Random Lengths

Updated every Friday afternoon at 2:00 pm (Pacific Time). Last update: August 27, 2010.

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Random Lengths Lumber and Panel Market Report

Go to: Lumber Report |Panel Report | Industry News in Through a Knothole

This report contains brief excerpts from our full 12-page newsletter, which includes prices of more than 1,600 lumber and panel items, plus detailed summaries of market activity. Contact Random Lengths for a free sample issue.

Random Lengths Lumber Market Report

Framing lumber prices carried some momentum from the previous week into early trading.   But midweek news that U.S. sales of new and pre-owned homes hit record lows in July quashed much of that momentum.   Reduced operating schedules, order files booked last week, and sales to offshore markets helped to support mill prices.   Nonetheless, traders widely expressed worries about the U.S. economy, especially as they looked ahead to the winter months.   The Random Lengths Framing Lumber Composite edged higher.

Random Lengths Panel Market Report

Prices of structural panels were a mixed bag.   It was a grind-it-out week in OSB, and prices were flat to slightly lower.   Prices gave ground in Canada and the West, but held on tenuously in other regions.   Encroaching order files left some mills more receptive to counters than in previous weeks.   Although sales of Southern Pine and western Fir plywood were on the spotty side, prices edged higher.   Most traders cited order files that had extended in September as the reason plywood markets were able to post modest gains.

Industry News In "Through A Knothole"

Below are headlines of recent articles in the "Through A Knothole" section of our full 12-page newsletter, featuring articles of interest to the industry, including production/price trends, market analysis, trade issues, timber supplies, and much more. Contact Random Lengths for a free sample issue.

• This Week in the "Through a Knothole" Section of Random Lengths

• Chinese imports of softwood lumber from Canada are a growing influence on the market, accounting for about 12% of British Columbia’s production this year.
• Supplies of softwood lumber to the U.S. market during the first half of 2010 were up 3.5% from the same period of 2009.
• Lumber manufacturers’ decisions to pull the plug on production involve more than bottom-line arithmetic.
• Western Red Cedar producers have been struggling with the mill return on bevel and tongue-and-groove sidings for several years, but opting out of the market is not an option.