Drop in US plywood leads to a lower total panel output

North American structural panel production dropped year on year

North American structural panel production in 2022 totaled 33.283 billion square feet (3/8-inch basis), a drop of 2.3% from the 34.075 bsf produced in 2021, according to APA The Engineered Wood Association.

According to the association, North American structural panel output in the fourth quarter of 2022 fell 5.4% from the third quarter, and 5.8% compared to the fourth quarter of 2021. Plywood led the drop, falling 6.8% from the third quarter and 8.3% from the fourth quarter of 2021. Oriented strand board (OSB) output dropped 4.9% from the third quarter and 4.7% from the fourth quarter of 2021.

OSB production in North America in 2022 totaled 23.573 bsf, 1.0% below the 23.819 bsf produced in 2021. U.S. OSB output of 15.358 bsf in 2022 was 1.8% below the 2021 total, while Canadian OSB production of 8.215 bsf was the only gain compared to 2021, up 0.4%.

North American plywood output totaled 9.710 bsf in 2022, a drop of 5.3% from the previous year. US plywood production of 7.898 bsf was down 5.3%, while Canadian plywood output of 1.812 bsf was 5.6% lower than in 2021.

Overall structural panel output is down

The overall annual figures highlight the drops for the fourth quarter of 2022. Through the third quarter, year-to-date structural panel output was down 1.4% from 2021, with OSB production just under 2021 levels and plywood output off 4.4%.

Glulam production in 2022 fell 1.6% to 310.0 million board feet. I-joist output slumped 13.5% to 741.2 million linear feet for the year, with the falloff most apparent in the fourth quarter. Laminated veneer lumber (LVL) production fell 2.8% to 78.8 million cubic feet, led by a drop in the fourth quarter.

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