China's Share Of Hardwood Plywood Imports Falls
China's share of U.S. hardwood plywood imports dropped to 18% in January, a dramatic change from its 60% share in January 2017 before the U.S. imposed antidumping and countervailing duties. Indonesia, Vietnam, and Cambodia gained the most share but are still relatively small. Plywood imports from Indonesia were 29% higher than in January 2017 and the value increased by 40%. Imports of solid and engineered wood flooring declined from the previous month.
Following 3 years of recovery, EU imports of hardwood veneer from the tropics declined 6% to 310,000 cubic meters in 2017 while imports of veneer from temperate countries rose 17% to 262,000 cubic meters in 2017. Imports from Ukraine and Russia led temperate veneer imports, driven in part by weak exchange rates.