Get Your Quotation

  Home:  Global Wood   Industry News & Markets

China Wood Products Prices
¡¡

16 – 31th May  2020


US Dollar Exchange Rates of  25th  May 2020
China Yuan 7.1693

Report from China 

  Real estate sales in the first four months of 2020
China¡¯s National Bureau of Statistics has reported that
investment in real estate development in the first four
months of 2020 was down 3.3% year on year and
investment in residential buildings dropped over 4% in the
same period. The value of land purchased for real estate
development in the first four months of 2020 was 12%
lower than in the same period in 2019.


See:
http://www.stats.gov.cn/english/PressRelease/202005/t20200518_1745962.html

Dramatic decline in log imports from ASEAN
China Customs data is showing that China¡¯s log imports
from ASEAN in the first quarter of 2020 were 14,209
cubic metres valued at US$16.5 million, a drastic decline
of over 90% in both value and volume compared to the
same period in 2019.


First quarter 2020 log imports from the main ASEAN
countries; Laos 7,417 cubic metres, Vietnam 1,753 cubic
metres, Cambodia 1,733 cubic metres and Indonesia 1,286
cubic metres were over 90% less than a year earlier.

China¡¯s log imports from ASEAN in 2019 totalled
179,468 cubic metres valued at US$174 million, down
34% in value and 29% in value respectively over 2018. In
2019 China¡¯s log imports from Laos dropped 30%,
Cambodia (-56%), Malaysia (-62%) and Vietnam (-62%).


Sharp decline in sawnwood imports from ASEAN
According to China Customs sawnwood imports from
ASEAN countries in the first quarter of 2020 totalled
862,056 cubic metres valued at US$254 million, down
81% in volume and 82% in value respectively over the
same period of 2019.


Over 75% of China¡¯s sawnwood imports are sourced from
Thailand alone and in the first quarter of 2020 they
totalled 675,457 cubic metres valued at US$186 million,
down 81% in volume and 82% in value respectively. A
further 7% of China¡¯s sawnwood imports come from the
Philippines (62,712 cubic metres valued at US$6 million)
but here too there was an over 80% decline in the first
quarter.

China¡¯s sawnwood imports from ASEAN in 2019 came to
4.64 million cubic metres valued at US$1.43 billion, down
18% in value and 28% in value over 2018.


In 2019, 77% of China¡¯s sawnwood imports were
imported from Thailand (3.59 million cubic metres valued
at US$1.04 billion) but there was a year on year decline of
19% in volume and 26% in value. In 2019 a further 8% of
China¡¯s sawnwood imports were sourced in the
Philippines and amounted to 378,619 cubic metres valued
at US$46 million, up 18% in volume and 5% in value year
on year.


Rise in plywood imports from Vietnam in 2019
China¡¯s plywood imports from ASEAN in 2019 fell to
49,424 cubic metres valued at US$26.28 million, down
26% in value and 23% in value over 2018.


Imports from the main supply countries of ASEAN,
Malaysia and Indonesia declined in 2019. Imports from
Malaysia dropped 39% and from Indonesia there was a
decline of 24% (22,948 cubic metres and 21,074 cubic
metres respectively).


However, China¡¯s plywood imports from Vietnam in 2019
rose substantially in 2019 to 5,273 cubic metres.


Due to the impact of the pandemic, China¡¯s plywood
imports from ASEAN in the first quarter 2020 fell
dramatically to 9,840 cubic metres valued at US$4.66
million, down 80% in volume and 82% in value over the
same period of 2019.

Dramatic rise in plywood exports to Myanmar in 2019
China¡¯s plywood exports rose to ASEAN countries in
2019 and totalled 4.5 million cubic metres valued at
US$1.01 billion, up 79% in volume but only 1% in value
over 2018.

Over 75% of China¡¯s plywood exports to ASEAN
countries were shipped to Myanmar, the Philippines and
Vietnam. Shipments to Myanmar rose dramatically to 1.87
million cubic metres, to Vietnam shipments rose 23% to
615,585 cubic metres.


