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Report from
North America
Hardwood plywood imports at highest in more than a
year
US imports of hardwood plywood rose 13% in February
with the volume at its highest in more than a year. At
266,976 cubic metres, hardwood plywood imports were a
healthy 36% above February 2024 totals.
The rise was fueled by a 20% gains in imports from
Indonesia for the month. Imports from Indonesia were
41% better than last year in the first two months of the
year. Imports from most other key trading partner
countries are behind last year’s pace in volume while total
imports are up 4% over 2024 for the year so far.
Imports of sawn tropical hardwood flat
US imports of sawn tropical hardwood showed little
movement in February, rising 1% from the previous
month. At 13,987 cubic metres the volume was 14% lower
than in February of last year.
Imports from Indonesia fell 35% in February, receding
from a very strong January, while imports from Brazil
rebounded somewhat from a dismal January, rising 152%.
Despite the gains imports from Brazil were still less than
half the volume they were in February 2024 and are down
71% for the first two months of the year.
Imports of Mahogany and Ipe both fell by just under one
third in February while Cedro imports fell by more than
two thirds. Import volumes for the first two months of the
year are down sharply for most tropical hardwoods, while
Teak (up 222%) and Meranti (up 69%) have shown
considerable gains. Total imports of sawn tropical
hardwood were down 14% versus last year through
February.
Canadian imports of sawn tropical hardwood fell 9% in
February but remain well above last year’s volume.
Imports for February were 82% higher than in February of
last year. Strong gains in imports from the US and Bolivia
mitigated declines in imports from Congo and Cameroon.
Veneer imports rebound
US imports of tropical hardwood veneer surged 20% in
February, bouncing back from a 34% fall the previous
month. On a percentage basis, imports from many top
trading partners continue to be irregular from one month to
the next.
Imports from India fell 59% and imports from Italy fell
83% in February while imports from China and Cote
d’Ivoire both rose more than 50%. Despite the month-to-
month volatility total imports for the first two months of
the year are nearly even with last year at US$4.2 million.
Flooring imports cool
US imports of hardwood and assembled flooring panels
cooled in February after posting strong numbers in
January. February Imports of hardwood flooring showed a
22% decline from the previous month as imports from
China dropped by a steep 44%.
Imports from Malaysia fell by 20% while imports from
Indonesia slid 7%. Total imports for the month fell 15%
short of last February’s total. Despite the decline, the
year-to-date total for 2025 is ahead of 2024 due to the
strong January figure. Imports of assembled flooring
panels declined by 12% in February. However, at US$29.4
million, imports were 18.5% higher than the previous
February despite the slide.
A 24% increase in imports from Canada made up
somewhat for declines of 51% from Indonesia and
Thailand and a 42% drop in imports from both China and
Brazil. After the first two months of the year, total imports
of assembled floor panels for 2025 are outpacing last year
by 29%.
Moulding imports slump
US imports of hardwood moulding fell by 13% as imports
from all top trading partners slumped. At just under
US$13 million the import level was better than last
February’s by 12%.
While imports from top trading partner Canada slid by
only 4%, imports from other major trading nations fell
more sharply. Imports from Brazil plunged 52%, while
imports from China fell 35% and imports from Malaysia
slipped 27%. However, due to January’s strong numbers,
imports from all top importing countries remain well
ahead of last year’s pace and total imports are up 29%
over last year through the first two months of the year.
US wooden furniture imports take a hit
US imports of wooden furniture fell 11% in February,
ending a three-month streak of gains. At nearly US$1.68
billion, imports were 4% lower than last February as
imports slowed from all major trading nations. Imports
from China and Malaysia both fell 15% in February,
imports from Indonesia slid 13% and imports from
Vietnam slowed by 9%. Despite the setback, total imports
of wooden furniture are up 2% from last year through the
first two months of the year.
See: https://usatrade.census.gov/index.php?do=login
January residential furniture orders a mixed bag
New residential furniture orders dropped 3% in January
compared to the same period in 2024, according to the
March issue of Furniture Insights. Yet, despite the overall
decline, two-thirds of respondents reported seeing
increased orders.
Compared to December figures, January new orders were
up 2%, although that could be due to some seasonality
from the holiday break noted Mark Laferriere, assurance
partner at Smith Leonard, the accounting and consulting
firm that produces the monthly report.
January shipments were up 4% compared to 2024 figures,
and up 8% compared to December 2024. Consistent with
new orders, shipments in January 2025 were also up for
approximately two-thirds of the participants compared to
January 2024, Laferriere said.
