Comments from August 21, 2026
Green lumber producers are now reporting flat-to-slower sales, downshifting from decidedly fair reports in prior weeks. Kiln dried sales are tepid domestically and slowing to China. Certain sellers acknowledge they are accepting zero or negative margins to keep lumber moving and mitigate concerns about inventory growth.
Demand remains sluggish for Hard and Soft Maple, while Chinese interest in Cherry is rapidly slowing. Most mills and yards are able to move Poplar at or near current published prices. Upward price pressure is evident in reported green Hickory prices, but downward pressure is evident for thicker-stock Fas Red Oak, due partly to ongoing difficulties shipping to the Middle East. The pallet industry remains the strongest industrial sector: Markets are readily absorbing the additional production resulting from many mills double canting Poplar and Soft Maple logs.
ASH: Some yards would like to increase their green Ash receipts because what they bring in green moves kiln dried with no issues. However, additional procurement is restrained by the impacts of the Emerald Ash Borer on resource availability. Reported green prices are stable, keeping all listings intact. Reported prices for kiln dried Fas Ash are advancing. The listings and noted ranges for 4/4 through 8/4 Fas are raised accordingly.
BASSWOOD: Even though Basswood accounts for a small share of total sawmill production in the Appalachian region, supplies of green 4/4 #1C&Btr and 5/4 Fas&1f exceed demand, and the respective listings are reduced. No changes are warranted to the remaining green listings or any kiln dried figures.
CHERRY: Comments about Cherry share a similar theme: Chinese demand has slowed considerably in recent weeks, prompting inventory growth and resulting in downward price movement for certain kiln dried items, mainly in the North Central subregion. The North Central 4/4 #2A&Btr listings and noted range figures are reduced, while the only changes in the Appalachian subregion subtract from the low-end ranges for 6/4 #1C. Incoming green prices hold all listings intact across subregions.
HICKORY: Despite scattered reports that interest in Hickory is slowing from strong levels, demand for most green items is readily absorbing current production. Increases are warranted to the listings for 5/4 through 8/4 #1C&Btr and all #2B items. No changes are in order for the kiln dried figures, continuing the recent trend of green price growth not carrying over to kiln dried stock. That said, the reverse was true at times in prior months.
HARD MAPLE: By controlling purchases of logs and lumber, respectively, mills and concentration yards had temporarily reduced production enough to alleviate inventory growth and related downward price pressures for Hard Maple. More recently, however, markets have stagnated for some sellers and worsened for others, reigniting concerns about inventory growth and price deflation. Fas&1f are the slowest grades, and downward price movements in reported activity are considerable. In green, the 4/4 through 8/4 Fas&1f listings are reduced in both color classifications, as are the Unselected 4/4 #1C, #2A, and #3A figures. Likewise, in kiln dried markets, lower reported prices primarily impact the upper grades. The listings and noted ranges for 4/4, 6/4, and 8/4 Fas fall back in each color sort, along with the listings and ranges for 4/4 #2A. The low-end ranges for #1&2 White 5/4 Fas also decline.
SOFT MAPLE: Reports continue to show limited demand for this species. Green supplies are meeting or exceeding the market’s needs across both color sorts. Previous reductions have all the Fas&1f listings in order, whereas the Sap&Btr and Unselected 4/4 through 8/4 #1C and 4/4 #2A listings are reduced to better align with information gathered this week. While kiln dried prices are also softening, the only additional changes to the published figures in this edition reduce the range numbers for Unselected 5/4 #2A.
#2A&3A OAK: Some residential flooring plants are not receiving as much #2A&3A Red Oak as they would like, while others are purchasing at replacement levels. Finished goods sales are notably stronger for Red Oak than White Oak flooring. The #2A&3A and #2A Alone Red Oak listings hold steady again this week. Meanwhile, reports indicate #2A&3A White Oak are readily available, with domestic flooring plants and other end users routinely fielding calls from mills having to work harder to move their full production. Last week’s reductions are sufficient to keep the 4/4 #2A&3A White Oak listings intact this week. The listings for thicker stock #2A&3A White Oak also stand pat.
RED OAK: Surveys indicate shipments of green Red Oak are decent to concentration yards and both residential and truck trailer flooring plants. Following reductions to certain items in prior weeks, green #3A&Btr prices are holding steady for now, with no changes required to any of the listings. The Chinese market is consuming less kiln dried Red Oak of late but still anchors demand because domestic business is too limited for sellers to have much leverage over foreign buyers. Difficulty shipping Red Oak to the Middle East has also resulted in larger volumes of thicker-stock Red Oak being offered to Asian markets at reduced prices. Observed transactions lower the listings and noted range figures for 4/4 #1C&Btr, 6/4 Fas, and 8/4 Fas. The high-side ranges for 6/4 #1C are reduced as well.
WHITE OAK: Yards that are buying green White Oak are targeting 9-foot and longer Fas&1f but continue to avoid shorter lengths. Those that typically welcome healthy amounts of green #1C are now limiting receipts and lowering purchase prices amid slower kiln dried sales to global markets in July and August. Kiln dried 4/4 #1C and 5/4 #1C White Oak prices have a clear downward bias, prompting reductions of $50/MBF and $20/MBF, respectively, to the net listings. The ranges for 5/4 #1C also retreat. Conversely, price reports justify $75/MBF gains to the listings for kiln dried 8/4 #1C. On the green side, the listings for 6/4 through 8/4 Fas&1f and 5/4 #1C warrant reductions, and all the WHND figures are lowered to more closely align with market conditions for those items.
POPLAR: Combined domestic and export demand is keeping green and kiln dried Poplar moving reasonably well. Sales have required more work, however, with producers occasionally noting #2A&Btr inventory accumulations. Sellers are ignoring many low-priced offers for kiln dried stock while acknowledging that some loads are moving at below-list prices for inventory management and cash flow purposes. The green 4/4 #1C listing is reduced by $15/MBF, but all other listings are unchanged. Lower reported prices drive small decreases to the kiln dried 5/4 through 8/4 Fas listings.
WALNUT: Most green #2A&Btr Walnut listings remain in order. However, 5/4 Fas&1f trading is occurring at higher prices that lift the listings by $15/MBF. Contacts indicate kiln dried markets have become more active of late, but more so for #2A than for Fas or #1C. Pricing information received this week decreases the 4/4 Fas listings and ranges and the low-end ranges for 4/4 #1C.
FRAMESTOCK, CANTS, TIES, & BOARD ROAD: Despite modest growth in demand resulting from duties on imported plywood, shipments of framestock to upholstered furniture manufacturers are still relatively low. Reported prices keep the range figures intact.
Comments about cant sales are positive. Certain sawmills are receiving higher cant prices despite reduced competition from tie markets for material from the center of the log. Pallet plants have decent sales and most have adequate raw material inventories. The cant listing and range are reflective of most trading activity.
Considerably more contacts have reported fair demand than have reported slow demand for crossties in recent weeks. This constitutes an improvement over prior weeks. Despite this, reported tie prices are still well represented by the 7×9 ranges in both subregions.
Activity for board road is flat. Reported prices hold the listing and high-end range in check but lift the low-end.