U.S. softwood and panel markets

Reined-in mill output and a seasonal increase in demand gave many framing lumber prices an upward push. Canfor's announcement that it would cut production by 600 million board feet on an annualized basis helped to pull in fence-sitters on the buy side and give Western S-P-F and competing species an early week boost. Sales moderated Thursday, but price increases pushed the Random Lengths Framing Lumber Composite up $8, the largest gain of the year to date.

	Week Apr 11	Week Apr 4	Year Ago 2007
Random Lengths Framing Lumber Composite Price*	$247	$239	$288
KD Western S-P-F #2&Btr 2x4 R/L Mill Price	222	207	244
KD Eastern S-P-F #1&2 2x4 R/L, delivered Great Lakes	300	290	320
Green Douglas Fir Std&Btr 2x4 R/L (Portland)	235	220	255
Southern Pine (Westside) #2 2x4 R/L	270	266	257
KD Coast Hem-Fir Std&Btr 2x4 R/L	215	205	260
Ponderosa Pine (Inland) #2&Btr 1x12 R/L	400	408	680
* Weighted average of 15 key items

More active plywood sales failed to carry over into OSB. Some OSB traders reported a pickup in inquiries, but finding what they needed was not a problem for most. Cold and wet weather kept a damper on sales across much of the Midwest and Eastern Canada. Most Southern Pine plywood sheathing and underlayment items traded at firm to higher prices. Many mills booked orders through the week of April 21 or into the week of April 28. The western Fir plywood market drifted, maintaining its course of modestly higher mill prices along with two- or three-week order files.

(f.o.b. mill prices)	Week Apr 11	Week Apr 4	Year Ago 2007
Random Lengths Structural Panel Composite Price*	$282	$280	$287
Southern (west-east) 15/32-inch 3-ply exterior sheathing plywood	310-330	306-320	305-335
Southern (west-east) 15/32-inch 4-ply exterior sheathing plywood	320-340	313-330	320-345
Western 1/2-inch 4-ply exterior sheathing plywood	305	300	318
North Central 7/16-inch Oriented Strand Board	140	140	153
*Weighted average of 11 key items

U.S. softwood and panel markets - Week 15

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