Combined Australian and New Zealand regional production capacity sits just short of 3.8 million tonnes of paper and board in mid-2021. The reduction of around 150,000 tonnes per annum, resulting from the Tasman (Norske Skog) closure at the end of June, would have been worse, if not for the recent… Read More
Woodchip Market Briefing: Chip exports down in May after big April
Australia’s woodchip exports slipped back in May, totalling 248.5 kbdmt (bone dried metric tonnes). Exporters appeared to be replenishing their stocks after exports in April lifted sharply and almost all export facilities were active in the market. Evidence of that includes just eleven vessels recorded leaving Australia in May, but… Read More
Log export bans and the implications for pulp
Exports of softwood logs from New Zealand have continued to grow, replacing supply from Australia after China banned Australia from its log market in late 2020. However, that doesn’t guarantee there is more wood available for pulp producers. In response to a client’s series of questions on wood fibre and… Read More
Log Exports – Softwood to India, Korea & Vietnam, Hardwood to Malaysia
Softwood Log Exports down 18.3%, shipments to India, Korea and Vietnam China’s exit from the Australian log exports market in late 2020 has had a clear impact on export volumes. A range of other countries in the Asian region are now in receipt of Australian softwood log shipments, albeit at… Read More
Annual Woodchip exports down 16.1% year-ended May 2021
Australia’s combined annual exports of hardwood and softwood woodchips for the year-ended May 2021 were recorded at 4.544 million bone dried metric tonnes (bdmt), 16.1% lower than the prior year. Monthly export volumes had been trending downward until the middle of 2020, then started to increase after ‘confidentiality’ restrictions were… Read More
Softwood log exports remain lower as prices soften
Australia’s average softwood log export price slumped to a reported AUDFob109/m3 in May 2021, down 16% on the prior month. Exports totalled 158,095 m3 lifting from the prior month, but still 51% lower than exports in May 2020 at the absolute height of the pandemic. The driver for the decline, of… Read More
Unbuildable: Australia’s demand for new houses is out of control
GEELONG, Australia: Australia’s pipeline of home building activity is at record levels and growing at its fastest ever pace. Already besieged by literally unprecedented demand, the entire building supply chain is short of the materials and the labour it needs to meet the stimulus-fuelled demand. For Australia’s timber and wood… Read More
Woodchip Market Briefing: Exports hit twenty-month high as demand firms
Australia’s woodchip exports lifted to a twenty-month high in April, totalling 583.1 kbdmt (bone dried metric tonnes). Solid demand from both China and Japan underpinned the exports, as pulp producers in both countries responded to strong demand from paper producers and sought to replenish their own supply chains. Hardwood chip… Read More
Newsprint recovery rate holds up
Australia’s newsprint recovery and recycling rate was 65.6% in 2020, according to the latest report from industry body ThinkNewsBrands*. With newsprint consumption by major publishers falling for the tenth successive year, maintaining a relatively high recovery and recycling rate is ever more challenging for the sector. Based on surveys throughout… Read More
Annual Woodchip exports down 19.4% year-ended April 2021
Australia’s combined annual exports of hardwood and softwood woodchips for the year-ended April 2021 were recorded at 4.618 million bone dried metric tonnes (bdmt), 19.4% lower than the prior year. Monthly export volumes had been trending downward until the middle of 2020, however since ‘confidentiality’ restrictions were introduced, shipments have… Read More