Lake States Business Trends 2025 – Tariffs And A Mixed Market Concerns Lake States Sources
According to lumber sources in the Lake States before this press release, the summer months lead to a slower market over-all with it reflecting similar numbers to the previous year. While lumber is moving slow, there are no issues getting trucks or freight transportation across the region.
According to a lumberman in Wisconsin, the market is going pretty well. “It’s summertime so not a lot of customer action, but the orders are coming in and going out so it’s fine,” he said. “It’s slightly better than six months ago. Lumber has kept moving and it’s been steady the past year”
His company offers Red and White Oak, Hard and Soft Maple, Walnut, Hickory, Aspen, Basswood and Cherry in 4/4 to 8/4 thickness. The best seller is Soft Maple with Rift and Quartered White Oak being a close second.
He commented on the positive side of the slower season by saying, “We can’t control the market, so our focus is always on internal improvements and efficiencies, just hire new people, manage our inventory, work together as a team.”
“We sell to a mix of customers. We are heavy in manufacturers and distributors within the states and about 30 percent export to China and Europe,” he said. “They say the market’s been lukewarm. Everybody is okay, people seem steady but cautious.”
Regarding tariffs and transportation, “It’s just really tough. The Chinese market is in rough shape right now, their demand is low, but we need that market,” he said. “The start and stop with pricing, trying to deliver before certain deadlines and then we have to renegotiate with customers.”
He followed up with, “We have a lot of our own trucks, freight has not been an issue but getting a container can sometimes be tricky,” he said. “I’ve seen it a lot worse. At the same time, we are able to counteract it a little bit more.”
In Illinois, a lumber spokesman said the market is average. “It’s definitely slowed up a bit compared to six months ago but it’s doing okay,” he said.
He works with Red and White Oak, Ash, Poplar, Walnut, Cherry and Cottonwood all 4/4 through 8/4. Poplar and Ash are currently selling the best. “We sell to about 40 percent distributors, 40 percent manufacturers/end users, and 20 percent brokers and exporters,” he said.
“The biggest thing our customers are talking about is the tariffs. We need to get these tariff agreements done, the wars have been an issue, but it’s just a lot of uncertainty,” he said.
By comparison, transportation has not been affected. “It has been decent. Trucks are available, freight rates have been fair, and I don’t think it’s been affected by the tariffs much,” he said.
A lumber company representative in Indiana said, “The market is tough right now, it’s been slow the last couple of weeks.”
“It’s worse than six months ago,” he said. “I don’t know if it’s just the time of the year, but it is quiet around here. I moved a load today, but outside of that it has been tough for the kiln-dried world.”
The species of hardwood his company markets is Hard and Soft Maple, Sycamore, Red Oak and Hickory in thickness 4/4 to 8/4 plus Poplar in 4/4 to 16/4 upper grades. Poplar is selling the best right now for them.
“We sell to distributors, manufacturers and retailers like flooring. They are all saying it’s been slow for them right now too,” he said. “I will say transportation has not been an issue at all for us.”
