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Fastmarkets is pleased to publish the following European sawn timber price assessments and market story. The price table below is in pilot phase, and we are continuing to recruit price contributors. To find out more about how to get free access to the new European sawn timber prices, or to become a contributor to these prices, please contact Tuomo Neuvonen and Cat Vitale at tuomo.neuvonen@fastmarkets.com and cat.vitale@fastmarkets.com.
The European sawn timber market entered the second quarter with similar market sentiment as the preceding one, but price pressures arising from the increased costs created by the Middle East conflict – which continue to affect global trade, fuel prices and production costs – gave a notch up for the market.
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According to some market contacts, increases came from external factors like those mentioned above, instead of from a major firming of the market situation. In addition to this, seasonal factors are playing a role, with the summer season increasing demand for decking materials in many markets.
The crisis in the Middle East has been affecting the European sawn timber market directly as well, with some central European sawmillers producing more European dimensions instead of those heading to Middle Eastern countries and offering these volumes with lower prices, sources told Fastmarkets. This has made price increases for some Nordic products more difficult, as the market has been sufficiently supplied with many products. Central European sawmills have also procured a sufficient volume of sawlogs during the first quarter, according to market sources.
Construction activity remained sluggish in Europe, with a limited number of newbuilds started. Renovation activity has been faring better, but mostly from humble fundamentals. A German market source said that in the current political environment people are being cautious with spending, which will also affect their willingness to use funds for renovations. In the UK market, it was reported that there is no compelling catalyst for a demand surge in the near term. “The housing starts data is poor, and RMI, while more resilient, is also down,” one UK market participant said.
Price movements in April, reflecting early second-quarter prices, showed a modestly firmer tone across most continental European markets, while the UK remained more stable. In Germany, spruce sawfalling 44-50×150mm and 63×150mm midpoints both rose by around 2.3%, with 50×100mm posting a smaller, roughly 1.6% gain, showing an incremental strengthening across ranges.
French assessments moved in a similar direction, with all three tracked dimensions increasing by around 1.6%, indicating a broadly consistent uplift. In Benelux, gains were slightly more pronounced in certain grades, led by spruce 50×100mm midpoint, which was up by 2.4%, alongside increases of 1.6% for 47×150mm and 2.0% for planed construction timber 50×75mm, suggesting some tightening at the top end.
In contrast, the UK market remained largely unchanged for domestic spruce grades, with both 44-50×150mm and 50×100mm midpoints flat month on month. Imported pine grades showed limited movement, with US pine 50×150mm increasing by 1.57% and pine fifth 38×150mm edging up by 0.85%, while other pine dimensions held steady.
Overall, April pricing reflected a moderate upward adjustment in continental Europe, while the UK market showed little directional momentum, pointing to a generally stable market with selective firming rather than broad-based shifts.
Swedish sawmiller Vida announced the closure of two of its sites in Urshult and Orrefors on Monday May 18, which will reduce the group’s timber production capacity by 260,000 cubic meters per year.
Vida’s Orrefors sawmill was producing 145,000 cubic meters per year of sawn and planed pine timber, with its main markets including Sweden and the UK. The Urshult mill was producing 185,000 cubic meters per year of sawn and planed spruce, with the main export markets being the UK, Germany and Japan.
Vida said that southern Sweden has faced a long-term imbalance between sawmill production capacity and fiber supply, prompting the company to review its operations and restructure its sawmill platform.
The closures were expected to leave the Vida Group, which is 77% owned by Canfor Corp, with a total output of 3 million cubic meters per year from its remaining 13 sawmills.
The major Finnish sawmiller Koskisen said in its first-quarter financial report that there were originally some cautious signs of improvement in the market in the beginning of the year. However, the conflict starting in the Middle East changed the situation quickly, with costs increasing and inflation pressure rising.
The company states that a prolonged conflict and tighter interest policies may lead to a wider and longer global economic crisis. The situation has led Koskisen to lower its financial expectations from earlier guidance.
Koskisen’s turnover increased by over 20% to €105 million ($122 million) in the first quarter, year on year, in line with their growth strategy. Its operating profit declined clearly to €6.3 million, however.
The company increased unprocessed sawn timber deliveries in the first quarter. Deliveries of solid wood energy components were also higher than a year ago. Sawmilling operating profit was down, however, due to lower production and deliveries of higher-priced processed wood products as well as decreased prices of by-products for pulp production and increased electricity prices.
Production at the Järvelä sawmill was below targets due to cold weather and technical challenges.
Raw material procurement went as expected, while prices have moved higher since early this year. The sudden end of the cold winter left some winter stands unprocured.
Average prices of softwood sawlogs continued moving higher in Finland in April, logging €76.08 ($89) per cubic meter for standing sales for pine and €81.33 per cubic meter for spruce, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke) statistics show. The pine sawlog price increased by 1.9% month on month, while the spruce sawlog price increased by 1.5%.
From the recent low in January, the average pine sawlog price in April was up by 4.0%, and the spruce sawlog price was up by 5.3%. Compared to the recent highs in June 2025, the price for pine is still 9.5% below the level then, and the price for spruce is 5.2% below.
Demand for spruce sawlogs is good, and prices have increased in Finland, according to a market source. Some additional wood supply comes from sites where the storm felled some 3 million cubic meters of wood in total in Finland at the end of last year.
In Sweden, the latest statistics by the Swedish Forest Agency (Skogsstyrelsen) show that in the first quarter of 2026, sawlog prices moved downward compared with the previous quarter. The latest preliminary prices of 975 Swedish Krona per cubic meter ($105) for pine and 1,185 Krona per cubic meter for spruce are 3.9% and 5.9% below the last quarter of 2025, respectively.
The pine sawlog market is still affected by the December 2025 stormfalls in Sweden, also – the effect more significant there from the clearly higher volumes felled. With more pine forests affected, some large sawmills have reportedly changed their production to pine from spruce, which can temporarily affect spruce demand volume. However, some experts estimated that spruce log prices would not be much affected, while in many regions, pinelog prices will continue to be under pressure.
Market sources are broadly aligned on the need for price increases heading into the second quarter with high costs and tightening spruce availability cited as the primary drivers. Spruce has been in short supply for some time, but with demand also subdued, the pressure has not yet translated into significance, said one market participant.
Some buyers are cautious, purchasing only what they need and resisting any forward commitment. Others see early signs of improvement following a slow first quarter, with one source noting a degree of optimism returning as the season progresses, though not to a level that would suggest a meaningful recovery in activity.
Another market source said that “when demand comes back there will be a different market dynamic.”
The species imbalance between spruce and pine is becoming a more pressing structural issue. Bark beetle damage and storm felling have accelerated a decline in spruce availability that predates the current cycle, while pine remains underutilized for construction purposes in key European markets, including the UK. A sawn timber analyst told Fastmarkets that the market needs to be able to utilize pine for construction as well, especially in areas where spruce has historically been specified.
Storm-damaged timber is expected to reach the market through the second and third quarters, bringing quality risks that could create further pricing disruption.
Longer term, the re-entry of Canadian suppliers into the UK market is being watched, though most sources remain skeptical about near-term volumes given persistent questions around grading standards and product suitability.
The sentiment across the market remained rather cautious, with market sources noting fairly stable expectations for the third quarter.
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