Across the Lake States region, sources that were contacted at the time of this writing all agreed, but one, that their markets were doing just as well if not better than they were six months ago.
In Wisconsin a lumberman said that overall his sales are doing well and that they are continuing to be on track with where they were six months ago.
His company offers Red and White Oak, Hard and Soft Maple, Aspen, Basswood, Cherry and Hickory in grades No. 3 Common and Better and in thicknesses of 4/4 and 5/4. “Aspen and Basswood are probably our slowest moving species right now, while Red and White Oak are still continuing to move well,” he said.
He noted that he sells to end users and distribution yards. “It has been hit and miss with my customers, some of them are doing well, while some of them aren’t,” he added.
He mentioned that he hasn’t had to sell as much of his product through exports as his domestic sales are doing better this time of year than they have historically.
A mill representative from Illinois said that his sales have slowed down and he believes that this is due to the uncertainty in the economy. “My customers are remaining very cautious. They are continuing to buy very conservatively,” he noted.
When asked if his sales are better or worse than they were six months ago he said that they are slower than they were. “We are still able to ship lumber but we have noticed that the pace is not the same as it was.”
The top five species that his company offers are Red and White Oak, Ash, Poplar and Hard and Soft Maple, as well as a variety of others, in thicknesses of 4/4-8/4 and in grades FAS, Nos. 1 and 2 Common, all kiln-dried. “Red and White Oak have slowed down,” he said. “Lately, Poplar and Ash have become our best-selling species.”
His customers are end users, distribution yards and some exporters. “The furniture sector seems to have slowed down, as well as the economy for many countries overseas,” he noted.
He mentioned that while they aren’t having issues finding transportation that the cost of fuel has continued to remain high and that has affected them.
A lumber spokesperson from Indiana said that his market has remained soft as they are doing about as well as they were six months ago.
His company offers Walnut, Red and White Oak, Maple and Hickory in thicknesses of 4/4, 5/4 and 8/4 and in grades FAS and Nos. 1, 2 and 3 Common. When asked which species was selling best for him, he stated that White Oak continued to be his best seller.
He noted that his customers vary from end use manufacturers to distribution yards. “We have really good relationships with all of our customers so they aren’t just telling us about their sales when they aren’t doing well, but that might be when they are the loudest,” he added.
