From January to April, US softwood lumber imports saw a marked year-on-year decrease. In addition to reduced imports from Canada, much smaller volumes were purchased from Germany, Brazil, Chile and Austria, too.

EU softwood lumber exports to the United States fell sharply in the first quarter of 2026, with volumes down 58% year-on-year and export value down 62%. The decline was driven mainly by steep reductions from Germany and Sweden, while Finland was the only major EU supplier to increase shipments. The European Union exported 503,767 m3 of softwood lumber to the United States in the first quarter of 2026, compared with 1,194,612 m3 in the same period of 2025.

This represents a decline of 58%. In value terms, EU exports fell even more sharply, from EUR 336.2 million in Q1 2025 to EUR 126.3 million in Q1 2026, a decrease of 62%. Germany and Sweden account for most of the decline Germany remained one of the largest EU suppliers to the US, but its shipments dropped by 64%, from 533,797 m3 to 192,968 m3. Export value fell by 71%, from EUR 164.5 million to EUR 47.4 million. Sweden also recorded a steep decline. Swedish exports to the US decreased by 40%, from 355,295 m3 in Q1 2025 to 212,173 m3 in Q1 2026. Export value fell by 59%, from EUR 119.8 million to EUR 49.7 million.

Finland was the main exception among the leading exporters. Finnish shipments almost doubled, rising by 92% to 32,998 m3, while export value increased by 56% to EUR 10.6 million.

Average export prices weakened
The average EU export price to the US declined from approximately EUR 281/m3 in Q1 2025 to EUR 251/m3 in Q1 2026. This indicates that the contraction was not limited to volumes, but also reflected weaker unit values.

The fall was particularly visible in Sweden, where the average export price dropped from around EUR 337/m3 to EUR 234/m3.

Germany also recorded a decline, from around EUR 308/m3 to EUR 245/m3. Finland continued to ship at a higher average price than the EU average, although its unit value also declined from about EUR 395/m3 to EUR 322/m3. Finland gains share as larger suppliers retreat. The sharp fall in German and Swedish shipments changed the structure of EU exports to the US. Sweden accounted for around 42% of EU softwood lumber export volume to the US in Q1 2026, while Germany represented about 38%.

Finland increased its share of EU exports from just over 1% in Q1 2025 to more than 6% in Q1 2026. However, its absolute volume remained far below the levels shipped by Sweden and Germany.