Foreign trade in roundwood and forest industry products, 5/2023 (preliminary)

In May 2023 the exports value of forest industry products totalled EUR 1.09 billion which was in real terms 7% smaller the average monthly export value in 2022. Wood imports was 5% higher than the average from the previous year, 0.48 million cubic metres.

Wood imports

• Of imported wood in May 62% was pulpwood and 23% chips. The share of logs was 1% and fuelwood a tenth. The remaining 5% consisted of by-products wood.
• The import prices of pine and spruce pulpwood were around EUR 70 per cubic metre in May and increased slightly from previous month in real terms (deflated using wholesale price index, 1949=100). The price of birch pulpwood remained in EUR 77 per cubic metre. The import price of chips decreased from previous month almost by a tenth to EUR 78 per cubic metre but increased still a fair tenth from the previous year's average price.
• In January-April wood imports totalled 2.54 million cubic meters. Of imported wood 35% originated from Estonia. The share of Latvia was 31% and Sweden 24%.

Exports of the forest industries

• In January-May the exports value of forest industry products totalled EUR 5.30 billion. Of the exports value the share of paperboard was 26%, pulp less than a quarter and paper 21%. The share of sawn goods was 15% and plywood 5%.
• The export price of sawn goods in May was EUR 242 per cubic metre. The price continued to rise slightly from the beginning of the year but was 18% lower in real terms than the average price of the previous year. The export price of plywood was EUR 766 per cubic metre in May and increased from previous year average monthly price 5%.
• In May, the export price for bleached sulphate pulp was EUR 641 per tonne. In real terms the price decreased by a fifth from the peak price of the previous year, in November 2022, when a tonne of bleached sulphate pulp cost EUR 802. The export price of paperboard was EUR 956 per tonne and remained at the same level as the average prices of the previous year.