Foreign trade in roundwood and forest industry products, 8/2023 (preliminary)

In August 2023 the exports value of forest industry products totalled EUR 0.96 billion which was in real terms 18% smaller the average monthly export value in 2022. The volume of wood imports ended up at 0.28 million cubic metres.

Wood imports

• Just under half of the wood imported in August was pulpwood and 29% chips. Fuelwood accounted for 12% and by-products wood for 10%. The share of logs remained at 2%.
• Import prices of logs and pulpwood in August were lower in real terms than the previous year's average, except for pine pulpwood (64 EUR/m³, +3% of the previous year's average price) (deflated using wholesale price index: 1949=100). The price of spruce pulpwood was EUR 58 per cubic metre almost a tenth lower than in the previous year. The price of birch pulpwood was only one euro more, almost a fifth lower than in the previous year. The import price of chips was EUR 74 per cubic metre, up 4% on the previous year.

Exports of the forest industries

• The exports value of forest industry products was EUR 8.11 billion in January-August, 13% less in real terms than in the corresponding period of the previous year. One quarter of the export value consisted of products from the wood-products industries and the rest from the pulp and paper industries.
• In August 2023, the export price of sawn goods was EUR 208 per cubic metre, 30% lower in real terms than the average price of the previous year. The price of plywood was EUR 839 per cubic metre, 15% higher in real terms than the average of the previous year.
• The export price of bleached sulphate pulp in August was 27% lower in real terms than the average of the previous year, at EUR 527 per tonne. The export price for fine paper was EUR 1 117 per tonne and for paperboard EUR 922 per tonne. Both export prices were 4% lower in real terms than in the previous year. The export price of magazine paper fell by only 1% in real terms compared to the average of the previous year, to EUR  823 per tonne.