IN Brief:
- Total UK timber and panel imports reached 9.1 million m³ in 2025, down 2.2% on the year.
- Softwood and MDF weakened, while plywood, particleboard and several engineered wood products recorded growth.
- The latest figures point to selective demand rather than uniform decline across timber product categories.
Timber Development UK has reported total UK timber and panel product imports of 9.1 million m³ for 2025, down 2.2% on 2024 and the lowest annual volume recorded for around a decade. Fourth-quarter volumes also fell year on year, although they remained stronger than the closing quarters seen in 2022 and 2023.
Softwood remained the dominant imported product, accounting for about 61% of total volume, but shipments fell 4% to 5.55 million m³. Average imported softwood prices rose to £289 per m³ from £256 per m³ in 2024. Elsewhere, the picture was mixed: hardwood imports were broadly stable, plywood rose 10.1% to 1.32 million m³, particleboard increased 10.1% to 637,000 m³, and OSB was effectively flat. MDF moved sharply lower, dropping 23% to 544,000 m³.
Several engineered wood products also grew during the year, with laminated veneer lumber up 17.4%, glulam up 9.7% and I-beam imports up 10.3%, while cross-laminated timber fell 23.6%. The split suggests demand remained selective rather than absent, with specialist engineered categories holding up better than some mainstream volumes. TDUK’s latest market update is available here.
