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Southern Comments

GENERAL

Comments from August 28, 2026.

After a sleepy last six months when it comes to #2A&3A Oak prices in the South, this week’s upward movement for both Red and White Oak is notable. All green #2A&3A Red Oak listings increase for the second straight week, moving up a combined $30 per thousand board feet ($/MBF) over the last fortnight. Meanwhile, #2A&3A White Oak saw their first increases since last October. Before this week, there had been no changes to #2A&3A White Oak prices since early April.

One reason prices for Southern #2A&3A Oak have stagnated this year comes down to the impact of the crosstie downturn across the region amid controlled purchasing by area residential and truck trailer flooring plants. While tie treaters aren’t changing their buying habits yet, steady purchasing by Southern flooring plants combined with substantial purchases of Southern Oak by Appalachian flooring plants prompts the upward movement.

Elsewhere in the South, price firming for green Fas&1f Red and White Oak, continuing lackluster international demand for kiln dried Oak, and Iran war-related increases in freight costs were the main topics of conversation among Southern market participants.

ASH

After two consecutive weeks of increases for green 4/4 Fas&1f Ash, there are no changes to prices for uppers in this edition of HMR. The positive comments remained, however. “I only cut mill run, but I had a guy ring the other day wanting a load,” one sawmill operator told HMR/Fastmarkets. “He rang back a day later and said he wanted two.” Contacts point out decent demand for all grades, including #2A. Reported prices warrant gains for #2A in the 4/4 and 5/4 thicknesses once more. There are no price changes for kiln dried Ash this week.

BEECH

COTTONWOOD

MIXED HARDWOODS

SAP GUM

Sap Gum grade lumber does not have a wide range of applications. Among the limited number of producers and end users reporting prices this week and last, #1C information is decidedly lower, leading to declines for all thicknesses.

SOFT MAPLE

#2A&3A OAK

Prices in observed transactions drive increases to the green #2A&3A Red and White Oak listings, in all thicknesses 4/4 through 6/4. Macroeconomic pressures on household budgets could yet impact purchasing trends by residential and truck trailer flooring plants, but, for now, the upward movement is welcomed by Southern sawmill operators.

RED OAK

Apart from the second straight week of gains for #2A&3A Red Oak, reported prices reveal a bit more energy for green uppers. The 4/4 and 8/4 Fas&1f listings receive bumps this week. On the kiln dried side, reduced international interest results in decreases to the listings for 4/4 Fas, 5/4 Fas, and 4/4 #1C. Both ends of the ranges for 5/4 Fas also fall.

WHITE OAK

The market for White Oak uppers has been nearly as cool as that for #2A&3A in 2026. Yet, like the increases for #2A&3A, there is upward movement for all green 4/4 through 6/4 Fas&1f listings this week. Also, the 6/4 #1C listing climbs $20/MBF. Contacts attribute the gains entirely to limited production. The downturn in purchasing from China and Vietnam remains the major trend in the kiln dried White Oak market, driving reductions to the lower ends of the ranges for 4/4 #1C as well as the listings and upper ends of the ranges for 5/4 #1C.

PECAN & HICKORY

POPLAR

The market for green Southern Poplar is sluggish. Sawmills are not eager to cut the species due to difficulty generating profits. “I haven’t cut anything for two months,” one sawmill operator said. The green listings do not change this week. There is more movement for kiln dried lumber, with both price firming and softening. Lack of recent production and steady demand are bolstering prices for certain items, as reflected in increases to the 4/4 #1C&Btr and 8/4 Fas listings. The lower ends of the ranges for 4/4 Fas also advance. The listings for 5/4 and 8/4 #1C both retreat, as do the top sides of the ranges for 8/4 #1C.

FRAMESTOCK, CANTS, TIES, & BOARD ROAD

While crosstie quotas remain in place across the South, sawmills located west of the Mississippi River that supply tie treaters are reporting signs of loosening. Despite this, the ranges for all crossties, East and West, do not change this week. Markets for mat timbers, crane mats, and board road are still busy, but reported prices do not lead to any movement to the published listing and range for board road. The published figures for pallet cants also hold steady.

