Cabinet manufacturers report steady demand, with hard maple and soft maple leading orders. Ash lumber shipments to Asia slipped a bit, though exporters still have solid orders for post-holiday periods.
As flooring and other users buy, competition for low-grade lumber in the South will be quite intense this winter. California launches a lumber tax Jan. 1, another factor in pricing, says Hardwood Review in this regional report summary.
Poplar demand hasn't deteriorated as summer ended. Increasing moulding and millwork demand in the U.S., plus China's demand, will hike upper-grade red oak prices, says Hardwood Review's Andy Johnson.
Our flooring sector forecast in April noted that red oak and white oak strip flooring prices and volumes had just begun to improve—after retreating for the prior 18 months. A six-month rebound should continue.
Lumber shortages for residential flooring manufacturers. Plus, hardwood lumber sales remain sluggish in a seasonal summer slowdown but are expected to pick up in the fall.