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Report from
North America
Tropical hardwood imports dipped in June while
neither tariff promises nor fears materialised
US imports of tropical hardwood products decreased in
June as the US Administration continued to roll out an
ever-evolving policy of trade tariffs.
While neither the biggest fears nor promises about the
tariffs materialised, larger month-on-month swings in
import volumes occurred in the first half of the year.
In June the swing was definitely downward. Imports of
sawn tropical hardwood plunged 21%, imports of
hardwood plywood decreased by 13%, imports of tropical
hardwood veneer fell 20%, imports of hardwood moulding
were off by 7%, imports of hardwood flooring dropped
15% and imports of assembled flooring fell for the third
consecutive month in June, shedding 13%.
US imports of wooden furniture managed to rise 1% in
June but that was preceded by a sharp drop in May.
Despite the poor June numbers imports for tropical
hardwood and most related products are ahead of last year
through the first half of 2025 which reflect an overall early
year spike in US imports in anticipation of tariffs.
Imports of sawn tropical hardwood retreat
US imports of sawn tropical hardwood fell 21% in June,
retreating after a May surge in volume. At 15,277 cubic
metres, import volumes were down 3% versus June of last
year.
Imports from Indonesia fell by 40% and imports from
Malaysia fell 8% while imports from the top-trader,
Brazi,l fell only 3%.
Sharp decreases in imports of Mahogany (down 74%),
Balsa (down 45%), Ipe (down 28%) and Sapelli (down
18%) accounted for most of the lost in volume.
Despite the downturn, total imports of sawn tropical
hardwood remain ahead of last year’s pace, up 1% from
2024 through the first half of the year.
Hardwood plywood imports cool
Imports of hardwood plywood also cooled off after a
strong May falling 13% in June from the previous month.
Despite the pullback, at 281,988 cubic metres, June
imports were 40% higher than in June 2024.
While imports from most major trading partners fell in
June, year-to-date figures for the top traders are well ahead
of last year. Imports from Indonesia, the leading supplier,
were up 60% from last year through June while imports
from the number 2 supplier Vietnam were 36% ahead of
last year’s pace.
Through the first half of the year total import volumes of
hardwood plywood are up 20% over 2024.
Veneer imports fall
Imports of tropical hardwood veneer fell 20% in June with
imports from most trading countries falling sharply. A
46% increase in imports from top-trading partner,
Cameroon, helped to mitigate losses in imports from
Ghana (down 50%), Cote d’Ivoire (down 49%), India
(down 38%) and China (no imports at all in June).
Even with the declines total June imports were up 3% over
the previous June. Year-to-date tropical hardwood veneer
imports are up 5% over last year through the first half of
the year, due almost exclusively to imports from Italy
more than tripling.
Moulding imports down 7%
Imports of hardwood moulding fell 7% in June, cooling
from a 3-year high in May. At US$15.5 million, June
imports were 1% lower than for June 2024. While imports
from most nations slid in June, imports from the top two
trading partners surged.
Imports from trade leader, Canada, rose 15% and
accounted for more than one-third of all monthly imports,
while imports from Malaysia soared 73% in June. Through
the first half of the year imports of hardwood moldingwere
up 21% while imports from Canada, Malaysia, China and
Brazil have all grown by more than 40% over last year.
Imports of assembled flooring panels follow the downtrend
Imports of assembled flooring fell for the third
consecutive month in June, shedding 13% from the
previous month. At US$19.5 million, imports were 31%
below that of the previous June and were at the lowest
level since April 2023.
While steep drops in imports from Thailand and Brazil
highlighted a nearly across-the-board slump, a 37% gain in
imports from Indonesia stemmed some of the loss. While
imports are trending downward, year-to-date imports
remain ahead of 2024 by 13% through June.
US imports of hardwood flooring had similar results in
June, falling 15% from the previous month. June imports
were down 38% from June 2024 totals. Hardwood flooring
imports have lagged all year with the sole bright sport
being imports from Malaysia which gained 75% in June
and are up 40% for the year so far.
Imports from Indonesia, the top trading partner, were up
42% in June but are down 11% for the year to date while
imports from Brazil also collapsed (down 86% in June and
down 56% for the year to date). Over the first half of the
year, total imports of hardwood flooring are down 16%
versus last year.
Wooden furniture imports stabilise
Imports of wooden furniture rose 1% in June, stabilising
after a 6% plunge in May. At US$1.62 billion, imports for
the month were 6% below those of June 2024. Imports
from China continue to fall, down 24% in June and off
32% for the first half of the year.
Imports from Vietnam, the top supplier, gained 3% in June
and are up 12% year to date. Imports from Canada were
down 11% year to date, but moved upward in June,
gaining 15% over the previous month. Through the first
half of the year total imports of wooden furniture were
somewhat flat, down less than 1% versus last year.
As for the overall furniture market, new furniture orders
were up 11% in May versus April but down 1% versus the
previous May according to the latest Furniture Insights
published by Smith Leonard. The report states that new
orders were down 3% through the first five months of the
year versus 2024 figures.
Plywood traders say tariffs are having an impact on orders
Tariffs are a hot topic in the hardwoods market, especially
for plywood and paneling. While prices are relatively
stable, customers are worried about an increase which is
having an impact on order volume and purchase timelines
according to suppliers interviewed by Woodshop News.
“We’re seeing a lot of anxiety because every vendor right
now is throwing a tariff notice on their products stating
tariff prices could spike at any point and a tariff charge
could be charged at any time during the buying process.
Everybody is on edge. They’re expecting at least a 10%
across the board increase on everything, even if it’s
domestic,” said one trader.
The other thing noticed by traders is that products are
getting tied up in containers and people need to buy
something local to keep things rolling. A trader said “we
got a load of hardwood about a month and a half ago and
the paperwork on the tariffs that came with it was like a
book. So, there’s a lot of paperwork that can slow things
down as well.”
See: https://www.woodshopnews.com/plywood-sellers-deal-with-tariff-implications
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