Written by Wood Campus
Industry | News
The timber shortage has brought price hikes and delays, but there is good news as supply increases.
A timber shortage which has frustrated homebuilders all year is “highly likely” to be over, according to the Timber Trade Federation (TTF).
This, the TTF says, is nearly two million cubic metres more than in the same period in 2020, and half a million (or 8%) above pre-Covid levels in 2019.
The TTF has warned, however, that challenges remain to ensure builders access timber materials, and that materials shortages continue to be felt across the industry.
Timber Shortage Still Impacted by Driver Shortages
The record-breaking volumes of timber imports this year reflect high demand, but shortages elsewhere of HGV drivers and tradespeople means problems remain in delivering this timber to building sites.
MORE: 89% of Builders Have to Delay Jobs
Nick Boulton, head of technical and trade at TTF, warned: “We are not yet out the woods as any return to ‘regular’ patterns within the UK market will be difficult amidst the ongoing shortage of HGV drivers, and in fuel and labour, which are likely to continue to impact the market in the coming months.
“These shortages are of high concern to the timber supply chain as while there may now be enough timber in the UK to meet demand it does little good to anyone when there are no means to transport stock from ports to warehouses or customers.”
Prices Remain High Too
Timber prices have steadily risen over the last year. Imported plywood costs have been particularly affected, surging in price by 81.7% in July compared to July 2020, according to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).
And earlier this year, the average price of sawn and planed softwood in May, June and July had yearly increases of 55%, 65% and 88% respectively.
To read the full article visit: Homebuilding & Renovating
More News
Learning Through Timber
The new ‘living lab’ at NMITE will act as a home for Centre of Advanced Timber Technology students to learn more about timber and a net zero approach to building materials.A new purpose built 2,500sqm ‘living lab’ for the New Model Institute for Technology and...
World’s tallest wooden building to be built in Perth after developers win approval
Artist’s impression. Photograph: Elenberg FraserDevelopers say South Perth’s C6 building will be made up of 42% timber and be carbon negative Western Australia is set to become home to the world’s tallest timber building, a “revolutionary” 50-storey hybrid design...
The UK continues to embrace timber-based construction
The UK’s three largest housebuilders (Barratt Developments, Taylor Wimpey, and Persimmon) have announced plans to open dedicated factories for timber-based construction materials. Klober is a roofing accessories provider looking to convince construction companies to...
ARUP – Seven perspectives on the use of timber in building design and construction
ARUP are a global collective of designers, consultants and experts dedicated to sustainable development. We use technology, imagination and rigour to shape a better world. For over 75 years, Arup has been recognised for its vision, talent and tenacity. Dedicated to...
Timber Development UK and Structural Timber Association sign MOU
Timber Development UK (TDUK) and Structural Timber Association (STA) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to help grow and develop the timber construction market. Under the terms of the agreement the two parties have agreed to form a partnership in order to...
Worlds largest wooden city Stockholm
Scandinavian studios Henning Larsen and White Arkitekter are designing Stockholm Wood City, which will become the world's largest mass-timber development and have the "serenity of a forest". Set to be built in the Stockholm neighbourhood of Sickla, the project was...
Data & the Three Pillars of Sustainable Forestry
According to Rolf Schmitz, co-founder and co-CEO of CollectiveCrunch and the creator of Linda Forest software solutions, digitising the world’s forests is essential to understanding and fighting climate change. If a tree falls in the forest, it hardly matters if it...
FSC awareness doubled since pre-lockdown
Awareness of the FSC logo in the UK has increased 45% since 2019[1], and the proportion of those claiming both good and rough knowledge of the logo has more than doubled. With data from the Office for National Statistics revealing that nature had supported people’s...
Persimmon gets green light for timber frame factory
Planning approval has been granted by Charnwood Borough Council for Persimmon to build its new Space4 timber frame factory near Loughborough. The factory is believed to be the biggest of its kind in the UK and will produce timber frame units for up to 7,000 homes a...
BWF research shows homeowners positive over timber
New research from the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) reveals signs that timber windows and doors are viewed positively by homeowners, but that misunderstandings over their performance persist. The survey of 1,500 homeowners unearthed the main factors guiding...