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Southern Comments

MIXED HARDWOODS

SOFT MAPLE

#2A&3A OAK

Despite flat to lower #2A&3A Oak purchases by residential flooring manufacturers in the South, those in the Appalachian region have been buying considerable volumes from the area. Truck trailer flooring plants in both regions are also purchasing fair amounts of Southern #2A&3A Oak. Supply shortages, especially for Red Oak, are being felt by both sectors. Prices in observed transactions drive increases for all thicknesses of #2A&3A Red Oak this week. All the #2A&3A White Oak listings stand.

RED OAK

Red Oak is recognized as the most difficult log species for Southern sawmill operators to procure and saw profitably at present. Decreased supply, cast against steady demand, has shown up in reported prices, leading to increases for 5/4 through 8/4 #1C and all published thicknesses of #2A&3A. On the kiln dried side, the listings for 4/4 #1C notch gains. International interest in Southern Red Oak is not great, but inventories of #1C are rather low.

WHITE OAK

Despite low log supplies across the South, White Oak remains more available than Red Oak, and demand is balanced with what is being produced. In kiln dried markets, there has been a slight but meaningful increase in international interest. One export contact indicated that elevated demand from Europe is behind this. The listings for 4/4 #1C, 5/4 #1C, and 5/4 #2A all increase, along with the lower ends of the ranges for 5/4 #1C and upper ends of the ranges for 5/4 #2A.

FRAMESTOCK, CANTS, TIES, & BOARD ROAD

HMR attended the annual Railway Tie Association conference in Fort Lauderdale last week. Recently increased purchasing by tie treaters meant the mood in the room was better than it would have been during the summer, but attendees reflected that it has been a tough year for green tie suppliers.

Heads of railway tie procurement all reported that next year’s purchases will be consistent with recent years, but it is understood that almost all sit on healthy inventories heading into the end of 2026. Given the issues with winter log supply and active industrial markets, several tie contacts wondered if this may lead to a tie supply squeeze in the opening months of 2027. There are no changes to the ranges for 7x9 crossties this week.

The Oak and Mixed Species framestock ranges remain unchanged. Demand for Southern pallet cants has increased of late, with reported prices lifting the listing. The range stands pat. Energy remains in the mat timber and board road markets, but no changes are necessary for the board road listing or range in this issue. “Mat prices are firming up as projects are being approved and getting kicked off,” one Southern industrials producer said.

Northern Comments

HARD MAPLE

Prices for kiln dried Fas Hard Maple have trended down in the North since August, and that continues this week. All those listings fall again, along with the high ends of the #1&2 White 6/4 ranges. The net tally #1&2 White 4/4 Fas listing is down by $175 per thousand board feet ($/MBF) since August 14 due to persistent oversupply. Fas prices in the Appalachian region have experienced a similar slide. All kiln dried #1C and #2A listings hold steady this week amid consistent reported prices. On the green side, the 4/4 #1C listings are raised slightly in each color sort. Those listings hadn’t posted any gains in close to four months and, even after the bumps, are roughly 10% lower now than in mid-July.

SOFT MAPLE

Northern producers are having to further lower prices to move kiln dried Fas Soft Maple, prompting another round of reductions to the 4/4 listings in both color sorts and to the high ends of the Sap&Btr ranges. The Sap&Btr 4/4 Fas net tally listing is now $490/MBF below its year-to-date high and is at its lowest level in roughly two-and-a-half years. The green Sap&Btr 4/4 Fas&Sel listings also retreat. Demand has been lacking for Sap&Btr and Unselected Soft Maple uppers throughout 2026. Conversely, demand has been good for Brown uppers, which are “gone instantly,” according to one producer in the Upper Midwest. Like Hard Maple, markets for #1C and #2A Soft Maple are currently more stable and seeing better demand than Fas. All #1C, #2A, and #2B listings and ranges are unmoved this week.

RED OAK

All Red Oak listings and ranges are unchanged for both green and kiln dried stock in the Northern region. Prices for kiln dried #1C&Btr Red Oak slumped during the second half of the summer but have so far held steady during the fall and are roughly in line with year-ago levels. Kiln dried Red Oak is still moving well domestically for most Northern producers, which is easing the pressure on prices caused by continued weak Chinese demand. Green #1C&Btr prices have also stabilized, as those listings are now unchanged for three straight weeks. Meanwhile, prices for green #2A&3A Red Oak are edging higher, driven by supply tightness in low-grade lumber markets, although no changes are warranted to the listings at this time.

WHITE OAK

The Northern green 4/4 #2A&3A White Oak listings rise by $15/MBF this week after several contacts recently reported firmer prices for those items. The gains put those listings even with or above green #2A&3A Red Oak. Before this week, HMR/Fastmarkets had listed green #2A&3A Red Oak above White Oak since early June. Otherwise, all listings and ranges hold steady amid consistent reported prices. In general, it seems green prices have found a floor; the 4/4 Fas listing is unchanged for five straight weeks. On the dry side, #1C and #2A prices have been similarly steady, while Fas prices have trended higher recently, with the 4/4 listing posting three gains since August. Up until the middle of this year, Northern White Oak prices had been under persistent pressure since early 2025, due to higher production resulting from reduced log consumption by the barrel stave industry.

PALLET LUMBER, CANTS, TIES, & BOARD ROAD

Pallet cants and rail ties are moving well for producers in the Northern region, but prices for those items haven’t seen any more upside recently. All the listings and range numbers for pallet materials and crossties are again unmoved.

For board road, the Northern listing and range are raised, as steady demand is outstripping tightening supply. Contacts report solid orderbooks for the fall, while the red-hot crosstie and pallet cant markets and dwindling log supplies are cutting into available materials to produce mats. One producer in the Midwest said that they recently had to stop their mill for two days due to a lack of logs.