Momentum built on last week’s late surge of
orders in framing lumber carried over to Monday
and Tuesday. While sales eased from a faster
pace from there on, trading remained steady and
carried mill order files well into December. The
trade case filed by U.S. producers seeking
action against imports of Canadian lumber raised
the prospect of duties and tightening
availability moving forward. Still, some traders
were surprised by the market’s energy and
strength in prices.
.
| This Week Dec 2 |
Last Week Nov 23 |
Year Ago 2015 |
|
| Random Lengths Framing Lumber Composite Price* | $355 | $349 | $315 |
| KD Western S-P-F #2&Btr 2x4 R/L Mill Price | 324 | 310 | 258 |
| KD Eastern S-P-F #1&2 2x4 R/L, delivered Great Lakes | 403 | 395 | 357 |
| Green Douglas Fir Std&Btr 2x4 R/L (Portland) | 338 | 330 | 297 |
| Southern Pine (Westside) #2 2x4 R/L | 434 | 431 | 403 |
| KD Coast Hem-Fir #2&Btr 2x4 R/L | 342 | 332 | 317 |
| Ponderosa Pine (Inland) #2&Btr 1x12 R/L | 625 | 625 | 660 |
| * Weighted average of 15 key items | |||
Random Lengths Panel Market Report
Structural panel traders picked up the pace. A strong week of
sales in Western Canada and the South allowed OSB producers to push
order files well into December, if not through year-end. Southern
Pine plywood sales were solid in the Northeast and steady elsewhere,
including Florida and Texas. Some mills discounted railcar shipments
and blocks of truckloads to fill out the year’s remaining production
schedules. Western Fir plywood trading was solid from Tuesday on,
and mills built on pre-Thanksgiving momentum.
(f.o.b. mill prices)
| (f.o.b. mill prices) | This Week Dec 2 |
Last Week Nov 23 |
Year Ago 2015 |
| Random Lengths Structural Panel Composite Price* | $364 | $363 | $367 |
| Southern (west-east) 15/32-inch 3-ply rated sheathing plywood | 348-380 | 348-380 | 360-395 |
| Southern (west-east) 15/32-inch 4-ply rated sheathing plywood | 350-385 | 350-385 | 367-400 |
| Western 1/2-inch 4-ply rated sheathing plywood | 350 | 345 | 346 |
| North Central 7/16-inch Oriented Strand Board | 282 | 282 | 257 |
| *Weighted average of 11 key items | |||
