BRAZIL- Brazilian wood-based panel exports experienced a decline in the third quarter of 2023 (3Q-2023), according to the Brazilian Tree Industry (IBA).

In that period, the consumption of wood-based panels (Particleboard/MDP, MDF/HDF and Hardboard) in Brazil was 1.87 million m3, showing a slight increase of 1.7% compared to the 1.84 million m3 reached in 3Q-2022.

In terms of export values, in the first nine months of 2023 (9M-2023) Brazilian wood-based panels reached USD 224.5 million, registering a significant drop of 45% compared to the USD 408.5 million exported in the same period of 2022 by Brazilian wood-based panel manufacturers.

Latin America maintained its position as the main regional export market for Brazilian wood-based panels in 9M-2023, with USD 122.1 million (9M-2022: USD 173.1 million), experiencing a decrease of 29.5%. It was followed by the North American market, which suffered a sharp drop of 67.9%, with USD 55.4 million (9M-2022: USD 172.6 million).

In 9M-2023, the volumes exported by Brazilian wood-based panel manufacturers showed a decrease of 39.1%, reaching 761 thousand m3 compared to 1.24 million m3 exported in 9M-2022.