In April, China's timber imports fell by 6.8%
year-on-year. However, while both the price and volume of log
imports rose, and Russian supplies plummeted by 32.5%, imports
of U.S. logs surged by 78% year-on-year. Notably, the average
price of Thai rubberwood rose by 10.7%, and imports of
eucalyptus logs doubled, signaling a recovery in the industry.
Customs data shows that in April 2026, China’s timber imports
totaled 4.865 million cubic meters, a 6.8% year-on-year decrease;
this represented a 4% increase from March. During the same
period, the value of imports reached $1.06 billion, a slight
year-on-year increase of 1.1%; this represented a 6.3% increase
from March.
By market segment, in April 2026, China imported approximately
2.98 million cubic meters of logs, representing a slight
year-on-year increase of 1.7% and a month-on-month increase of
7.9%. The value of imports rose by 6.9% year-on-year and 8.6%
month-on-month to approximately $500 million. The average unit
price of imported logs in April increased by 5.1% year-on-year.
Regarding sawn timber imports, in April 2026, China
imported 1.885 million cubic meters of sawn timber, a
year-on-year decrease of 17.8% and a slight month-on-month
decline of 1.7%. The value of imports fell by 3.5% year-on-year
to $570 million, while it rose by 4.4% month-on-month. The
average import price of sawn timber in April increased by 17.3%
year-on-year.
Changes in the Supply Country Landscape
Among the top ten countries of origin for China’s timber imports
in April, Thailand, Canada, the United States, Papua New Guinea,
and the Solomon Islands saw increases in both volume and price,
while Russia, Japan, Belarus, and the Philippines experienced
negative growth. Specifically:
New Zealand and Russia remain the top two suppliers of timber to
China. Among them, New Zealand’s exports to China rose slightly
by 1.7%, while Russia’s imports fell from 1.31 million cubic
meters in the same period last year to 884,000 cubic meters, a
decline of 32.5%.
Timber exports to China from Thailand, Canada, and the United
States increased by 7.2%, 31%, and 23.6% year-on-year,
respectively. Notably, the recovery trajectory of U.S. log
imports is worth noting: impacted by the import suspension
policy in March 2025, U.S. log arrivals plummeted by 71%
year-on-year to approximately 59,000 cubic meters in April of
the same year; as relevant restrictions were gradually lifted,
volumes rebounded to 106,000 cubic meters by April 2026,
representing a year-on-year increase of 78%.
The Solomon Islands topped the list of the top ten countries
exporting timber to China in terms of growth rate. In April
2026, exports reached 117,000 cubic meters, surging 117.7%
year-on-year due to a low base in the same period of the
previous year. 333
Exports to China from other countries, such as Japan, Belarus,
and the Philippines, decreased by 4.9%, 38%, and 22.1%
year-on-year, respectively.
In terms of timber species composition
In April, imports of coniferous timber fell 12.5% year-on-year
to 3.171 million cubic meters, while the average import price
dropped 3% year-on-year. Specifically, imports of coniferous
logs totaled 2.204 million cubic meters, a slight increase of
0.9% year-on-year, with the average price rising slightly by
0.8%; imports of coniferous sawn timber fell by 32.8%
year-on-year to 967,000 cubic meters, while the average price
rose by 3.7% year-on-year.
Performance varied across other timber species: imports of
eucalyptus logs nearly doubled year-on-year, while the average
price fell by 6.1%; imports of okoume logs tripled year-on-year;
imports of North American hardwood logs increased by 20.1%,
while sawn timber saw a significant year-on-year increase of
96.9%; Imports of beech lumber increased by 8.9% year-on-year,
while log imports fell by 41.2%; in April, imports of Thai
rubberwood rose by 7.1% year-on-year but fell by 11.5%
month-on-month compared to March, with the average price rising
by 10.7% year-on-year.
Overall, from January to April 2026, China’s total timber
imports amounted to 17.046 million cubic meters, a year-on-year
decrease of 10.9%; the import value was approximately $3.65
billion, down 6.6% year-on-year. Of this total, logs accounted
for 59.5%, falling 7.7% year-on-year to 10.144 million cubic
meters; while sawn timber imports totaled 6.903 million cubic
meters, a year-on-year decrease of 15.1%.
Notably, China’s exports of timber and timber products showed
a growth trend in April, rising 5.8% year-on-year; the
cumulative year-on-year growth rate for January–April narrowed
to 13.1%. By product category, exports of plywood and similar
multilayer panels saw a slight year-on-year increase of 2.3%;
with cumulative exports from January to April rising 17.8%
year-on-year. In contrast, exports of wood products for
household and decorative use remained sluggish, with April
exports down 2.1% year-on-year; cumulative exports from January
to April fell 1.9% year-on-year.
In the view of Wood Home, April’s timber import data may signal
a recovery from the sharp contraction in demand at the beginning
of the year, which was caused by the combined effects of the
Spring Festival, policy adjustments, and destocking. Core
downstream industries such as domestic construction, furniture,
and packaging are gradually returning to normal, and it is
highly likely that demand bottomed out in the first quarter. If
the external environment remains stable in May and June, import
volumes in the second half of the year are expected to stop
declining and stabilize year-on-year. However, it is important
to note that future growth will be driven more by higher unit
prices rather than expansion in volume.
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