The ranges for Oak and Mixed Species framestock do not move, but prices gathered this week show increased demand for 4/4 Mixed Soft Hardwoods, which have their uses as framestock for some area secondary manufacturers.

Appalachian Comments

GENERAL

Comments from August 28, 2026

While demand for hardwoods typically slows in summer, this seasonal downturn is particularly difficult for several reasons. First, Chinese buyers are lowering their purchase prices for most species, and domestic demand isn’t strong enough to counter that downward price pressure, with US end users purchasing for short-term needs only. Second, the US-Iran war is hampering sales to many Middle Eastern destinations and keeping fuel prices and shipping costs elevated. Third, threatened and actual tariffs are causing widespread uncertainty. And last, kiln charges are turning faster in the summer heat, bolstering lumber supplies.

However, there are reasons to believe markets could be at least somewhat busier this fall. Poor logging conditions resulting from persistent rain have tightened log supplies in parts of the region, limiting production at certain mills. Additionally, European buyers typically replenish inventories coming off their summer holiday season, and Chinese demand tends to rise in October and November. And, perhaps, new severe financial sanctions the US just placed on Iran could speed up the end of that conflict and return some sense of normalcy. If demand turns marginally higher this fall, impacts on hardwood lumber availability and prices could be felt quickly, considering how much production capacity has come off the market through the first eight months of the year.

ASH

Markets for green and kiln dried Ash are performing well. Comments about this species are positive, including from a large distributor that says 4/4 through 6/4 Fas sales, in particular, are strong. The listings for 4/4 Fas and the high-end ranges for 6/4 Fas are raised, while all green figures remain intact.

BASSWOOD

Usually a steady species pricewise, there is additional downward movement in green 5/4 Fas&1f and 4/4 #1C prices this week, as reflected in reductions to those listings. This occurs as limited production exceeds even lower demand for those items. No changes are warranted to any kiln dried figures.

BEECH

BIRCH

CHERRY

Chinese demand for Cherry is falling quickly. Transactions reveal downward trending prices for most kiln dried items. The 4/4 #2A&Btr, 5/4 #1C&Btr, 6/4 Fas, and 8/4 #1C listings and ranges are lowered in each subregion, as are the low-end ranges for 8/4 Fas. Green changes only impact #1C prices. Reductions of $15 per thousand board feet ($/MBF) are warranted to 4/4 through 8/4 #1C in the North Central subregion and 5/4 through 8/4 #1C in the Appalachian subregion.

HICKORY

Interest in this species is down slightly from the strong levels seen earlier this summer. Many residential flooring plants, which typically buy all grades of 4/4 Hickory at a flat price, are highly engaged with suppliers. Meanwhile, concentration yards and other end users are offering slightly higher prices for 4/4 Fas&1f. The 4/4 Fas&1f and 4/4 through 8/4 #2B listings are raised to better reflect observed prices. All the kiln dried figures are in order.

HARD MAPLE

Tight-grained species are favored in cabinets that utilize solid wood. Accordingly, cabinet and component manufacturers purchase large volumes of Hard Maple. Demand from those sectors often increases in the spring then holds up well into the fall. However, cabinet sales volumes were down 7.0% in June 2026 compared with the same month last year, and down 10.7% for the year through June, according to the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association. Declining cabinet sales have weakened demand for this species. Contacts indicate Fas&1f are the slowest grades. Lower reported prices drive reductions to the green 5/4 through 8/4 Fas&1f listings in each color sort, as well as a decrease to the Unselected 4/4 #1C listing. Dry-side changes only impact Fas prices, with the listings for 6/4 and 8/4 Fas lowered in each color designation.

SOFT MAPLE

Drying operations report green Soft Maple is readily available. While reductions in prior weeks keep all Sap&Btr listings intact in this edition, incoming price reports warrant $20/MBF reductions to the Unselected 4/4 and 5/4 #1C listings. The only changes on the dry side lift the listings for Unselected 4/4 #2A.

