Throughout the Lake States region, sources that were contacted at the time of this writing were all in agreement that their sales were on the slower side.
In Wisconsin a lumber provider said that the market that he sells into seems to be normal, but he noted that it feels more like the calm before the storm. “Everyone that I have talked to is starting to worry about whether or not new tariffs will be introduced,” he said.
Despite the feeling of uncertainty that he has in the marketplace, he did say that his sales are doing better than they were six months ago.
His company offers Red and White Oak, Hard and Soft Maple, Walnut, Hickory, Cherry and Basswood in thickness of 4/4 through 8/4 and in grades No. 3 Common and Better. “Red Oak is currently our best seller,” he noted.
He sells to end use manufacturers and distributors, both domestically and abroad. When asked if his customers had offered any comments as to how their sales were doing, he said, “Their sales are par for the course. No one is clamoring for extra loads, and I have noticed that they are working fewer hours.”
When it comes to transportation, he said that they are having to route their export orders east through Chicago instead of west through smaller reload centers that they prefer. “We are having to pay more for freight due to the way that we are currently having to route our orders,” he added.
A sawmill representative in Indiana said that his market is soft. “While our market is on the softer side, we are doing better than we were six months ago. We have seen an uptick in demand, and we have started to get more orders.”
His company offers Hickory, Maple, Oak and Walnut in thicknesses of 4/4, 5/4, 6/4 and 8/4 in grades Nos. 1 and 2 Common. “Oak is by far our best seller right now,” he stated.
He noted that he doesn’t have to worry about transportation since they have their own fleet of trucks.
In Illinois a lumber spokesperson said that his market is below average. “It’s mainly due to the time of year that we aren’t doing as well as we normally are,” he added, saying that this is the reason that their sales are worse than they were six months ago.
His company offers Red and White Oak, Ash, Poplar, Walnut, Cherry and Hard and Soft Maple in thicknesses of 4/4 through 8/4 and in grades FAS and Nos. 1 and 2 Common. When asked which of the species he offers was selling best, he said, “The prices on White Oak have been dropping. Poplar is still moving decently, and there has continued to be movement for Red Oak. Ash has remained steady, but Walnut and Cherry are both slower than they were six months ago.”
He sells to manufacturers and distribution yards. “The end users are being very cautious and buying just what they need, when they need it. The distribution yards that I sell to have remained steady,” he said.
