Norwegian timber prices have fallen sharply from last year\u2019s highs, but exports continue to absorb a large share of the country\u2019s harvest. Norway exported a record 1.74 million m\u00b3 of timber in the second quarter of 2026, equivalent to 46% of the total volume harvested during the period.<\/p>\n
Norwegian forest owners received an average NOK 694\/m\u00b3 (around \u20ac63\/m\u00b3) for timber sold in April-June, down 20% year on year from the peak of NOK 871\/m\u00b3 (around \u20ac79\/m\u00b3) reached in Q2 2025.<\/p>\n
Total harvesting reached 3.77 million m\u00b3 during the quarter. This included 3.62 million m\u00b3 of industrial roundwood, 114,000 m\u00b3 for energy chips and 36,500 m\u00b3 classified as rejected timber. Firewood is excluded from the figures.<\/p>\n
Exports nevertheless continued to rise. The 1.74 million m\u00b3 shipped abroad was the highest quarterly volume recorded by Statistics Norway (SSB). Of this, 952,000 m\u00b3 consisted of sawlogs, 751,000 m\u00b3 of pulpwood and 35,000 m\u00b3 of other timber.<\/p>\n
Sawlog prices fall sharply<\/strong><\/p>\n Sawlog prices have moved considerably below the levels seen a year ago.<\/p>\n Norwegian forest owners received an average NOK 901\/m\u00b3 (around \u20ac82\/m\u00b3) for spruce sawlogs in Q2, down 15% year on year. Pine sawlogs averaged NOK 743\/m\u00b3 (around \u20ac68\/m\u00b3), a substantially larger decline of 26%.<\/p>\n Pulpwood recorded an even steeper correction. Spruce pulpwood prices fell 28% to NOK 455\/m\u00b3 (around \u20ac41\/m\u00b3), while pine pulpwood declined 30% to NOK 431\/m\u00b3 (around \u20ac39\/m\u00b3).<\/p>\n The fall follows the exceptionally strong timber market of 2025. Pine sawlogs, for example, reached NOK 1,008\/m\u00b3 in Q2 2025, while spruce sawlogs were still setting new nominal highs as late as the third quarter.<\/p>\n Lower prices have so far done little to restrict timber supply. Q2 industrial harvesting was the highest recorded for any quarter in the SSB series, while exports simultaneously reached a new record.<\/p>\n Almost half of the Q2 harvest went abroad<\/strong><\/p>\n The export figures underline how important foreign mills have become for the Norwegian timber market.<\/p>\n Norway exported 5.4 million m\u00b3 in 2025, alongside a record harvest of 12.8 million m\u00b3 of industrial timber for sale. Slightly more than half of those exports consisted of sawlogs.<\/p>\n The trend follows a long-term change in Norway\u2019s wood-processing sector. Domestic timber consumption fell as major pulp and paper capacity disappeared, while harvesting gradually increased. Norway, once a net timber importer, has consequently developed into a major raw-material supplier to neighbouring forest industries.<\/p>\n The transition accelerated after 2012. SSB notes that Norway was still a net timber importer until that year; by 2021, net exports had already reached 3.5 million m\u00b3.<\/p>\n Sweden takes most Norwegian timber<\/strong><\/p>\n Sweden is by far the largest destination for Norwegian timber exports. In 2025, around 83% of exports went to Sweden, followed by Germany with 10% and Latvia with 3%. Norway exported timber to 20 countries during the year, but volumes to markets outside the three largest destinations were comparatively small.<\/p>\n The product mix differs between markets. Sweden absorbs most of Norway\u2019s exported pulpwood, while Germany and Latvia are more heavily oriented towards Norwegian sawlogs.<\/p>\n With total Norwegian timber exports of 5.4 million m\u00b3 in 2025, Sweden's 83% share corresponds to roughly 4.5 million m\u00b3.<\/p>\n Sawlogs have also become a major part of the trade rather than exports being primarily an outlet for surplus pulpwood. The Q2 2026 figures show 952,000 m\u00b3 of sawlogs exported in only three months, accounting for more than half of total timber exports during the quarter.<\/p>\n The scale of cross-border trade increasingly links Norwegian sawlog prices with demand from Swedish and other European mills. Norwegian forest owners have access to buyers beyond the domestic processing sector, while mills in Sweden can draw on substantial additional timber volumes from across the border.<\/p>\n Despite the sharp price correction from 2025, that trade has continued to expand. Norway harvested 3.77 million m\u00b3 in Q2 and exported 1.74 million m\u00b3 \u2014 the equivalent of 46% of the entire quarterly harvest.<\/p>\n Norwegian timber prices have fallen sharply from last year\u2019s highs, but exports continue to absorb a large share of the country\u2019s harvest. Norway exported a record 1.74 million m\u00b3 of timber in the second quarter of 2026, equivalent to 46% … Continue reading \n\n
\n \nIndicator<\/th>\n Q2 2026 \/ latest<\/th>\n Change \/ comparison<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Average timber price<\/strong><\/td>\n NOK 694\/m\u00b3 (\u20ac63\/m\u00b3)<\/strong><\/td>\n Down from NOK 871\/m\u00b3 (\u20ac79\/m\u00b3) peak in 2025<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Spruce sawlogs<\/strong><\/td>\n NOK 901\/m\u00b3 (\u20ac82\/m\u00b3)<\/td>\n -15% y\/y<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Pine sawlogs<\/strong><\/td>\n NOK 743\/m\u00b3 (\u20ac68\/m\u00b3)<\/td>\n -26% y\/y<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Spruce pulpwood<\/strong><\/td>\n NOK 455\/m\u00b3 (\u20ac41\/m\u00b3)<\/td>\n -28% y\/y<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Pine pulpwood<\/strong><\/td>\n NOK 431\/m\u00b3 (\u20ac39\/m\u00b3)<\/td>\n -30% y\/y<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Timber harvested<\/strong><\/td>\n 3.77 million m\u00b3<\/strong><\/td>\n Q2 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Timber exports<\/strong><\/td>\n 1.74 million m\u00b3<\/strong><\/td>\n 46% of Q2 harvest<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Sawlog exports<\/strong><\/td>\n 952,000 m\u00b3<\/td>\n Q2 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Pulpwood exports<\/strong><\/td>\n 751,000 m\u00b3<\/td>\n Q2 2026<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Main export market<\/strong><\/td>\n Sweden \u2013 83%<\/strong><\/td>\n Germany 10% | Latvia 3%<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"