US imports of sawn tropical hardwood fell by 25% in November. At 16,572 cubic metres for the month, imports were 16% lower than November of 2018. Import volumes are ahead of 2018 by 14% year to date.
Imports from Ecuador were down by nearly 60% in November and are now down 12% year to November. Imports from Brazil, Malaysia and Congo (Brazzaville) also fell in November but remain well ahead of 2018.
Jatoba imports, while rising only 2% in November, remained steady as the highest volume of tropical hardwood imported by the US in 2019. Jatoba imports are up 95% year to date at 46,726 cubic metres through November, which surpassed the amount of balsa (previously the top species by volume) imported by the US in 2018. Balsa imports fell by 60% in November and are down by 12% year to date. Balsa had easily been the top tropical hardwood imported by the US throughout the past decade.
Despite falling in November, imports of sapelli and keruing are up 19% and 36% year to date over 2018.
Imports of hardwood plywood fell by 24% in November after a strong performance in October. Imports, at less than 188,000 cubic metres, were 20% lower than that of November 2018. Year to date imports are 8% behind those of last year. Imports from Russia fell by 16% in November and are now 2% behind 2018 year to date.
Imports from China continue to slide, dropping 35% in November and entering the last month of 2019 down 54% year on year. Imports from Malaysia and Cambodia were both down significantly in November and trail their 2018 year to date totals by nearly one third.
US Imports of tropical hardwood veneer also retreated sharply in November from encouraging October numbers.
Imports were down 37% for the month as imports from China also fell by 37%. Imports from Italy, which supplies over one-third of veneer imports to the US, fell by 27%, but are still ahead of 2018 by 5% year to date.
Imports from India were up sharply in November and are ahead by 14% year to date. Imports from Cote d’Ivoire were off by 64% in November and are down by 25% year to date.
US imports of hardwood flooring fell for the third straight month, dropping by 14% in November. The decline places year to date imports 3% behind 2018, after being ahead for most of the year. Imports from China fell 8% in November and are down 65% for the year to date. Imports from Malaysia were up 23% for the month and are ahead by 37% for the year.
Imports of assembled flooring panels also fell by 14% in November and are 2% behind 2018’s year to date pace. Imports from China fell 38% and are down 45% year to date. Imports from Vietnam rose 9% in November and are more than doubling 2018 year to date.
US Imports of hardwood moulding fell again in November. Imports were down 12% for the month and trail 2018 numbers by 24% year to date. Imports from Brazil were down by more than 55% in November and are off by more than 50% year to date. Imports from China were also poor, down 33% for the month and 45% year to date. Imports from Malaysia filled some of the need, up 50% for the month and 12% year to date.
Imports of wooden furniture were down 4% in November as imports from China continue to weaken. While down only 3% from October totals, imports of wooden furniture fell to a low in dollars not seen since March 2014.
Imports from China are down 30% year to date. Imports from Canada, Mexico and Indonesia were down for the month, while November imports from India and Malaysia rose slightly.