What is it?
Sawn boards from coniferous trees - the 2x4s and joists that most of the world's houses are framed with.
Why does it matter?
When a news report says 'lumber prices', this is what it means. Softwood framing lumber is the single largest solid-wood market, it is graded for strength rather than looks, and its price is set by housebuilding demand against sawmill capacity that cannot be added quickly.
Deeper written sections for this material have not been published yet. Everything below is drawn straight from the source datasets and is complete.
Price
Softwood lumber made in sawmills, US producer price index
Annual averageIndex Dec 2003=100
Basis: The same product measured at the mill rather than across the commodity basket - US producer price index for softwood lumber made in sawmills.. Annual averages as published in FRED (US Bureau of Labor Statistics producer price indexes) · source ↗. These are reference annual averages, not a live market quote.
Softwood lumber, US producer price index
Annual averageIndex 1982=100
Basis: US producer price index for softwood lumber. An index, not a price: it tracks direction and volatility, not dollars per thousand board feet. The trade's own reference is the CME random-length lumber contract, whose settlement prices are licensed and not republished here.. Annual averages as published in FRED (US Bureau of Labor Statistics producer price indexes) · source ↗. These are reference annual averages, not a live market quote.
What it is used for
All end markets →| End market | What it does there | Importance |
|---|---|---|
| Housebuilding | Framing: studs, joists, rafters and plates | Defining |
