Update on China softwood log inventories

Update on China softwood log inventories

Friday 24 May 2024

China’s Softwood Log Inventories at Ocean Ports – FEA industry sources in China report that softwood log inventories at the country’s main ocean ports totalled 3.93 million m³ on 27 April 27 2024, down 2.3% (-93,000 m³) from late March, as follows:

Radiata pine log inventory volumes from New Zealand and South America amounted to 3.16 million m³, up 2% from the month before and comprising nearly 80% of overall log inventories (versus 77% in late March).
North American Douglas-fir and hemlock log volumes totalled 440,000 m³, a decline of 16% from the month before and accounting for 11% of overall log inventories (versus nearly 13% in late March).
European spruce log volumes amounted to 194,000 m³, down 26% from a month earlier and comprising only 3.5% of overall log inventories.
Softwood log inventories from other countries (Japanese sugi, European red pine, etc.) totalled 139,000 m³ (-6.7%).

Not surprisingly, radiata pine logs continued to dominate as a proportion of the overall inventory, with a reduced share for North American hemlock and European spruce logs due to lower arrivals of those two species. Additionally, wholesale market prices at Taicang and Lanshan experienced a decrease of RMB 10/m³ for radiata pine, while growth of RMB 10-60/m³ was recorded for hemlock and European spruce logs in late April versus late March. Meanwhile, average daily sales were recorded at 72,500 m³ for the month, down slightly from 70,000 m³ in April 2023.

For more information on FEA’s China Bulletin where this data is reported monthly, please visit the FEA China Bulletin website, or contact Matt Robertson at mrobertson@getfea.com.

Source: Forest Economic Advisors (FEA)

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