CHINA - In the first six months of 2020, China’s particleboard imports were 298,586 tons valued at USD 100 million.

Up 15% in volume and 8% in value and this was despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on trade,  according to ITTO (International Tropical Timber Organization) report.

The major suppliers of particleboard imports in the first half of 2020 were Thailand, Brazil, Romania, Malaysia and Russia. Imports only declined from Malaysia (-4%) while imports from Thailand (+8%, 74,000 tons), Brazil (+6%, 48,000 tons) and Romania (+17%, 48,000 tons) went up.

China’s particleboard imports from Russia surged to almost 32,000 tons because Chinese companies have built plants in Russia and export to China.

The US is no longer a major supplier of particleboard to China as a result of the current trade dispute. China’s particleboard imports from the US plunged 84% in the first half of 2020.