Russian lumber output falls 5.6% in H1 2026, plywood down 11%
Russian output of sawn timber, plywood, particleboard, paper and pulp fell in the first half of 2026, according to Rosstat data reported by Interfax. Lumber dropped 5.6% to 13.7 million cubic metres and plywood 11%. Only wood pellets and fibreboard grew.
Russia's forest-products industry posted broad declines in the first half of 2026, with output falling across sawn timber, plywood, particleboard, paper and pulp, according to Rosstat data reported by Interfax. Only wood pellets and, within the panel group, fibreboard escaped the downturn. The figures extend a contraction that shaped the sector through 2025 and point to persistently weak demand for Russian wood products.
Sawn timber and wood panels
Lumber remained the largest single product line by volume. Output fell 5.6% year on year to 13.7 million cubic metres over January-June, and June production of 2.4 million cubic metres was 1.8% below the same month of 2025. Plywood saw the steepest fall of any segment: half-year output of 1.532 million cubic metres was down 11%, with June volumes off 7.8% at 256,000 cubic metres. Particleboard slipped 3.3% to 5.385 million cubic metres, although June output rose 1.9% to 960,000 cubic metres. Fibreboard was the exception among panels, gaining 1.5% to 346 million square metres even as June volumes fell 2.5% to 57.3 million square metres.
Reported half-year changes by segment:
- Lumber: −5.6%, 13.7 million cubic metres
- Plywood: −11%, 1.532 million cubic metres
- Particleboard: −3.3%, 5.385 million cubic metres
- Fibreboard: +1.5%, 346 million square metres
- Paper and cardboard: −3.3%, 5.142 million tonnes
- Wood pulp: −5.2%, 3.959 million tonnes
- Wood pellets: +12.2%, 639,000 tonnes
Paper, pulp and pellets
The downturn extended beyond solid wood. Paper and cardboard output fell 3.3% to 5.142 million tonnes in the first half, with June nearly flat at 857,000 tonnes, down 0.2%. Wood pulp production dropped 5.2% to 3.959 million tonnes. Wood pellets ran against the wider trend, rising 12.2% to 639,000 tonnes over six months, though June output fell 4% year on year to 93,500 tonnes.
Furniture offered a further positive signal. Commenting on the Rosstat data, Russia's Ministry of Industry and Trade said June furniture production rose 12% compared with June 2025, a possible support for domestic demand for boards and panels.
Second straight year of decline
The first-half results follow a weak 2025. Lumber output fell 2.5% that year to 28.5 million cubic metres, and plywood dropped 6.5% to 3.227 million cubic metres. Particleboard declined 2.8% to 11.4 million cubic metres, while fibreboard edged up 0.4% to 715 million square metres. Paper and cardboard reached 10.726 million tonnes, 0.6% above 2024, while pulp fell 1.5% to 8.421 million tonnes. Pellets rose 16.6% to 1.309 million tonnes. The 2026 figures indicate the contraction in sawn timber and panels has deepened rather than levelled off, leaving pellets as the sector's one consistently growing product.
