Lumber Price Shock

Carl

Carl

Well-known member
Staff member
I feel really sorry for anyone starting a wood-intensive project right now.
I knew it was bad, but holy shite, prices are ridiculous.
Prices for dimensional lumber is through the roof.
I just paid $65 for a sheet of 3/4" plywood. Same plywood might have been $25 a year ago.
2x12x8s are almost $30.
Perfect storm of limited supply because of covid lockdowns/border closures and skyrocketing demand.
Can't imagine what a sheet of marine plywood is going for right now.
 
Carl said:
I feel really sorry for anyone starting a wood-intensive project right now.
I knew it was bad, but holy shite, prices are ridiculous.
Prices for dimensional lumber is through the roof.
I just paid $65 for a sheet of 3/4" plywood. Same plywood might have been $25 a year ago.
2x12x8s are almost $30.
Perfect storm of limited supply because of covid lockdowns/border closures and skyrocketing demand.
Can't imagine what a sheet of marine plywood is going for right now.
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It is so bad there are people trying to make bowls out of half rotten wood.
 
Carl, I went through the same thing you are talking about 3 or 4 weeks ago when I had a friend and his son, help me with some repairs on our Lab kennel. I bought 12 ea, 2"x4"s 8 feet long. My bill was $100.01 at our local lumber yard. I could have driven my truck, north of us on I-25 to Los Lunas, which is only 62 miles away, however, my fuel consumption on my 06 SuperDuty was more than the cost savings.

Tod is exactly right about what he had to say. Yes, I sure feel sorry for those couples out there who might be planning on looking to buy a new home. It is enough to scare the dickens out of you. I needed one 2"x10"x8' to repair one of Bev's raised garden sections and it was just shy of $28.00. Here is hoping that our Canadian friends to the north of us will be able to open their borders, sooner than later. Saying that, I do recognize that they are going through some trying Covid 19 times right now.

In the meantime, I am already thinking about our early teal season.
Al

Bev and I were out early one day last week when one of the pups we have decided he wanted to get Bev's attention.


View attachment IMG_3815.JPG

We have a pair of Audobon's warblers who have been hanging around our home for a week. Delightful little guys.
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Yeah. I was shocked when I bought the supplies for my johnny house. The little cuties have a house that should look like the Taj mahal for what I paid for it.
 
Dani said:
Yeah. I was shocked when I bought the supplies for my johnny house. The little cuties have a house that should look like the Taj mahal for what I paid for it.
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Pretty soon you'll be able to sell it to humans to occupy, and buy for a sky high price. So ya made a good investment.
 
Ironically At a staff meeting today with the division of forestry we were all speculating who is making the exorbitant price gouging income on these. Hoping the CT Grown Forest Products radio campaign I'm running starting next week helps folks get some more affordable and local lumber. Sadly, no local plywood from here. Back to building boats out of real wood
 
Nick Zito said:
Ironically At a staff meeting today with the division of forestry we were all speculating who is making the exorbitant price gouging income on these. Hoping the CT Grown Forest Products radio campaign I'm running starting next week helps folks get some more affordable and local lumber. Sadly, no local plywood from here. Back to building boats out of real wood
Click to expand...

I can't say for sure who makes the big score, but it seems likely that each step in the supply chain takes a bite. What I have been told by several people is that there is/was a glue shortage for manufacturing plywood. Supposedly because of the Texas blackout. I paid $45 a couple weeks ago for a sheet of 1/2" AC, so I could make some loon silhouettes for the Maine camp. Pretty expensive loons, or maybe I'm the loon for paying it.

Hope your campaign does well, it would be nice to see local lumber mills thrive.
 
Marine plywood has not gone up. I just looked. Practically cheaper to use meranti over AC!!!


Or should I say, the same price as it was in December.... Up from 3 years ago.... But not the same percentage as demensional or AC plywood.
 
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Fortunately for me I'm living off the fat of the land. I.e. wood/materials gathered over the years. It does frustrate me as I peruse the reclaimed wood ads, without exception it's price shot up too. It's not like those materials were recently processed and shipped by mills. It's been hanging around for decades in the same place. Evidently the cost of pulling nails has SKYROCKETED.

Eric
 
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Just read a article about "dead trees/lumber", being the hottest commodity in the world.


From what I'm seeing in our area logging is booming, no matter where one looks. As a grouse hunter I tend to keep and eye on such things.

As far as lumber for carving decoys, I'm like Eric. Have accumulated all that I need, and can use, over many years.

Very little of it came with a price, but was salvaged, from good sources & out of the way places, and gifted to me. Now I just have to live long enough to put it to good use....[;)]

The wine cases and lids I use for paintings were salvaged from dumpsters, and other sources many years ago. Seems like many of the high end cases are worth more now than ever, as collectibles.


VP
 
The company I think it was Georgia Pacific showed a 72 million dollar loss in 2019 but showed a 800 million dollar profit in 2020. It could have been the other Pacific lumber companies but they are doing quite well seems they are they ones getting fat right now.
 
Here is a link to the market statistics for Sussex County. Delaware. The sales shot up last year and everything that can be built on has an active development in place. Several lots that were sitting for sale for several years all sold late last year and are being developed with new homes. The local housing inventory is low so it is a sellers market right now.

http://www.longandfostermarketinfo.com/market-minute/DE/Sussex-County.htm

This lack of supply is what is driving the price of construction grade plywood. I checked Harbor Sales and marine ply 6mm has not changed in price.

Rick
 
No doubt there is big business profiting from the shortage. Material suppliers are backlogged due to Covid-19 closures and trying to catch up. There is a housing shortage and folks are throwing record high money at both new and used homes. I suspect this will be a short lived frenzy and when inflation kicks in, which is where we are headed if you believe the experts, that will put the brakes on material cost increases, new sales, refurbs, and the overall current housing boom. All the while I'm trying to figure out the best time to pull my retirement out of the market and park it in cash when the stock market drops, which it will.

Eric
 
Eric,

I have never succeeded in market timing. I just depend on dollar cost averaging when looking at my retirement.

I just watch the Federal Reserve since they pretty much control market movements now.

Rick
 
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