EU imports of tropical wood flooring continue to decline

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ITTO/Fordaq
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After declining 18% in 2016, EU imports of wood flooring from the tropics fell a further 7% in the first quarter of 2017 to 9,900 MT.

While imports from Brazil increased 35% to 3,300 MT in the three- month period, imports declined from all other significant tropical supply countries including Malaysia (- 9% to 2,300 MT), Indonesia (-32% to 2,000 MT), Viet Nam (-23% to 700 MT) and Peru (-2% to 600 MT). 

The continuing decline in EU wood flooring imports from the tropics this year forms part of a wider trend of increased dependence on European manufacturers in the EU.

EU imports of wood flooring from China – the largest supplier outside the European region – are also declining. After falling 12% to 341,000 MT in 2016, EU wood flooring imports from China declined a further 12% to 82,000 MT in the opening quarter of 2017.

Meanwhile, EU imports wood flooring imports from neighbouring European countries, such as Ukraine and Bosnia, are rising. There are also clear signs of intensifying competition and over-capacity in the EU’s domestic wood flooring sector. Statistics published by the European Parquet Flooring Association FEP show that consumption of real-wood flooring in Europe is rising more slowly than domestic production.

Trade data also reveals a significant rise in internal EU trade – as western European distributors are buying more wood flooring from manufacturers in Eastern Europe. At the same time EU exports of wood flooring have been rising, although the pace of growth is slowing with declining opportunities for market expansion in Russia and the Middle East.

Taken together these trends indicate a very challenging market environment for external suppliers of wood flooring into the EU.

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