Melbourne, AUSTRALIA: Analysis of data released today shows Australia’s woodchip exports totalled 6.705 million bone dried metric tonnes (bdmt) in 2018-19, rising 4.9% on the prior year.

Prices over the year averaged AUD $213.49/bdmt on an FOB basis, or USD $152.61/bdmt. In Australian dollar terms, prices were up 17.0% compared to the prior year.

Over the year, exports to China were stable at 3.892 million bdmt, while Australia’s shipments to Japan fell 6.5% to 2.020 million bdmt.

In 2017-18, shipments to China and Japan accounted for 94.7% of total exports. By 2018-19, that proportion had declined to 88.2%, underscoring the emerging diversification of demand for wood fibre, the maturing of the main markets and the softening of once insatiable demand growth in China.

If there is one development of real significance in the headline woodchip export data, it is the now irrefutable price leadership of the Chinese market. Exports to China averaged USD $157.19/bdmt, 10.8% higher than the USD $141.84/bdmt average for exports into Japan.

Details and IndustryEdge’s market leading analysis will be available in the monthly Wood Market Edge, due to be released in late August 2019. Full details are available only from IndustryEdge’s monthly wood market data service.