However, China¡¯s plywood exports to the Philippines fell
2% to 1 million cubic metres in 2019.


In the first quarter 2020 China¡¯s plywood exports to
ASEAN fell dramatically to 418,415 cubic metres valued
at US$163 million, down 91% in volume and 84% in
value over the same period of 2019.


The main ASEAN importers (84%) of China¡¯s plywood
were the Philippines (130,812 cubic metres), Vietnam
(105,299 cubic metres), Malaysia (60,007 cubic metres)
and Thailand (57,235 cubic metres).


Furniture trade with ASEAN
The value of China¡¯s furniture imports from ASEAN
suddenly declined over 85% to US$30.95 million in the
first quarter of 2020. The main supply countries in
ASEAN, such as Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia
and Laos saw exports plummet; Vietnam -90%, Malaysia
-87%, Thailand -84%, Indonesia -85% and Laos -87%.


The value of China¡¯s furniture imports in 2019 from
ASEAN countries also fell year on year dropping 19% to
US$2.62 billion. The main shippers in ASEAN, such as
Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Laos saw
declines of 26%, 1%, 2%, 32% and 15% respectively.
Vietnam is the top furniture supplier to China accounting
for 42% in the first quarter of 2020 and 51% in 2019.


The value of China¡¯s furniture exports to ASEAN also
dropped sharply (-81%) to US$210 million in the first
quarter of 2020. Exports to Malaysia fell 75%, to the
Philippines -82%, to Singapore -86%, to Indonesia -79%,
to Thailand -81% and to Vietnam -89%.


In 2019 the value of China¡¯s furniture exports to ASEAN
were down 9% to US$1.115 with 96% of shipments being
made to Malaysia US$297 million, Singapore US$230
million, the Philippines US$193 million and Indonesia
US$122 million. However, the value of China¡¯s furniture
exports to Thailand and Vietnam rose 5% and 10%
respectively.


China/ASEAN particleboard trade
China¡¯s particleboard imports from ASEAN in the first
quarter of 2020 were 49,828 tonnes valued at US$11.29
million, down 83% both in volume and in value. Thailand
and Malaysia were the main ASEAN suppliers accounting
for 65% and 33% of all imports from ASEAN countries.


In 2019 China¡¯s particleboard imports from ASEAN were
297,651 tonnes valued at US$67.59 million, down 26% in
volume and 31% in value. The suppliers were Thailand
(158,340 tonnes) and Malaysia (117,650 tonnes).


In contrast, China¡¯s particleboard exports to ASEAN in
2019, at 46,989 tonnes valued at US$25.72 million, were
up 60% in volume and 21% in value year on year. China¡¯s
particleboard exports to ASEAN amounted to 9,840
tonnes valued at US$5.73 million, down 79% in volume
and 78% in value respectively in the first quarter of 2020.

Abbreviations

LM        Loyale Merchant, a grade of log parcel  Cu.m         Cubic Metre
QS         Qualite Superieure    Koku         0.278 Cu.m or 120BF
CI          Choix Industriel                                                       FFR            French Franc
CE         Choix Economique                                                        SQ              Sawmill Quality
CS         Choix Supplimentaire      SSQ            Select Sawmill Quality
FOB      Free-on-Board     FAS            Sawnwood Grade First and
KD        Kiln Dry                               Second 
AD        Air Dry        WBP           Water and Boil Proof
Boule    A Log Sawn Through and Through MR              Moisture Resistant
              the boards from one log are bundled                      pc         per piece      
              together                      ea                each      
BB/CC  Grade B faced and Grade C backed MBF           1000 Board Feet          
              Plywood   MDF           Medium Density Fibreboard
BF         Board Foot F.CFA         CFA Franc        
Sq.Ft     Square Foot               Price has moved up or down

Source:ITTO'  Tropical Timber Market Report

CopyRight (C) Global Wood Trade Network. All rights reserved.