In 2020, China reduced imports of sawnwood by 11%

According to data from China’s Customs, 2020 sawnwood imports totalled 33.86 million m³ valued at $7.68 billion, a year on year decrease of 11% both in volume and in value. Of total sawnwood imports, sawn softwood imports fell 13% to 24.82 million m³ accounting for 73% of the national total which was 2% less than in 2019. Sawn softwood imports from Russia and Canada, the two main sources of China’s sawn softwood imports, fell sharply in 2020 dropping 13% and 37% respectively.

However, the volume of China’s sawn softwood imports from Russia still accounts for 60% of the national total, which has been the case for 6 consecutive years. The market share of China’s sawn softwood imports from Canada has declined steadily since 2014.

Sawn hardwood imports fell 5% to 9.04 million m³ because China’s sawn hardwood imports from the top sources, Russia and Canada, fell 13% and 36% respectively.

Russia still was the main sawnwood supplier to China in 2020 but China’s sawnwood imports from Russia fell 13% to 15.9 million m³ and accounted for 54% of the national total, down 6% year on year.