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Report from
North America
Hardwood plywood imports down in first half of 2026
US imports of hardwood plywood fell 31% year on year
through the first half of the year despite a 38% month on
month gain in June. Through the first six months of the
year the US imported 1.16 million cubic metres of
hardwood plywood, considerably less than the 1.68
million cu.m imported during the first half of 2025.
Over that period, imports from China fell 66% while
imports from Indonesia and Viet Nam both fell by about
60%. Imports from Cambodia and Malaysia have grown,
more than doubling so far in 2026. In June, imports rose
for the second straight month, yet at 247,379 cu.m the
monthly total was still 12% less than imports from June
2025.
Sawn tropical hardwood imports gained slightly in
June
US imports of sawn tropical hardwood rose 6% in June yet
remain lower than last year’s levels. At 14,528 cu.m,
monthly volume was down 5% from June 2025.
The gain was fueled by a 52% rise in imports from
Malaysia and a 46% boost in imports from Cameroon.
Through the first half of the year, total imports are down
5% versus 2025, with imports from Congo (Brazzaville)
and Indonesia down by more than 50% while imports from
top-supplier Brazil are up 55%.
In Canada, imports of sawn tropical hardwood fell by 19%
over the first half of the year. Imports of Sapelli fell by
43% over the period while imports of Meranti dropped by
81%. Imports from the category “Mahogany, Baboen,
Imbuia and Balsa” increased five-fold through June 2026
versus last year.
For the month of June, Canada’s imports of sawn tropical
hardwood fell 18% versus the previous month and 9%
versus June 2025.
https://apps.fas.usda.gov/gats/default.aspx
Veneer imports rising
Through the first half of 2026, imports of tropical
hardwood veneer rose by 21% versus the same period in
2025. Through June, imports stood at US$17.9 million
against US$14.8 million at this point last year. Imports
from top-supplier Cameroon and from Ghana were both
up by 40% while imports from Italy were up 80% and
imports from India have risen by 75%.
In June, imports rose 14% over the previous month. June
imports of US$3.5 million were 46% higher than those of
June 2025. June imports from Cameroon rose 52% from
the previous month while imports from most other
countries declined.
https://apps.fas.usda.gov/gats/default.aspx
US importing less flooring panels and hardwood
flooring
US imports of hardwood flooring fell 21% versus last year
through the first half of 2026. At just under US$24.3
million, imports fell well short of the more than US$30.6
million imported in the first six months of last year.
While imports from Malaysia and Viet Nam have shown
tremendous growth over this period, imports from just
about everywhere else have deteriorated, most notably a
52% decline in imports from Indonesia and a 66% drop in
imports from Brazil. In June, total imports fell by 6%
month over month and were down 11% versus last June.
In the much larger market of assembled flooring panels
US imports are not as far behind. At US$163.7 million,
imports for the first half of the year were down only 5%
versus last year.
Imports from China and Indonesia fell by about two thirds
during the period while imports from Thailand rose by
59%. Recent imports have been strong, with imports for
June up 9% versus May and a solid 49% above those of
June 2025.
Moulding imports from Brazil and China down sharply
Through the first six months of 2026, US imports of
hardwood moulding from China and Brazil fell by more
than 70% versus last year. While overall hardwood
moulding imports have dropped from more than US$91.4
million in 2025 to US$77.5 over this period (down 15%),
imports from China have plunged 77% while imports from
Brazil have fallen 74%.
Imports from top-supplier Canada were down 5%. June
hardwood moulding imports were up 4% from the
previous month but were 12% below that of the previous
June.
Imports of wooden furniture down by more than
US$2.3 billion
At just under US$7.86 billion, US imports of wooden
furniture for the first half of 2026 were down by 23%
versus the same period last year,a drop of more than
US$2.33 billion.
Imports from every major supplying country have fallen
by at least 10% while imports from China are down 43%
and imports from Mexico and Malaysia were both down
more than 30%.
In June, imports rose 5%, accounting for a second
consecutive month of gains. However, at US$1.38 billion,
June’s imports were 15% less than that of June 2025.
The latest Smith Leonard report on the whole of the US
furniture market noted that new orders were up 13% in
May compared to the prior month and up 8% compared to
May 2025.
Year to date, new orders were up 2% over 2025 through
the end of May.
See: https://www.smith-leonard.com/2026/08/06/july-2026-
furniture-insights/
Indonesian lauan plywood exempted from new US
tariffs
Indonesian lauan plywood is not subject to the new 10%
Section 301 Forced Labour tariff imposed by the Trump
administration.
The new Section 301 tariffs of 10% to 12.5% took effect
overnight on 24 July. The tariffs target 60 economies over
forced-labour concerns, replacing expiring temporary
global duties, according to the Office of the United States
Trade Representative.
Based on the findings published in the Federal Register,
most products of Indonesia will face 10% tariffs except as
provided in Annex I and Annex II. According to a report
from the RV Industry Association (RVIA), the Lauan
product is specifically included in the Indonesia-specific
product carve-outs in Annex II, Part L of the USTR notice.
As a result, the RVIA said that imports of Indonesian
lauan plywood will continue to be subject only to existing
applicable duties, including normal Most Favored Nation
(MFN) duties and any applicable antidumping (AD) or
countervailing (CVD) duties.
"This is a win for the RV industry because Indonesian
lauan was not excluded in the initial announcement," the
report said. "The RV Industry Association submitted
comments and met with USTR officials to urge them to
add both HTS lines during their review."
See: https://ustr.gov/about/policy-offices/press-office/press-
releases/2026/july/ustr-takes-action-forced-labor-section-301-
investigations
and
https://www.woodworkingnetwork.com/news/woodworking-
industry-news/lauan-exempt-section-301-forced-labor-tariffs-rv-
group-reports
Canada imposes 25% provisional safeguard tariff on
wood cabinets and vanity imports
Canada has announced a 25% tax on imports of certain
wood cabinets and vanities. François-Philippe
Champagne, the Minister of Finance and National
Revenue, announced the measure 31 July.
Officials said the tax is intended to address the immediate
challenges facing Canadian manufacturers, including the
impact of harmful trade diversion resulting from the
changing global trade environment. This will also help to
stabilise market conditions and support domestic
production. The surtax will remain in place for a
maximum of 200 days.
Additionally, the Canadian International Trade Tribunal
(CITT) has undertaken an inquiry into the trade conditions
that are impacting Canadian manufacturers of certain
wood goods. Launched in April 2026 at the government’s
request, the CITT’s inquiry concerning certain wood
goods will determine if increased imports are causing, or
threatening to cause, serious injury to Canadian wood
manufacturers.
The Canadian Kitchen Cabinet Association commended
the government for imposing the tariff. Luke Elias,
president of the CKCA, said “This announcement is an
important milestone for Canada’s cabinet manufacturing
industry. It sends a clear message that our government
recognizes the challenges facing Canadian manufacturers
and is prepared to take action to restore fair competition.
See: https://ckca.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Safeguard-
Update-2026.pdf
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