Will Lumber Prices Go Up?
Lumber prices in some cases are already going up, but whether lumber product costs will keep rising is a matter that has been hotly debated on Reddit’s woodworking sub lately:
(March 16, 2025), redditor: Scouts_Honor_sort_of, said, “I got quoted $200 for a single sheet of 3/4” maple ply a few weeks ago, I’m too scared to go back and see how much it is now. [On what store, it was] Franklin building supply. It’s an Idaho or PNW based building supply. I absolutely [was] stunned by that price.
Dustmonkey 383: I’m in central TX, and I’m getting 1uv coated 3/4” maple/birch 9 ply sheets for $53 and some change. No uv is about $45-$47 if I recall right. It is starting to creep but compared to Covid vs pre covid prices, it’s not bad. Pre covid, I would get maple/birch 3/4” sheets unfinished for $27/ and during covid they shot up to $70. Our manufacturer also moved from China to Vietnam because of the tariffs during DJT round 1. (On What is UV) My supplier calls it UV coated ply. It is basically clear coat finished on one side already. Typically this side is the interior of my cabinet boxes and it saves my painters from having to finish the inside of the box. Easier for them and cheaper for us because painting or clear coating the inside of cabinets can be a chore on top of the cost of labor and materials.)
Scouts_Honor_sort_of: I just got back from some traveling and I was seeing about $50-$70 a sheet and I thought that was getting spendy.
Im keeping my eye on hardware and screws. I build houses and the one thing I noticed the last supply chain shake up was the price of screws, lags, bolts, clips, straps, tie downs etc skyrocketing and never really coming back down. I gotta get my joinery skills up to par to save some money.
u/Brightstorm_Rising: In short, yes. [ Lumber prices will go up] In long, the amount that prices increase depend on where you are and what kind of wood it is. The tariffs currently being levied are on softwoods, although there are also some blanket tariffs being targeted at countries that export desirable hardwoods. Domestic hardwoods like maple, poplar, walnut, and some oaks are going to see increases, but that's going to be indirectly related to tariffs. I should say that I'm talking about the contiguous 48 US states. If you're in Alaska, you're likely screwed. Hawaii and Puerto Rico, you were already screwed. Canada might actually see a slight drop in prices. No idea about Europe, although I don't think the US exports a lot of timber.
Sam_an_robots: I was at my local hardwood store yesterday for the first time since January (Berkeley, CA), and the inexpensive domestic hardwoods I normally use were up . red oak went from 2.50 in january / bft to 5, poplar was like 6 or 8 something that made me just walk away. Walnut was 12-18. all of the maple was double digits so I just shied away. the stag-flation side of it was that there wasn't great selection on the lower end stuff, and a lot more volume in the 'premium/"clear"' stuff.
On Finding Cheaper Lumber Prices
erikleorgav2: But in the woodworking world, I'd suggest finding independent sawmills and sawyers. They often sell for better prices because they don't have the same overhead. Difference being, you won't get the same variety as you will with lumber outlets because it's largely domestic.