Timber growth

Timber engineered systems are more cost-effective than their concrete counterparts.

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A couple of years ago timber was not really popular in the region. However, there seems to be a noticeable increase in demand for timber products in the region.

Despite the increase in the demand for timber, wood prices seem to be stable, which is also why it seems to be an increasingly popular choice. According to Danube Building Materials, wood prices in the Middle East have remained stable in the first quarter of 2011.

Statistics released by Danube show that wood prices began to stabilise, starting in the third quarter of 2010, and have remained stable until the first quarter of 2011. The price for Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) has been $300/m³, while Malaysian Hardwood Plywood is at $525/m³.

The price for Film Face Plywood is pegged at $375/m³, while Meranti saw an increase of 0.67% . The price of American Ash Wood, meanwhile, saw a 1.2% decrease, and was priced at $825/m³. The price of European Beechwood increased by 1.19%. On the other hand, African Teak Wood, called Iroko, is priced at $1,100/m³.

“Exports of American hardwood lumber to the Middle East increases by 7% in the first quarter of 2011,” reports Roderick Wiles, American hardwood Export Council, director for Africa, Middle East, India and Oceania.

“The value of American hardwood lumber shipped to the Middle East (excluding North Africa) during the first quarter of 2011 increased by 7% over the same three months of last year, and reached a total of $8.7m.

This equated to a 6% increase in volume, with the total volume of shipments reaching 12,120m³. At the same time, shipments of US hardwood lumber to North Africa (mainly Egypt) decreased by 43% in value to $1.4m and by 42% in volume to 2,264 m³,” says Wiles.

The top destinations for American hardwood lumber in the whole MENA region during the first quarter were Saudi Arabia ($2.33m), the UAE ($1.99m), Egypt ($1.25m) and Turkey ($1.23m).

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The value of direct shipments of hardwood veneers from the US to the MENA region reached $5.14m during the first quarter of this year, having increased by a substantial 35% from the same period in 2010. Significant increases were seen in shipments to Turkey, Egypt, and the UAE, reports Wiles.

The top markets for US hardwood veneers during the period were Egypt ($2.0m), Turkey ($1.25m), Lebanon ($772,000) and the UAE ($532,000).

“Despite turbulent times in some parts of MENA, the construction and interiors sectors in the Gulf, especially Saudi Arabia, have recovered well from any effects of the global financial crisis, and demand for wood products has picked up considerably.

The same can also be said for Turkey, where the economy is booming, and where both the construction and furniture sectors are experiencing tremendous growth,” comments Wiles.