Tariffs, both existing and potential, continue to impact
American business and spending, making projections
difficult, Laferriere said. "so I’ll stick to what we do know,
which is that consumer confidence declined for a fourth
consecutive month as concerns grew about labour market
conditions and stock market volatility (seemingly hitting
consumers in both the low-end and high-end of the
market, which, as a leading economic indicator ,could be a
signal of trouble ahead at least until some of the current
uncertainty is resolved.”
See:
https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/furniture/january-
residential-furniture-orders-mixed-bag-smith-leonard
and
https://www.smith-leonard.com/2025/03/03/february-
2025-furniture-insights/
Lumber excluded in US tariff plan
After repeatedly saying that the US didn't need Canadian
lumber and numerous repeated threats to add to import
taxes to a big chunk of US wood supply, lumber has been
left out of the US tariff blitz.
When President Trump announced reciprocal tariffs on a
list of dozens of countries, lumber, composite wood panels
and related products and other USMCA-compliant goods
from Canada and Mexico were exempted.
Trump, who said he had the authority to issue the
sweeping round of tariffs against its global trading
partners under the International Emergency Economic
Powers Act of 1977 (IEEPA), said the plan imposes 10%
tariffs on goods imported into the US from most of the
world's remaining countries. These tariffs went into effect
April 5.
In addition to the base tariff, Trump proposed additional
reciprocal tariffs on a country by country basis, which he
has since paused until early July.
According to Annex II released by the White House, many
wood and wood-related products, including specific
species, plywood, MDF, OSB and other engineered woods
are exempted. Still, the tariffs will "undoubtedly raise
some construction costs, according to a statement from the
National Association of Home Builders (NAHB).
According to a report in the Washington Post the broad
tariffs Trump announced Wednesday will add about
US$6,400 to the cost of building an average house.
See:
https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-
industry-news/trump-excludes-lumber-massive-tariffs-plan
and
https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-
content/uploads/2025/04/Annex-II.pdf
Home furnishings sector braces for impact from tariffs
The latest round of tariffs proposed by US President,
which includes double-digit levies on many of the United
States’ leading trading partners, will have a very
significant impact on 70% of home furnishings-related
businesses according to a Strategic Insights survey.
The survey of more than 420 home furnishings retailers,
manufacturers/suppliers, interior designers and industry
allies, revealed few believe they will avoid the impact of
tariffs, with another 23% saying it will be somewhat
significant. Of the remaining 7%, just 1% said there will
be no fallout.
Additionally, 69% of respondents view the tariffs as a
long-term situation lasting six months or more. Among
those within the 31% seeing a shorter-term duration for
tariffs, some say there will be positive negotiations
between the United States and other countries soon.
In the face of new tariffs 27% plan to raise prices
immediately, while nearly as many (26%) will hike prices
only on new orders and new business. A little more than
one-third (36%) are taking a wait-and-see approach to
price increases.
Among those enacting or anticipating increases, 41%
estimate they would hike prices by 11% to 20%, while
another 28% forecast bumps of 21% to 30%. Meanwhile,
nearly 14% would go as high as between 41% and 75%.
No product sector within the home furnishings universe
will be immune to the impact from tariffs but the survey
takers singled out case goods to be the most impacted with
63% citing both bedroom furniture and dining furniture,
followed by accent furniture (56%) and home office
furniture (50%).
Upholstered goods are also high on the impact list with
49% mentioning motion upholstery and 42% stationary.
At 22%, the mattress category was considered the least
impacted by tariffs.
See: https://www.furnituretoday.com/tariffs/home-furnishings-
industry-braces-for-very-significant-long-duration-impact-from-
tariffs-exclusive-survey/
US to increase logging in national forests to boost
timber production
On 4 April US Secretary of Agriculture, Brooke Rollins,
issued a Secretarial Memo to establish an "Emergency
Situation Determination" on 112,646,000 acres of National
Forestry System (NFS) land. The memo comes on the
heels of an Executive Order to expand American timber
production by 25%. It will empower the US Forest Service
to expedite work on the ground and carry out authorised
emergency actions to “reduce wildfire risk and save
American lives and communities.”
See: https://www.usda.gov/about-usda/news/press-
releases/2025/04/04/secretary-rollins-announces-sweeping-
reforms-protect-national-forests-and-boost-domestic-timber
and
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/news/content/ar-
AA1CmNtw?ocid=BingNewsVerp
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