Overall, the value of sawn wood exports increased by an average 24.1% for all exporting nations since 2018 when sawn wood shipments were valued at $40.9 billion.
From 2021 to 2022, the value of sawn wood shipped worldwide fell by -9.4% starting from $56.1 billion.
The 5 biggest exporters of sawn wood are Canada, Russia, Sweden, Germany and the United States of America. By value, those 5 major suppliers shipped well over half (56.2%) of exported sawn wood during 2022.
Among continents, European countries sold the greatest dollar value worth of exported sawn wood during 2022 with shipments amounting to $29.1 billion or almost three-fifths (57.4%) of the global total. In second place were North American exporters at 28% while another 5.2% of worldwide sawn wood shipments originated from suppliers in Latin America excluding Mexico but including Caribbean nations.
Smaller percentages came from providers in Asia (5%), trailed by Africa (3%), then Oceania (1.5%) led by New Zealand, Australia and Papua New Guinea.
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for sawn wood is 4407.
Sawn Wood Exports by Country
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of sawn wood during 2022.
- Canada: US$10.8 billion (21.3% of total sawn wood exports)
- Russia: $5.3 billion (10.5%)
- Sweden: $4.8 billion (9.5%)
- Germany: $4.2 billion (8.3%)
- United States: $3.4 billion (6.7%)
- Finland: $2.7 billion (5.3%)
- Austria: $2.1 billion (4.2%)
- Latvia: $1.3 billion (2.5%)
- Chile: $1.03 billion (2%)
- Brazil: $1.02 billion (2%)
- Thailand: $999.6 million (2%)
- Belgium: $822.1 million (1.6%)
- Czech Republic: $712.2 million (1.4%)
- Romania: $669.2 million (1.3%)
- New Zealand: $627.5 million (1.2%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped about four-fifths (79.9%) of globally exported sawn wood in 2022.
Among the top exporters, there were 2 growth suppliers of sawn wood sold to international customers, namely Chile (up 10.9%) and Brazil (up 8.1%).
Those countries that posted declines in their export sales of sawn wood were led by: Canada (down -19.4% from 2021), Belgium (down -18.7%), Romania (down -13%), Russia (down -12.4%) and Latvia (down -11.9%).
Countries Generating Greatest Surpluses Trading Sawn Wood
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for sawn wood during 2022. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s sawn wood exports and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Canada: US$10.2 billion (net export surplus down -20.2% since 2021)
- Russia: $5.3 billion (down -12.3%)
- Sweden: $4.6 billion (down -10.1%)
- Finland: $2.6 billion (down -8.8%)
- Germany: $2.5 billion (up 19.9%)
- Austria: $1.3 billion (down -11.8%)
- Latvia: $1.02 billion (up 1.5%)
- Chile: $1.02 billion (up 10.6%)
- Brazil: $1.01 billion (up 9.3%)
- Thailand: $796.9 million (down -9.4%)
- Romania: $530 million (down -18.1%)
- Belarus: $504.5 million (down -35.4%)
- Cameroon: $491.1 million (up 59.5%)
- New Zealand: $484.7 million (down -12.2%)
- Ukraine: $475.5 million (down -30.4%)
World leader Canada generated the highest surplus in the international trade of sawn wood, albeit it shrank compared to 2021. Nevertheless, this positive cashflow confirms Canada’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Countries Causing Worst Deficits Trading Sawn Wood
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for sawn wood during 2022. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s sawn wood import purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- United States: -US$9.6 billion (net export deficit down -11.5% since 2021)
- mainland China: -$7.4 billion (down -4%)
- Japan: -$2.9 billion (up 17.2%)
- United Kingdom: -$2.8 billion (down -17.5%)
- Italy: -$2 billion (up 36.6%)
- Netherlands: -$1.2 billion (down -16.2%)
- Mexico: -$1.1 billion (up 26.7%)
- Egypt: -$961.6 million (down -0.6%)
- France: -$713.1 million (down -23.5%)
- South Korea: -$673.8 million (down -20.3%)
- Saudi Arabia: -$566.5 million (down -1.1%)
- Australia: -$553 million (up 68.4%)
- Vietnam: -$530.7 million (down -46.8%)
- India: -$491.8 million (up 27.5%)
- Taiwan: -$455.3 million (down -5.6%)
The United States of America incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of sawn wood. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights America’s comparative competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for sawn wood-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand from the American economy.
