Geomechanics.io

  • Free Tools
Sign UpLog In

Geomechanics.io

Geomechanics, Simplified.

© 2025 Geomechanics.io. All rights reserved.

Geomechanics.io

CMRR-ioGEODB-ioHYDROGEO-ioQCDB-ioFree Tools & CalculatorsBlogLatest Industry News

Industries

MiningConstructionTunnelling

Company

Terms of UsePrivacy PolicyLinkedIn
    Projects
    Sustainability

    Timber imports nudge upwards: pricing, supply shifts and 2026 outlook for project teams

    December 9, 2025|

    Reviewed by Tom Sullivan

    Timber imports nudge upwards: pricing, supply shifts and 2026 outlook for project teams

    First reported on The Construction Index

    30 Second Briefing

    Timber imports into the UK reached 7.01m m³ in January–September 2025, 2.1% below 2024, with Q3 volumes only 0.2% down year-on-year as contractors restocked after strong Q2 construction activity. Softwood volumes fell nearly 3% but values rose 9% on a 12% price increase, while imported MDF slumped 25%, offset by gains in hardwood, particleboard, OSB, hardwood and softwood plywood, and engineered wood, including Finnish LVL up about 14% and still 83% of the UK market. Supply shifted away from Sweden, Germany and Ireland towards Latvia and Finland, and NSD forecasts softwood imports down 3% in 2025 before a 3.7% rebound in 2026.

    Technical Brief

    • MDF imports dropped 25% year-on-year, materially tightening supply for panel-based fit-out and joinery packages.
    • Solid wood imports January–September 2025 were 2.5% lower, while panel products fell only 1.3%.
    • Reduced Swedish softwood volumes exceeded the total year-to-date deficit of 118,000 m³, concentrating sourcing risk.
    • German and Irish softwood supplies declined 9% and 14% respectively, shifting procurement away from traditional European mills.
    • Latvia and Finland together added over 90,000 m³ of softwood, partly backfilling Nordic and Irish reductions.
    • Softwood import values rose 9% overall, with sawn goods up 11% and planed sections up 8%.
    • Average softwood import prices increased 12% over 12 months, while sawn hardwood and plywood prices trended down.
    • Shifts in species mix and origin imply changing structural properties, durability classes and certification profiles for UK timber design.

    Our Take

    With UK softwood import volumes forecast at 5.62–5.83 million m³ for 2025–26 but values already up 9–11%, contractors and timber frame manufacturers are likely to feel cost pressure even if physical supply remains adequate.

    China and Malaysia supplying around 80% of UK hardwood plywood imports leaves specifiers exposed to any future tightening of EU/UK due-diligence rules on Asian panels, which could push more projects towards OSB or European-sourced engineered wood products.

    Finland’s 83% share of the UK LVL market, combined with 14% growth in Finnish LVL volumes, signals that UK structural designers are consolidating around a narrow supplier base for engineered wood, which may simplify design data but increases exposure to a single regional price and logistics risk.

    Geotechnical Software for Modern Teams

    Centralise site data, logs, and lab results with GEODB-io, CMRR-io, and HYDROGEO-io.

    No credit card required.

    • Save and export unlimited calculations
    • Advanced data visualisation
    • Generate professional PDF reports
    • Cloud storage for all your projects

    Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

    Related Articles

    Padeswood carbon capture project: design and embodied carbon lens for engineers
    Materials
    about 13 hours ago

    Padeswood carbon capture project: design and embodied carbon lens for engineers

    Heidelberg Materials UK has awarded Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Worley an EPCM contract to deliver a carbon capture facility at the Padeswood cement works in north Wales, following completion of FEED and a final investment decision with the UK government in September. Using MHI’s Advanced KM CDR Process, the plant is designed to capture about 800,000 tonnes of CO₂ per year from the existing kiln line, with commissioning targeted for 2029. The project will enable industrial-scale production of evoZero carbon captured near-zero cement, directly affecting embodied carbon specifications for UK infrastructure and building projects.

    Heidelberg UK CO₂‑injected concrete: performance and design notes for engineers
    Materials
    5 days ago

    Heidelberg UK CO₂‑injected concrete: performance and design notes for engineers

    Heidelberg Materials UK is trialling CarbonCure technology in ready-mixed concrete at its Greenwich plant in London, injecting pure manufactured CO₂ into fresh concrete where it mineralises permanently and allows around 5% less cement to be used. The process is claimed to cut concrete-associated emissions by 7–11 kg CO₂/m³ with no loss of performance, while potentially increasing strength through more efficient hydration. The Thameside plant also supplies calcined clay, evoBuild low carbon GGBS, crushed concrete, accelerators and evoZero near‑zero cement, positioning it as a low‑carbon materials hub.

    Latrobe Magnesium’s Hazelwood plant: mix design implications for engineers
    Materials
    5 days ago

    Latrobe Magnesium’s Hazelwood plant: mix design implications for engineers

    Latrobe Magnesium has produced its first sustainable magnesium oxide at a demonstration plant in Hazelwood North, Victoria, using proprietary technology to extract magnesium from Latrobe Valley brown coal fly ash. The process targets commercial production of both magnesium metal and supplementary cementitious material (SCM)-grade by-products, aiming to replace imported magnesia and reduce cement clinker content. For geotechnical and concrete practitioners, locally sourced MgO and SCM from waste ash could alter binder specifications, shrinkage control strategies, and durability mix designs in eastern Australia.

    Related Industries & Products

    Construction

    Quality control software for construction companies with material testing, batch tracking, and compliance management.

    Mining

    Geotechnical software solutions for mining operations including CMRR analysis, hydrogeological testing, and data management.

    QCDB-io

    Comprehensive quality control database for manufacturing, tunnelling, and civil construction with UCS testing, PSD analysis, and grout mix design management.

    AllGeotechnicalMiningInfrastructureMaterialsHazardsEnvironmentalSoftwarePolicy