Elevated freight costs, domestic demand squeezed by inflation and economic uncertainty, and apprehensive overseas customers have helped create a hardwood market that is quite chilly in the South. “The market is absolutely flat,” a Southern sawmill operator said. “We have the exact same numbers as last month. People are tentative; it’s this war and the price of diesel that’s doing it.”
Contacts say that the best performers in the region right now are White Oak and Ash, though that appears to be relative given how static things are. International demand remains consistent but is hardly lighting anyone’s hair on fire. “It feels like people are waiting for this war to end before really spending money again,” the sawmill operator concluded.
Southern Comments
GENERAL
Comments from June 5, 2026.
Elevated freight costs, domestic demand squeezed by inflation and economic uncertainty, and apprehensive overseas customers have helped create a hardwood market that is quite chilly in the South. “The market is absolutely flat,” a Southern sawmill operator said. “We have the exact same numbers as last month. People are tentative; it’s this war and the price of diesel that’s doing it.”
Contacts say that the best performers in the region right now are White Oak and Ash, though that appears to be relative given how static things are. International demand remains consistent but is hardly lighting anyone’s hair on fire. “It feels like people are waiting for this war to end before really spending money again,” the sawmill operator concluded.