UK imports of tropical hardwood plywood from China fall 60%

The UK imported 40,000 m³ of tropical hardwood faced plywood from China in Jan-May 2020, 60% less than the same period last year. UK imports of this commodity from China were at unusually high levels in 1H 2019 after a period of slow buying in 2018 due to Brexit uncertainty.

However, the market suffered from over-stocking in 2H 2019 as consumption slowed. In 2020, UK imports have been further dampened by COVID related supply problems in China.