Polish pellet prices spike 20-30% as summer wood supply tightens
Wood pellet prices in Poland have jumped 20-30% in mid-summer amid shortages, driven by falling timber supply. State Forests timber sales are expected to drop to around 37 million cubic metres this year, while the Climate Ministry says it does not intend to raise supply.
Polish pellet prices spike as summer wood supply tightens
Wood pellet prices in Poland have risen by 20-30% in the middle of summer, a period that normally brings the year's lowest prices and the best opportunity to stock up before the heating season. According to Polish media reports, the increases come alongside shortages, with pellets missing from warehouses in many regions — a development described as an unusual phenomenon for this time of year.
A squeeze that starts in the forest
The pressure originates upstream, in the raw-material supply. Pellets are produced from wood residues such as sawdust, so the volume available depends directly on how much timber is processed. That volume is falling. Timber sales from Poland's State Forests (Lasy Państwowe) have slipped from about 40.6 million cubic metres in 2024 to 39.2 million cubic metres in 2025, according to portalochronysrodowiska.pl. RMF FM reports similar figures — 40 million and 39 million cubic metres — and adds that the market expects sales of only around 37 million cubic metres this year. Less roundwood processed means fewer residues for pellet production.
Ministry declines to raise supply
The Climate Ministry has said it does not intend to increase timber supply, according to answers it gave to RMF FM. The ministry pointed to a significant drop in exports of the raw material to China, which it suggested could ease domestic availability, while acknowledging that overall supply is shrinking. The ministry also stated that prices remain stable, but first-quarter data cited by RMF FM show timber prices up 12%. Energy Minister Miłosz Motyka said his ministry would analyse the pellet market and expects more supply to reach the market in the autumn.
Over a longer horizon, timber prices had actually been cooling. After sharp increases in 2022-2023, the market stabilised, and the average sale price of State Forests timber fell by about 14% in 2024, portalochronysrodowiska.pl reports. In the first months of 2026 the price stood at around 307 złoty per cubic metre, still below 2023 levels.
Demand still climbing
Consumption is moving the other way. Agnieszka Kędziora-Urbanowicz, vice-president of the Polish Pellet Council, said the number of households using pellet boilers is approaching 450,000. Forecasts cited in the reporting suggest that pellet demand in Poland could as much as double by 2035.
Wood biomass remains one of the fuels used in Poland's energy transition, particularly in local district-heating systems and installations based on renewable sources. That role ties pellets to both household heating and the wider energy market. For importers and traders, a domestic shortfall during the restocking season can pull additional volumes from neighbouring suppliers, while Polish producers face tighter feedstock even as demand forecasts point upward.
