Timber - how expensive is it now?

Timber prices have increased this last 12 months to phenomenal heights. Usually the price per M3 fluctuates from season to season, however the forever increasing cost his last 12months have seen increases of well over a 100% in some cross sections, and at the moment does not show any signs of slowing.

Why?

Brexit and the cost of getting timber into the country. Costly red tape and customs admin delaying shipments. Covid 19 pandemic and the lack of production in home grown and European saw mills . Social distancing and self isolation has reduced the number of operatives working together and hence yield.

The building trade for houses has boomed, all requiring timber with exports of timber to China and America’s building markets at an all time high. Building timber being more lucrative than pallet boards, unfortunately we are at the back of the cue every time.

Basically timber is a scarce commodity at the moment, and unfortunately that forces the prices up. The down side is though, when the cost has risen so dramatically, it is unusual to see the price return to levels seen in 2019.

The problem is the volume of goods that travel on pallets…. these cost have to be absorbed into the cost of goods, so everything increases in price. Maybe you have noticed everything becoming more expensive lately?