#2&3A OAK

Though a sawmill manager described #2A&3A Red Oak prices as “heading in the right direction,” gathered information holds the 4/4 through 8/4 listings steady for the 11th consecutive week. The listing for #2A Alone is similarly unchanged. Some residential flooring plants need more #2A&3A Red Oak to support finished goods sales, but others do not. Meanwhile, contacts report consistent Red Oak sales to truck trailer flooring plants. Residential flooring plants are monitoring receipts of White Oak lumber as inventories of certain finished goods rise. However, #2A&3A White Oak are trading at steady prices this week.

RED OAK

Demand for this species, while substantial, is also constrained by global uncertainties, including trade fights and the US-Iran war. Many yards are actively lowering their green #1C&Btr purchase prices, attempting to maintain margins amid declining kiln dried prices. Prices in observed activity lower the kiln dried 4/4 #2A&Btr listings and ranges. Most output from green mills is shipping at prices closely aligned with the listings. 4/4 Fas&1f are exceptions, with information necessitating $20/MBF reductions to the listings. Including this week’s declines, the 4/4 Fas&1f listings have fallen by $70/MBF since mid-July.

WHITE OAK

Reported green 4/4 Fas&1f prices are retreating again after holding steady over the prior seven weeks, as reflected in $40/MBF reductions to the listings. Supplies of most kiln dried items are in line with the market’s needs. This includes 4/4 Fas, with a price floor emerging in mid-June and holding since. However, weakness is evident in recently reported 6/4 Fas and 5/4 #1C prices, prompting reductions to the listings and noted ranges.

POPLAR

Comments from concentration yard contacts indicate supplies of green 4/4 Fas&1f Poplar have tightened over the last two weeks. “We’re seeing less production out there recently. Now we’re paying more to get Fas&1f and we have to take some #1C to get the uppers,” said one yard manager. A second said, “We’re finding green Fas&1f difficult to purchase; several of our regular sources report they’ve avoided bringing in Poplar logs either due to high heat, heavy rains, or no money in sawing it.” No changes are required to any green figures this week, despite all the comments about tightening supplies. For kiln dried Poplar, lower reported prices drive reductions to the 5/4 Fas and 4/4 #1C listings and the low-end ranges for 5/4 and 6/4 Fas.

WALNUT

Walnut log exports were at record levels through the first six months of 2026, resulting in lower supplies of green lumber than in the past. All the green #2A&Btr Walnut listings remain in order, however. On the dry side, 4/4 Fas transactions are occurring at prices that lower the listings and bottom ends of the ranges. No changes are required to any other kiln dried figures.

FRAMESTOCK, CANTS, TIES, & BOARD ROAD

Demand for new furniture typically slows in the summer, when discretionary spending shifts to vacations and other non-essential items. Demand tends to rise again after vacation season. Oak and Mixed Species framestock sales volumes have increased of late, but more due to elevated prices for imported plywood than actual demand increases. No changes are required to the respective ranges.

The pallet industry is easily the strongest industrial sector and has been all year. Mills are having no issues moving their full cant production to end-users that continue to report fair-to-stronger pallet sales alongside adequate finished goods inventories. Reported cant prices have a slight upward bias that lifts the listing but keeps the range intact.

Buyers are limiting tie purchases through quotas because 7x9 crosstie insertions occurring during railroad merger discussions are down and are coming from elevated inventories at treating facilities. Transactions are occurring within the ranges for each subregion.

Board road production in the Appalachian region is controlled. The listing and range figures hold steady.

Northern Comments

GENERAL

Comments from August 28, 2026.

The Trump Administration’s new Section 338 tariffs on Canada went into effect on August 22. The tariffs placed 50% duties on various wood products. In the hardwood lumber category, products in the HTS 4407.99.02 classification appear to be affected, including Hickory, Walnut, and Alder, but most other hardwood species are not affected. A host of intermediary and secondary wood products will be subject to the tariffs, such as hardwood plywood, furniture, doors, moulding, and millwork.

