Russian sawn timber exports fall 18.5% to 9.7 million cubic metres in first half of 2026
Russia exported 9.7 million cubic metres of sawn timber in the first half of 2026, down 18.5% year on year, according to Rosleskhoz. China remained the dominant buyer with 59% of volumes, or 6.4 million cubic metres, as shipments reached 40 countries.
Russian sawn timber exports fall 18.5% in the first half of 2026
Russia exported 9.7 million cubic metres of sawn timber in the first half of 2026, down 18.5% from 11.9 million cubic metres in the same period of 2025, the press service of the Federal Forestry Agency (Rosleskhoz) told Interfax on 13 July. The figures were also reported by Finmarket and Rambler Finance. The decline reverses the growth recorded across the full year 2025 and points to softer demand in Russia's core export markets for processed wood. Sawn timber — boards, beams and battens produced by cutting logs lengthwise — is classed as a first-stage processed product and has become the main permitted form of Russian wood exports.
China remains the dominant buyer
China again accounted for the bulk of shipments, taking 6.4 million cubic metres, or 59% of the total, according to Rosleskhoz. Over the six months, Russian sawn timber was sold to 40 'friendly' states, including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Egypt, Iran and Turkey. Deputy head of Rosleskhoz Vyacheslav Spirenkov said 153,800 electronic export accompanying documents were created in the forestry sector's state information system over the two quarters. He added that demand for domestic sawn timber was practically at the level of the same period last year, suggesting the drop in volumes stems from factors other than a collapse in appetite for Russian wood.
Softwood dominates the product mix
Coniferous, or softwood, lumber made up 95.1% of exports to friendly states, followed by birch at 3.9%, linden at 1.1% and oak at 0.9%, Spirenkov said. The heavy tilt toward softwood reflects both the structure of Russia's forests and its trade policy. Since 2022 the country has banned exports of roundwood from coniferous and valuable hardwood species, allowing only sawn timber and deep-processing products to leave the country. The measure is designed to push more value-added processing onshore and limit shipments of unprocessed logs, steering the industry toward higher-margin goods.
A reversal after a year of growth
The first-half fall stands in contrast to 2025, when Russian sawn timber exports rose 5% to about 24 million cubic metres from 22.7 million cubic metres in 2024. China was the largest buyer that year as well, purchasing more than half the total, or about 13.4 million cubic metres, with softwood products making up 93.6% of the mix. For importers across Asia and the Middle East, the first-half data signal tighter or more expensive supply from Russia, even as Moscow reports steady underlying demand. With China absorbing close to three-fifths of shipments, buyers in Central Asia, the South Caucasus and the wider region remain exposed to any shift in the pace of Chinese purchasing.
