Canada ranked first among the top lumber exporters to the United States in 2022, with shipments of US$16.662 billion, down 12.2% year-on-year.
This was followed by China (US$2.857 billion, -1.7%), Brazil (US$2.299 billion, +17.3%), Chile (US$1.707 billion, +46.3%) and Germany (US$1.232 billion, +9.7%), according to Commerce Department data.
While Canada was the world’s largest lumber exporter in 2021, the United States led global imports of this commodity, which statistically also includes charcoal and wood manufactures.
Of total Canadian lumber exports to the U.S. market last year, $8.957 million was for longitudinally shaped lumber.
The volume and future prices of lumber imports entering U.S. markets remain uncertain.
Historically, Canada has been the most important source of lumber imports into the U.S. market.
For decades, the United States and Canada have had a dispute over the prices of softwood lumber entering the United States, which has resulted in trade cases and negotiated agreements between the two countries.
The U.S. and Canada signed a softwood lumber agreement in 2006, which expired in October 2015.
Lumber exporters
Then, on November 25, 2016, the U.S. lumber industry filed a petition for a determination of injury with the U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), and a countervailing duty (CVD) and antidumping duty (AD) petition on Canadian lumber imports with the Department of Commerce.
The final injury and CVD and AD determinations became effective on December 28, 2017, resulting in the combined CVD and AD cash deposit rate payable by most Canadian exporters initially being set at 20.23 percent.
More recently, the annual administrative review covering 2020 was completed in August 2022, resulting in the combined CVD and AD rate of 8.59 percent.
The Commerce Department has begun preliminary work on its fourth administrative review, which will cover 2021.
According to PotlatchDeltic Corporation, a final decision on that review is not expected until late 2023.
The Canadian government continues to appeal Department of Commerce and International Trade Commission determinations upholding AD/CVD duties, as well as challenging these duties at the World Trade Organization (WTO).
Other relevant lumber exporters to the United States last year were Indonesia (1.215 billion, +28.4%), Vietnam (1.122 billion, +28.3%), Mexico (828 million, 8.3%), Sweden (544 million, +41%) and Malaysia (446 million, +68.5 percent).