As of this writing, Canada was set to announce retaliatory tariffs against the US “concentrated in sectors such as steel, dairy, appliances, agricultural equipment, pulp and paper, and electronics,” according to Prime Minister Mark Carney, who said they would go into effect on September 8.

As far as the nuts and bolts of the Northern market, things have been largely uneventful this week. The biggest news is bumps to certain #2A&3A Oak prices. The green #2A&3A White Oak listings post their first gains in more than three years. Meanwhile, kiln dried Fas Red Oak prices slumped further amid the continued slowdown in exports to China.

ASH

The Northern green #1C Ash listings fall across all thicknesses this week, retreating slightly from the highest levels in close to four years. Consistently strong demand and relatively firm prices are encouraging production of the species in the North, and increased supply is evident in reported green #1C prices. Both green and kiln dried Ash prices in the North have been trending higher since late 2025 but have largely plateaued since June. The spread of the Emerald Ash Borer has been limiting production of Ash, and contacts have reported solid demand for Ash throughout this summer, largely driven by exports to China. Recent comments from producers about kiln dried demand are still mostly positive, and the species remains a commonly listed best-seller. Prior adjustments have all other green and all kiln dried listings and ranges in order.

ASPEN

Aspen continues to move well for those Northern producers still cutting the species. Comments about demand have been mostly positive throughout the summer, and that has continued in recent weeks, as contacts are still receiving steady inquiries, especially for kiln dried #1C&Btr stock. Green Aspen prices moved sharply higher during the first quarter of 2026 but have been mostly steady since then. This week, lower reported prices necessitate decreases to the 4/4 Fas&Sel listings, the first downward movements in green Aspen prices this year. All other listings and ranges are unchanged.

BASSWOOD

The market for Basswood lacks energy in the Northern region. Comments about demand have mostly turned negative after being mixed earlier this summer. Several producers have listed Basswood among their worst-sellers in recent weeks, while at the same time the species hasn’t appeared on a single best-seller list. Northern Basswood prices have been steady-to-firmer over the course of this summer, largely on the back of limited production. All listings and range numbers are flat this week.

BEECH

BIRCH

Demand for Birch is slow, and most interest in kiln dried stock is focused on the Sap&Btr and Red color sorts. Producers cutting the species in Northeast Canada are struggling to move existing inventories. Many sawmills are avoiding cutting Birch altogether because of depressed prices. The lack of production has led to some recent upward movement in green #1C&Btr prices, but the market for Birch is still extremely weak from a producer’s perspective. The kiln dried listings are at or near the lowest levels in close to six years. No adjustments are in order for any listings or ranges this week.

NORTHERN SOFT GREY ELM

HARD MAPLE

Comments about Hard Maple demand in the Northern region are much more mixed recently than they were in late spring and early summer. Kiln dried #1&2 White #1C lumber is still moving well for most producers, but a slowdown in demand and building inventories for Fas items have recently been reported by producers in the Upper Midwest. This is evident in reported prices this week, which warrant decreases to the kiln dried 4/4 Fas listings in both color classifications. The low-end range numbers for kiln dried 4/4 #2A are also reduced in both color sorts. Green prices are steady again this week and have been flat throughout August following sharp declines earlier this summer. A flooring producer in Canada told HMR/Fastmarkets that flooring grades of Hard Maple are currently in excess supply in the North.

SOFT MAPLE

Most Northern producers are struggling to move and make a profit on Soft Maple. Demand has been slow for the species throughout this summer, with the main exception of Brown Fas, which has been hot this year. One major producer in the Upper Midwest noted a recent jump in demand for kiln dried Sap&Btr #1C, but this is an outlier amid otherwise negative or mediocre comments about Soft Maple business. Kiln dried #1C&Btr prices have fallen sharply over the course of this summer and are at the lowest levels since the spring of 2025. Notably, kiln dried #2A prices have bucked that trend and climbed higher, with the Sap&Btr 4/4 listing currently at the highest level since June 2024. Prior adjustments have all Northern Soft Maple listings and range numbers in order this week.

