According to the latest data provided by BEIS (Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy), the price of imported sawn or planed timber jumped by more than a fifth between June and July, it is currently 64 per cent more expensive than it was in July 2020.
Imported plywood was up 12% more in July than in June and up 82% over the past year.
‘Both private housing and RM&I need plenty of softwood timber, and these are the two sectors that, along with infrastructure, have been leading demand within a resurgent construction industry. At the same time, supply has become tighter in July as sawmills and timber production facilities in Sweden and other European countries close for essential summer maintenance.” said David Hopkins, the chief executive of the Timber Trade Federation (TTF).
Timber has consistently been one of the materials facing the most severe shortages and prices hikes.
A new survey has revealed that three out of five SMEs say the current materials shortages and inflation are a “significant threat” to their businesses.
Read more: https://www.constructionnews.co.uk/supply-chain/timber-prices-jump-23-in-a-month-02-09-2021/