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Still going in the right direction. Anyone remember what they were going for before the apocalypse? IIRC, I thought they were in the low $2's but that may be nostalgia talking.
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Lumber prices rising quickly
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My recollection is less than $3.00 at the big box stores. You could typically do better at a true lumber yard.
Today a 2x4x96 southern yellow pine stud at Lowe's is $3.76. Pressure treated is $5.17. So we're definitely getting there. Plywood still has a ways to go.
Hopefully all those folks with stock piles that were price gouging on Craigslist still have plenty of inventory.
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It's times like this that I put on my tinfoil hat and question the "free market" economics behind this.
Nothing would choke the economy like a death spiral in housing starts.
Which is exactly what would happen if lumber prices would have stayed inflated.
Nothing would choke the economy like a death spiral in housing starts.
Which is exactly what would happen if lumber prices would have stayed inflated.
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LOL- check the tinfoil and wonder what would happen if Washington was in charge of producing lumber.
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Same thing as if interest rates would spike to slow down free/cheap money. Neither of those things will be allowed to happen so we will see inflation continue at a higher than normal rate.
I am glad to see lumber prices get to an almost reasonable level. I’ve been postponing a couple small outdoor projects due to the expense.
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Hooboy anyone who denies inflation hasn't been to the store lately or looked at mama's register tape. Or the credit card bill. Prices skyrocketing and sizes shrinking.
Kind of like the onslaught of housing when those of us who work "regular" jobs don't see any massive salary increases commensurate with this "sell the old at inflated price and buy bigger and better" economic landscape.
Anyway, I'm glad to see lumber prices come down but why just lumber and not everything else which is suffering from skyrocketing inflation?
I'm sure someone has a textbook economic reason but those kinds of "textbook economists" scare me.
Something to do with liars and figuring... Of which would apply even more to governments and news outlets.
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For some reason I specifically remember the price of a 2x4…..
Back around 1988/1989 I was building a cabin in the mountains which we eventually moved to. In the one horse town there was only one place at that time to get any kind of lumber.
It was the general store - some of you may remember the type - part grocery, part feed, part hardware, etc. I think he normally bought 20 2x4’s at a time to keep in stock.
Each weekend on the way to our property we would stop to get some of them. They were $2 a piece. I always had to remember to keep $40 in my pocket so I could get what he had so I could continue working for the weekend.
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Still going down. This is the type of 'market correction' I like:
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I just saw the VT Housing report and while the news has been about the housing boom, I realized the numbers ared
There's no shortage of timber in the SE. The NW may see some issues due to fires, insect damage and areas not open to harvest. There are mill issues both labor and actual capacity plus I think the NW doesn't have either the mills or the market to use small diameter logs that should be thinned as part of the fire protection work. In any case, I think lumber prices will return back to a more normal level although likely somewhat higher to at least keep up with other inflationary pressures.
There's no shortage of timber in the SE. The NW may see some issues due to fires, insect damage and areas not open to harvest. There are mill issues both labor and actual capacity plus I think the NW doesn't have either the mills or the market to use small diameter logs that should be thinned as part of the fire protection work. In any case, I think lumber prices will return back to a more normal level although likely somewhat higher to at least keep up with other inflationary pressures.
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Lumber - 2022 Data - 1978-2021 Historical - 2023 Forecast - Price - Quote - Chart
Chicago lumber futures were trading below the $800-per-thousand-board-feet mark, a level not seen since last November and now roughly 50% down from a 10-month peak of $1,480 touched in March, as rising mortgage rates and inflation have dampened demand despite the looming summertime construction...
tradingeconomics.com
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Much of that is due to a shortage on the glues. And I think some of that is covid but some goes back to the Texas ice storm shutting down production. Panel production takes wood, glue and workers. They've got the wood but glue and workers are in short supply.
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Going up.....50% in the last month???
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We're seeing prices vary based on size. We paid $3.21 last month for 2×4×96 and $15.11 for 1x3x192. Today's price for 2x4x96 is $6.21 and 1x3x192 is $19.22
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There's a pretty good discussion and update here: Lumber Market 2021 Year in Review: What’s Next? (forest2market.com)
Mills are having the same problems as everyone else: getting and keeping employees working, parts and equipment availability and especially trucking. Trucking hits them twice as you have trucks bringing logs to the mill and trucks taking the lumber to their customers.
The NW has also been impacted by fire issues, then weather and also tariffs on Canadian imports. There are some real supply constraints in the NW. The southern states now produce about 1/3rd of all softwood from the US and that percentage is increasing.
Mills are having the same problems as everyone else: getting and keeping employees working, parts and equipment availability and especially trucking. Trucking hits them twice as you have trucks bringing logs to the mill and trucks taking the lumber to their customers.
The NW has also been impacted by fire issues, then weather and also tariffs on Canadian imports. There are some real supply constraints in the NW. The southern states now produce about 1/3rd of all softwood from the US and that percentage is increasing.
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We're moving from tax crazy MN to AL. I purchased a semi-trailer for the move. I had a heck of a time finding one. There is a shortage of those, too. I finally ended up with a reefer, as that was all I could find. They have a slotted floor, so the cooling air can flow under the cartons. This doesn't work well for loading/unloading with dollies and two wheel carts. So I laid down 1/2" OSB sheeting on the floor. It was $16.48 a sheet at Menard's. I was whining about it to the yard man who was helping me load. He said it was near $100.00/sheet a year ago. Pre-COVID, it was around $7.00/sheet.
I was briefly thinking about another ground-up build, rather than purchasing existing. I'm 64, so I knew my age would slow it down, as 9 hours a day is my absolute max to be on my feet. While age played into my decision not to build, the price of lumber was the overwhelming factor.
Watching for promos, I could consistently purchase Diet Coke for $2.50/12-pack pre-Biden. Now I can't touch it for less than $5.00/12-pack.
I was briefly thinking about another ground-up build, rather than purchasing existing. I'm 64, so I knew my age would slow it down, as 9 hours a day is my absolute max to be on my feet. While age played into my decision not to build, the price of lumber was the overwhelming factor.
Watching for promos, I could consistently purchase Diet Coke for $2.50/12-pack pre-Biden. Now I can't touch it for less than $5.00/12-pack.
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Interesting that a 2x6x 96 is almost 30 percent cheaper than 2x4 of same length
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