USA – In 2020, the construction boom in the U.S. set off an unprecedented demand for sawnwood, outpacing the rate of recovery from disruptions due to Covid.

With stocks depleting, product prices have skyrocketed over the previous year. From February 2021, lumber mill utilization began to fall following a softened activity in the construction sector.

The construction boom in the U.S. has driven a record demand for sawnwood in 2020. Throughout the year lumber mills were at 80-90% utilization. Sawnwood production increased by 5% y-o-y compared to 2019 and reached 71M tonnes.

Lumber futures on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange peaked at USD 1,515 in May 2021, up 300% from the same period in 2020.

The U.S. sawmill product market was estimated at USD 28.7B in 2020, increasing by 4.1% against the previous year. This figure reflects the total revenues of producers and importers. The market value increased at an average annual rate of +4.5% from 2013 to 2020.