North American structural panel production dropped 13.4% in Q4 to 5.817 billion ft2 after “hopeful increasesin Q2 and Q3, according to APA-The Engineered Wood Association.
Production in the US fell 14.7% to 4.256 billion ft2 compared with Q3 (4.990 billion ft2), while Canadian output decreased 9.8% to 1.561 billion ft2 from 1.730 billion ft2 in Q3, according to quarterly statistics released in January.
For 2009 as a whole, structural panel production fell 20.8% from 30.711 billion ft2 in 2008 to 24.320 billion ft2. US production declined 21.7% from 23.240 billion ft2 in 2008 to 18.206 billion ft2, and Canadian production dropped 18.2% from 7.471 billion ft2 to 6.114 billion ft2.
OSB production suffered from poor demand in Q4 and the year as a whole, totalling 14.082 billion ft2 for the year – 4.423 billion ft2 lower than in 2008 (18.505 billion ft2). Annual US production dropped 26.19% from 13.003 billion ft2 in 2008 to 9.598 billion ft2 in 2009. Canadian production was 4.484 billion ft2 compared to 5.502 billion ft2 in 2008.
Fourth quarter 2009 plywood production was14.4% lower than in Q3 (2.742 billion ft2) at 2.346 billion ft2 compared to 2.513 billion ft2 in Q4, 2008. Production for 2009 as a whole was 16.1% lower than in 2008 (12.206 billion ft2), at 10.238 billion ft2.
Total North American consumption of structural panels in Q4 was only 5.747 billion ft2 compared to 6.693 billion ft2 in Q3 and only slightly above the 5.494 billion ft2 consumed in the dismal first quarter of 2009.