Historic Sawmills
Below are selected historic sawmills that represent traditional suppliers for processed timber. Shown within parenthesis is the country where each sawmill is located.
- Arcola Mills (United States)
- Chatham Saw Mill (India)
- Cook’s Mill (United States)
- Cooper’s Sawmill (United States)
- De Rat (Netherlands)
- Hierapolis Sawmill (Turkey)
- Kin Kin Sawmill (Australia)
- Lahey’s Canungra Sawmill Complex (Australia)
- Ledyard Up-Down Sawmill (United States)
- Priest Mill (United States)
- Sutter’s Mill (United States)
Searchable List of Sawn Wood Exporting Countries in 2022
The following database spotlights the 100 major exporters of sawn wood, accounting for 99.97% of the world’s sawn wood exports.
Rank | Exporter | Sawn Wood Exports | 2021-2 |
---|---|---|---|
1. | Canada | $10,836,479,000 | -19.4% |
2. | Russia | $5,308,656,000 | -12.4% |
3. | Sweden | $4,829,643,000 | -9.7% |
4. | Germany | $4,199,283,000 | -4% |
5. | United States | $3,393,658,000 | -1% |
6. | Finland | $2,717,200,000 | -10.7% |
7. | Austria | $2,134,719,000 | -9.1% |
8. | Latvia | $1,285,485,000 | -11.9% |
9. | Chile | $1,029,065,000 | +10.9% |
10. | Brazil | $1,021,038,000 | +8.1% |
11. | Thailand | $999,629,000 | -5.7% |
12. | Belgium | $822,066,000 | -18.7% |
13. | Czech Republic | $712,216,000 | -7.9% |
14. | Romania | $669,161,000 | -13% |
15. | New Zealand | $627,493,000 | -6.2% |
16. | Malaysia | $606,276,000 | +0.1% |
17. | Croatia | $578,429,000 | +14.6% |
18. | France | $568,273,000 | -0.5% |
19. | Belarus | $506,106,000 | -36.9% |
20. | Cameroon | $491,196,000 | +59.4% |
21. | Poland | $487,808,000 | +175.5% |
22. | Lithuania | $481,178,000 | -2% |
23. | Ukraine | $479,187,000 | -31% |
24. | Estonia | $428,992,000 | -19.7% |
25. | Gabon | $418,246,000 | -8.3% |
26. | Slovakia | $377,381,000 | -4.7% |
27. | Netherlands | $355,435,000 | -1.7% |
28. | Slovenia | $343,824,000 | +5.1% |
29. | Italy | $331,175,000 | -6.5% |
30. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $283,036,000 | +2.5% |
31. | Norway | $254,396,000 | +8% |
32. | Philippines | $224,443,000 | -4.7% |
33. | Ireland | $193,240,000 | -11.3% |
34. | Uruguay | $183,187,000 | +16% |
35. | Congo | $167,889,000 | +2.7% |
36. | China | $166,730,000 | -11.7% |
37. | Hungary | $149,487,000 | +11.8% |
38. | Spain | $108,435,000 | -0.1% |
39. | Serbia | $106,709,000 | +4.8% |
40. | United Kingdom | $104,840,000 | -20.6% |
41. | Myanmar | $103,014,000 | +81.5% |
42. | Ecuador | $101,913,000 | +3.5% |
43. | Denmark | $88,220,000 | +2.7% |
44. | Laos | $81,751,000 | +7526% |
45. | Eswatini | $81,125,000 | -6.7% |
46. | Portugal | $80,965,000 | +0.1% |
47. | Vietnam | $78,704,000 | +61% |
48. | Ghana | $74,562,000 | -5.5% |
49. | Türkiye | $74,001,000 | -12.5% |
50. | Switzerland | $72,983,000 | +2.2% |
51. | Japan | $70,399,000 | -20.8% |
