Page 33 - FDMAsia SepOct 2025

FOCUS 31
www.fdmasia.com | FDM ASIA SEP/OCT 2025

“[T]he development of [EU hardwood plywood] production months of 2025, six percent more than the same period in
capacity, which increased by two percent during the period 2024. In value, imports increased five percent to US$121
considered following investments made by the Union industry, million in 2024.
bears witness to the efforts of the Union industry to replace This year EU+UK imports of tropical hardwood plywood

the Russian and Belarusian hardwood plywood excluded by direct from tropical countries are performing much better than
the sanctions from the Union market. imports of tropical hardwood plywood from China.
Capacity utilisation at 75 percent was already low in 2021 EU+UK imports of tropical hardwood faced plywood from
when COVID negatively affected demand. In 2022, the Union China, mainly destined for the UK, were 25,300 cubic metres
industry managed to maintain this level, only to see it fall by in the first five months of this year, 37 percent less than the
10 percent in 2023 and 13 percent in the IP, when compared same period last year.
to the 2021 level”. However, EU+UK plywood imports direct from tropical
The EU Commission goes on to state that “Sales quantity countries in the first five months of 2025 were 157,300 cubic
on the EU market by the Union industry followed a downward metres, 22 percent more than the same period last year.

trend between 2021 and 2023 before slightly picking up in the There were particularly large year-on-year increases in
investigation period. Throughout the period considered, the imports from Malaysia, up 49 percent to 36,300 cubic metres,
total Union industry’s sales quantity decreased significantly and Vietnam which rose 120 percent to 19,500 cubic metres.
by 12 percent”. Imports of hardwood plywood also increased 14 percent
The EU Commission’s report of the investigation refers year-on-year from Brazil, to 9,300 cubic metres, while eucalyptus
to numerous submissions by Chinese plywood industry and plywood imports from Paraguay increased 105 percent to
EU plywood importing representatives, the latter led by the 8,500 cubic metres.

Plywood Trade Interest Alliance (PTIA), arguing against the In contrast, imports from Indonesia were down 3 percent
call for antidumping duties. year-on-year to 48,700 cubic metres in the first five months
These focused on the specific characteristics of Chinese of 2025, while imports from Gabon were down 11 percent
hardwood plywood sold in the EU which they implied satisfies to 24,300 cubic metres, and imports of okoume plywood
a different market segments from EU production. from Morocco were down 15 percent to 7,500 cubic metres.
The various arguments against duties were rejected by The share of imports of hardwood plywood direct from
the EU Commission mainly on grounds that both the Chinese tropical countries in total EU+UK imports of plywood in the
and EU plywood industries “can and do produce the full first five months of this year was 8.6 percent, up slightly from
range of hardwood plywood products present in the Union 8.1 percent in the same period last year.

market” and that the “purported differences between Chinese A bigger rise was not recorded only because of the surge
and Union industry hardwood plywood are in quality only; in Brazilian softwood plywood imports in the early months
their basic physical, technical and chemical characteristics of this year.
remain the same”. The opportunity for tropical counties to increase their share
of the European market in the future seems clear given the
Malaysia and Vietnam increase share of European sanctions on Russian product and anti-dumping measures
hardwood plywood market already targeting Chinese product and threatened for Brazilian

Imports of plywood faced with tropical hardwood into the softwood plywood. FDM
EU+UK region were 191,400 cubic metres in the first five ENQUIRY NO. 5001