Production of all major lumber products (including industrial roundwood, sawnwood and wood-based panels) has gradually risen year on year from 2012 levels, and demand from the for carpentry and joinery products has driven growth in the manufacturing sector of the industry. Improvements in the global house building market (the largest downstream market for carpentry) has driven this growth, alongside rising demand for non-residential building construction, furniture and ornamental wood products from global consumers with rising real disposable incomes. In lumber, the fastest growth was in Asia-Pacific, Northern America and Europe, likely due to positive economic growth in these regions, and the recent conclusion of President Trump’s NAFTA re-negotiation should stabilise occasionally fraught relations between two of the world’s major lumber-producing economies.

International trade in wood is a diverse business. Lumber trade can be a high-capital, low-revenue business, with major processors maintaining high-volume commercial relationships with a few well-established buyers. However, processing and manufacture of wood products can range from high-output wood manufacturing to high-skill, low output craft joinery. Trade Finance Global constructs bespoke finance products specifically for wood and wood product traders to finance profitable ventures without squeezing capital from their business. Each product is unique to each firm and its business plan to ensure the means it generates finance and the terms on which the loan is repaid suit the specific venture the finance supports.