52. | Argentina | $69,030,000 | -36.6% |
53. | South Africa | $61,680,000 | -8.4% |
54. | Ivory Coast | $53,578,000 | -48.3% |
55. | Australia | $50,732,000 | -9.7% |
56. | Peru | $49,708,000 | +50.5% |
57. | Tanzania | $46,450,000 | +11.6% |
58. | Indonesia | $44,714,000 | -7.7% |
59. | Papua New Guinea | $36,806,000 | -41% |
60. | Bolivia | $36,356,000 | -12.9% |
61. | Guyana | $34,871,000 | +25.2% |
62. | Bulgaria | $30,206,000 | -26.2% |
63. | Honduras | $30,072,000 | +4.3% |
64. | Montenegro | $28,810,000 | +3.2% |
65. | Venezuela | $20,674,000 | +50.2% |
66. | Gambia | $18,965,000 | 0% |
67. | Fiji | $18,729,000 | -0.2% |
68. | Luxembourg | $17,961,000 | +2.6% |
69. | Guatemala | $16,987,000 | +20.3% |
70. | Mozambique | $15,220,000 | -54.1% |
71. | Georgia | $14,109,000 | -0.4% |
72. | Equatorial Guinea | $13,890,000 | +143.3% |
73. | Sierra Leone | $13,519,000 | +15.9% |
74. | Benin | $13,257,000 | -11.9% |
75. | Democr. Rep. Congo | $10,987,000 | +32.4% |
76. | Mexico | $10,900,000 | -2.4% |
77. | Taiwan | $10,865,000 | -5.7% |
78. | Solomon Islands | $10,549,000 | -23.4% |
79. | Colombia | $9,168,000 | +14.2% |
80. | Suriname | $8,749,000 | +7.6% |
81. | India | $8,708,000 | +45.6% |
82. | Singapore | $8,586,000 | -27.6% |
83. | Paraguay | $8,362,000 | +611.1% |
84. | United Arab Emirates | $7,041,000 | -87.3% |
85. | South Korea | $6,177,000 | -11.2% |
86. | Greece | $5,876,000 | -33.6% |
87. | Panama | $5,772,000 | +120.9% |
88. | Cambodia | $5,694,000 | -35% |
89. | Nicaragua | $5,376,000 | -26.9% |
90. | Madagascar | $4,468,000 | -10.7% |
91. | Zimbabwe | $3,896,000 | -39.7% |
92. | North Macedonia | $3,579,000 | +104.2% |
93. | Costa Rica | $2,617,000 | -66.5% |
94. | Uganda | $2,466,000 | -19% |
95. | Zambia | $2,366,000 | -87.8% |
96. | Central African Rep | $2,256,000 | -35.6% |
97. | Mauritania | $2,218,000 | 0% |
98. | Belize | $1,876,000 | +0.5% |
99. | Sri Lanka | $1,847,000 | -18.6% |
100. | Senegal | $1,666,000 | -63.3% |
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the columns below. An entry of 0% in the right-most column means that no 2022 data was available.
Focusing on the 100 top exporters of sawn wood, the strongest increases were generated by Laos (up 7,526% from 2021), Paraguay (up 611.1%), Poland (up 175.5%), Equatorial Guinea (up 143.3%), Panama (up 120.9%), then North Macedonia (up 104.2%).
See also Top Asphalt Exports & Imports by Country Plus Average Prices, Top Cork Exporting Countries, Plastic Item Exports by Country and Top Stainless Steel Exporters by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on July 23, 2023
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on July 23, 2023
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 23, 2023
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on July 23, 2023
Wikipedia, Category: Sawmills. Accessed on July 23, 2023