/m\u00b3<\/strong>, around \u20ac66\/m\u00b3<\/strong>.<\/p>\n This combination \u2014 high harvest volumes and falling prices \u2014 points to a market where supply is no longer the main constraint. The limiting factor is now the ability of sawmills to absorb raw material at last year\u2019s price levels.<\/p>\n Sweden is also cooling. First-quarter 2026 data show pine sawlogs averaging around \u20ac91\/m\u00b3<\/strong>, while spruce sawlogs remained stronger at around \u20ac113\/m\u00b3<\/strong>. Spruce continues to command the highest prices, but the broader price environment has softened after the exceptionally strong levels seen in 2025.<\/p>\n For Swedish sawmills, lower log costs may eventually help margins, but the benefit is delayed. Many producers are still processing raw material bought earlier at higher prices. That means price relief in the forest does not immediately translate into better sawmill profitability.<\/p>\n Finland looks firmer at first glance. In March, standing sales prices increased: spruce logs reached \u20ac80.13\/m\u00b3<\/strong>, pine logs \u20ac74.67\/m\u00b3<\/strong>, and birch logs \u20ac61.04\/m\u00b3<\/strong>. But the volume data are weak. Industrial roundwood purchases from private forests in March were 19% lower than a year earlier<\/strong> and 21% below the five-year average<\/strong>. For January\u2013March, cumulative trade was 22% below<\/strong> the previous year.<\/p>\n That makes Finland a mixed signal rather than a strong one. Prices rose, but on thin trade. Forest-owner selling behaviour and supply availability are still shaping the market more than a clear industrial demand recovery.<\/p>\n Central Europe: spruce still expensive, but the pressure is easing<\/strong><\/p>\n Germany remains a high-price market for spruce, but the direction is changing. The rise in log prices appears to be slowing, with early May reports pointing to softer prices for both spruce and pine.<\/p>\n Spruce sawlogs are still quoted around \u20ac123\u2013133\/m\u00b3<\/strong>, but more transactions are being concluded near the lower end of that range. In some regions, indications below \u20ac125\/m\u00b3<\/strong> are already being reported.<\/p>\n Pine is weaker. Many transactions are reported around \u20ac95\u2013110\/m\u00b3<\/strong>, with lower-quality assortments closer to \u20ac90\/m\u00b3<\/strong>. Pine has benefited as a substitute where spruce is scarce or too expensive, but it is also more exposed when sawmills become better supplied.<\/p>\n The reason is straightforward: mills are more comfortable with inventories than they were earlier in the year. In some areas, harvested wood is staying longer at roadside before collection. Lumber sales are steady at best, and that limits the willingness of mills to accept higher log prices.<\/p>\n Austria is sending a similar signal. Sawmills are well stocked, softwood sawlog demand remains subdued, and forest stock levels are rising. Spruce\/fir B\/C assortments remain high, generally between \u20ac120 and \u20ac140\/m\u00b3<\/strong> depending on region, but recent contract reductions are beginning to show through. Pine is weaker, mostly between \u20ac80 and \u20ac98\/m\u00b3<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Larch remains the exception. Demand is still stronger than supply, with prices often between \u20ac140 and \u20ac180\/m\u00b3<\/strong>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":98774,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5204,4714],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news","category-wood-industry-prices"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n
\n \nCountry<\/th>\n Latest market signal<\/th>\n Key sawlog prices<\/th>\n Trend<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Norway<\/strong><\/td>\n High harvesting, sharp correction from 2025 record levels<\/td>\n Spruce sawlogs: NOK 915\/m\u00b3<\/strong> (~\u20ac79\/m\u00b3)
\nPine sawlogs: NOK 764\/m\u00b3<\/strong> (~\u20ac66\/m\u00b3)<\/td>\nDown<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Sweden<\/strong><\/td>\n Spruce still stronger than pine, but the peak has passed<\/td>\n Pine sawlogs: ~\u20ac91\/m\u00b3<\/strong>
\nSpruce sawlogs: ~\u20ac113\/m\u00b3<\/strong><\/td>\nMixed \/ softer<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Finlanda<\/strong><\/td>\n March prices increased, but trade volumes remain weak<\/td>\n Pine logs: \u20ac74.67\/m\u00b3<\/strong>
\nSpruce logs: \u20ac80.13\/m\u00b3<\/strong>
\nBirch logs: \u20ac61.04\/m\u00b3<\/strong><\/td>\nMixed<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Germania<\/strong><\/td>\n Spruce remains expensive, but May signals point softer<\/td>\n Spruce sawlogs: \u20ac123\u2013133\/m\u00b3<\/strong>
\nPine sawlogs: \u20ac95\u2013110\/m\u00b3<\/strong><\/td>\nStabilising \/ down<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Austria<\/strong><\/td>\n Sawmills well stocked; softwood demand subdued<\/td>\n Spruce\/fir B\/C: mostly \u20ac120\u2013140\/m\u00b3<\/strong>
\nPine: \u20ac80\u201398\/m\u00b3<\/strong>
\nLarch: \u20ac140\u2013180\/m\u00b3<\/strong><\/td>\nStable \/ softer<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Estonia<\/strong><\/td>\n Prime softwood sawlogs remain firm<\/td>\n Pine logs: \u20ac106.57\/m\u00b3<\/strong>
\nSpruce logs: \u20ac109.74\/m\u00b3<\/strong>
\nBirch veneer logs: \u20ac152.85\/m\u00b3<\/strong><\/td>\nFirm for sawlogs<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n