International Marketing Practices

35.4%

34.9%

1999

2015

19.5%

18.6%

17.7%

17.4%

12.8%

11.5% 10.6%

9.3%

7.0%

5.3%

Pallets

Railroad ties

Furniture

Millwork

Cabinets

Exports

Figure 2. U.S. markets for hardwood lumber, 1999 and 2015, by volume [34].

Wood-Based Panels and Veneer International trade of wood-based panels increased at an average annual rate of 6.7% between 1961 and 2017, compared with a 5.2% production growth rate [32]. China, Canada, and Germany were consistently the top exporters of wood-based panels between 2007 and 2017 (Table 7); China’s share of global exports increased from 13% in 2007 to 16% in 2017. Top importers of wood-based panels were equally consistent, with the U.S., Germany, Japan, the U.K., and Canada importing remarkably steady volumes between 2007 and 2017 (Table 7).

Table 7. Top five wood-based panels importing and exporting countries, 2007 and 2017 [32]. In thousand m 3 .

Imports

Exports

2007 (79,553)

2017 (84,570)

2007 (82,957)

2017 (90,654)

United States 14,311 United States 14,248 China

11,022 China 9,530 Canada 8,932 Germany 6,595 Thailand 4,077 Russia

14,457 8,328 6,328 5,440 5,324

Germany

5,979 Germany 5,357 Japan 3,814 U.K. 3,325 Canada

5,655 Canada 3,953 Germany 3,792 Malaysia 3,302 Indonesia

Japan

U.K.

Canada

Between 2007 and 2017, the United States increased its imports of softwood veneers by 25% and decreased its imports of hardwood veneer by 58%, while decreasing its exports of both softwood and hardwood veneer (Table 8). Imports of medium density fiberboard (MDF), softwood plywood, and particleboard increased considerably in the 10-year period, while those of hardboard and hardwood plywood decreased. Exports of veneer, oriented strand board (OSB), and hardboard decreased between 2007 and 2017 and increased for MDF, plywood, and particleboard. Major trade partners for 2017 are listed in Table 8.

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