RED OAK

The kiln dried Fas Red Oak listings fall across all thicknesses this week, along with the noted Fas range numbers. Rising seasonal production and a slowdown in Chinese demand since early July have weighed on #1C&Btr Red Oak prices. The kiln dried 4/4 and 5/4 #2A listings, however, rise this week by $25 per thousand board feet ($/MBF), as firm domestic demand has allowed numerous producers to raise sales prices. On the green side, the 5/4 #2A&3A listings rise by $10/MBF. A flooring producer described supplies of #2A&3A Oak in the North as tight. Recent comments about demand from flooring plants have trended positive, and an upturn in #2A&3A Oak prices is also occurring in the South.

WHITE OAK

The green #2A&3A White Oak listings are raised across all thicknesses this week because of tight supplies and higher demand in the region. This marks the first increases to those listings since the spring of 2023. Reports suggest that strong demand and rising prices for pallet cants this summer are helping to limit supplies of low-grade Oak, as many sawmills have shifted production toward cants. The market for green #1C White Oak remains oversupplied, however, and the 4/4 through 6/4 listings are lowered. On the dry side, reported prices are consistent with prior weeks and hold all listings and ranges steady.

PALLET LUMBER, CANTS, TIES, & BOARD ROAD

The market for pallet lumber and cants keeps on chugging along. Contacts report strong demand and firm prices, necessitating gains to the 4/4 and 5/4 random-width pallet lumber listings and low-end range numbers. The cant listing holds steady at $560/MBF, the highest since March 2023, along with all other pallet cant and lumber figures.

Reported tie prices are consistent with prior weeks, holding the range steady. Northern sawmills are still benefiting from increased purchasing at a plant in Wisconsin.

No adjustments are in order for the board road listing or range this week amid steady market conditions.

Oak Strip Flooring Comments

General

Comments from August 28, 2026.

Oak strip flooring producers and their supplying sawmills inherently live in the “now” while also looking three to six months down the road, analyzing what can be done to improve quality, prices, profits, operations, and efficiencies. Looking back, one year ago in this case, also has value for gauging how the market has changed.

A year ago, we reported that the lack of price changes was indicative of a balanced marketplace for most items. Overall sales were stronger for Red Oak flooring than for White Oak. However, Southern 3¼” No. 1Com Red Oak was doggish, having fallen by $0.13 from early July through late August 2025. Now, extensive price changes this week and in prior weeks are indicative of demand for several Red Oak flooring items outpacing supply. Southern 3¼” No. 1Com Red Oak remains the exception, however, with published prices trending lower since mid-July.

Then, all published prices for Sel&Btr White Oak were $3.70, having held steady for months. Discounting wasn’t required to move Sel&Btr White Oak, and margin concerns were less acute for White Oak than Red Oak. Now, 3¼” Sel&Btr White Oak prices continue to slide, with a broad downward trend occurring across regions and widths almost the entire year. Price discounting has been commonplace, and margin concerns are as prevalent for White Oak as for Red Oak.

Then, flooring manufacturers were concerned that Red Oak finished goods prices weren’t keeping up with #2A&3A Red Oak lumber prices, as #2A&3A prices trended higher through most of 2025. Certain manufacturers were considering reducing Red Oak flooring production to avoid negative margins. Now, most Red Oak flooring prices have an upward bias, while Appalachian #2A&3A Red Oak prices haven’t budged for 11 weeks, after trending lower in prior months. Some manufacturers are increasing Red Oak flooring production.

Then, upward changes to flooring price ranges mainly occurred to the low-end figures, suggesting the market was compressing because baseline prices were rising but topline prices were capped. Now and in recent weeks, most increases have been occurring to both ends of the ranges, lifting the price floors and ceilings and indicating a stronger market, at least for Red Oak, than a year ago.

International Comments

GENERAL

Please see our graphs.