Pine is moving further into Sweden\u2019s structural timber market as sawmills and builders respond to a changing raw material balance that is making spruce less dominant than it once was.<\/p>\n
For decades, spruce has been the standard choice for structural timber in Sweden. But producers increasingly argue that the preference has been driven more by tradition than by technical necessity, particularly as pine availability rises and spruce supply becomes more constrained.<\/p>\n
Norra Timber says the key factor in structural applications is the strength class rather than the tree species itself.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is the strength class that determines what the wood can withstand, not the type of wood itself. Properly sorted and classified pine works just as well as spruce in structures,\u201d said Erik H\u00f6gbom, sales manager for construction products at Norra Timber.<\/p>\n
According to H\u00f6gbom, spruce became dominant largely because it became the market norm over time rather than because it held a decisive technical advantage.<\/p>\n
\u201cSpruce has become the norm more out of habit than for technical reasons. By also using pine, the construction industry has more equivalent alternatives and a wider range,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Norra Timber says interest in pine construction products has increased as builders look for greater flexibility in procurement and project planning.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are seeing increased interest in pine joists. Many appreciate the opportunity to choose between several equivalent alternatives and thereby strengthen both delivery reliability and competitiveness in their projects,\u201d H\u00f6gbom said.<\/p>\n
The shift comes as Sweden\u2019s softwood supply mix changes. Spruce availability has declined in recent years following bark beetle damage, storms and harvesting patterns that increasingly favour pine. At the same time, weak construction activity across Europe has left sawmills with growing volumes of pine that the market has not fully absorbed.<\/p>\n
Industry data cited earlier this year by Swedish construction media showed that deliveries of wood raw materials had fallen to their lowest level in 25 years, while pine accounted for a growing share of available timber. Production of wood products fell by 14% in the first two months of 2026 compared with a year earlier, according to Skogsindustrierna.<\/p>\n
That imbalance is now pushing producers to widen the role of pine in construction timber.<\/p>\n
Norra Timber argues that broader use of pine could also improve the long-term efficiency of forest resource utilisation.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen both pine and spruce are allowed to take place in structures, we use the forest more efficiently and strengthen the supply of structural timber over time,\u201d H\u00f6gbom said.<\/p>\n
The company also says technological improvements in drying, sorting and grading have changed how pine can be used structurally.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot has happened in the last decade. With today\u2019s production and quality controls, we get a stable product in pine logs \u2014 then pine works in a similar way to spruce,\u201d H\u00f6gbom said.<\/p>\n
Setra says the declining availability of spruce is also opening the door to pine in applications where it was previously used less often.<\/p>\n
\u201cSpruce and pine have in practice been treated differently in Swedish construction, even though from a structural point of view they are included in the same standardized strength classes,\u201d the company said. (setragroup.com)<\/p>\n
According to Setra, laboratory tests show that pine generally performs slightly better than spruce in terms of strength, stiffness and density, making it suitable for load-bearing structures and in some cases the stronger option.<\/p>\n
The main difference between the species lies in moisture behaviour rather than structural performance. Pine absorbs moisture more easily than spruce and is therefore considered less suitable for highly exposed applications such as fa\u00e7ades, eaves or piers where weather exposure is severe. Pine can also develop blue stain, a surface discoloration caused by microorganisms, although this does not affect structural strength.<\/p>\n
In standardized strength classes such as C24, however, both pine and spruce are treated as structurally equivalent. Producers say spruce became dominant largely because it became the established market norm.<\/p>\n
Internationally, the picture is more mixed. Setra notes that pine glulam has long been used in Japan, while pine is also commonly used alongside other domestic species such as larch in Germany and Italy. In those markets, availability of raw material often matters more than long-standing species preferences.<\/p>\n
As conditions change in Sweden, sawmills are adjusting their product ranges accordingly. Setra has introduced standard glued beams in pine as well as CLT panels with pine intermediate layers, presenting them as direct alternatives to spruce-based products adapted to a changing raw material supply.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe right material in the right place still applies, but the right place for pine is now significantly more numerous than before,\u201d said Daniel Wilded of Setra.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":98813,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5204],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98812","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-daily-news"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n