Volumes and prices in roundwood trade, 5/2024

Data corrected 30.8.2024.

Read more on the page Changes and corrections in the statistics.

Wood trade volumes and prices reached exceptionally high levels in May. The volume of roundwood trade was in the same order of magnitude as last year and among the highest recorded in May*. However, the cumulative volume of trade at the beginning of the year was down 7%* year-on-year.

Average prices for all roundwood assortments increased compared to April. Real prices for pine and birch pulpwood were the highest ever recorded in the monthly statistics, which began in 1995.

Timber prices

In standing sales in May, the average price paid for spruce logs was EUR 82* per cubic metre. This was 5% more than in April. The price of pine logs rose by six percent to almost EUR 79*. These prices exceeded the average prices for the whole of last year in real terms by around 10%. The average standing sales price of birch logs continued to rise to EUR 67.
Prices for all logs have risen to exceptionally high levels. The last time such high standing sales prices were recorded was in 2007-2008.
In standing sales of pulpwood, the average price rose to almost EUR 33 for spruce, almost EUR 32 for birch and EUR 31 for pine. Prices rose by 6-8% from April and ended up 19-22% above last year's average prices. Since the monthly statistics started in 1995, never before have real prices for pine and birch pulpwood been so high, and the last time spruce prices were so high was in 2007.
In delivery sales, the average price of pine pulpwood rose to EUR 49, and that of spruce and birch to around EUR 50. Such high prices for pine and birch have never been recorded in the monthly statistics, and the price for spruce was at the same level in 2008.

Average timber prices and their real changes, May 2024

	May 2024	Compared to the previous month	Compared to the previous year as a whole
	€/m³	%	%
Standing sales
Pine logs	78,51*	6	10
Spruce logs	81,96*	5	9
Birch logs	67,02*	5	15
Pine pulpwood	30,88*	7	22
Spruce pulpwood	32,92*	6	19
Birch pulpwood	31,88*	8	22
Delivery sales
Pine pulpwood	48,97	4	8
Spruce pulpwood	50,12	3	6
Birch pulpwood	49,86	3	6

Trade volumes

The volume of timber trade in May was among the highest ever recorded in May. The volume was in the same order of magnitude* as last year, and about half more than the average for the previous five years.
In January-May, the cumulative volume of timber trade was six per cent lower than last year. However, the average purchase volumes for the previous five years were exceeded by 17%, with log trade up 22% and trade in pulpwood up 10%*.

*Information corrected 30.8.2024.

Background information on the statistics

Unit prices in roundwood trade are recorded in the statistical database at the fair prices valid each time. However, price changes are examined in the texts and graphs in real terms by eliminating the change in value using the cost-of-living index. In May 2024, the annual increase in consumer prices was around one per cent.

The recorded prices are based on prices entered in wood trade agreements between the buyers and sellers. Any other increments and services related to wood trade are not included in the statistics.

Wood trade data for statistics are provided by the largest buyers of wood and forest management associations. As the information is not rounded up to correspond to the total non-industrial private wood trade in Finland, the published wood volumes only represent about 90 per cent of the wood purchased by forest industries from non-industrial private forests.