Two lumber providers in the Midwest judged the markets in their areas to be “strong,” but another source found that the market had “slowed down.” Starting with the latter, in South Dakota, this source said, “Sales have slowed down since summer with the cooler weather, but it’s not totally shut off at this point.”
The market was slower than it had been six months before. “I wouldn’t necessarily say the market is better or worse,” the South Dakota source observed. “It coincides with the time of year that it is.” He offers SPF, Hem Fir, Southern Yellow Pine and Ponderosa Pine. The best seller “depends on the customer,” he noted. “SPF is usually the main one.” His customers are retail lumberyards. “Quite a few of them are still busy yet, with projects going on,” he stated. “But we don’t have any snow on the ground. I think it’s all dependent upon the weather.”
Transportation is an issue, he said. “A lot of things are behind schedule because of transportation. We’re getting things late because of transportation issues.”
“The market is staying strong,” commented a lumber provider in Texas. “It has not slowed down much. It’s staying steady.”
The market is the same as it was six months earlier. “It’s been steady throughout the year,” he stated. He provides Doug Fir and Western Red Cedar to his customers, with Doug Fir being the better seller. The retail lumberyards to which he sells lumber “are all staying busy as ever,” he noted. “Nothing has slowed down for many of them.”
As for transportation, “The railroads are always affecting our business. I had a rail car the other day in Oklahoma. It was supposed to get to me in a day or two. It blew right by me, went to several other towns and got to me much later. I’ve trucked in more this year, because of the railroads. I can’t wait on it.”
In Iowa, the market is “pretty strong,” better than it had been six months earlier, said a lumber provider. He sells SPF in No. 2 and Better and Select Structural to end users. “Most of them are contractors, and they seem to be very busy right now,” he stated.
Transportation is troublesome for him, too. “It’s been tough to get product in here on a timely fashion,” he observed. “The lead times have gotten pushed out extensively further than what they normally are.”
