Timber Update July 2021

• In a recent Sky News article, Tesco admits to a shortage of lorry drivers as the haulage industry faces a widespread crisis, caused by testing demands and a reduced number of EU-based drivers.
• According to an article on Building Magazine’s website, the Government may be ‘coming around’ to extending the transition period for the replacement CE marking, post-Brexit certification system, as the the complexity of the changeover is fully realised.
• Information provider Glenigan reports that the amount of construction work starting in the Spring was up 5% on the previous quarter. In its latest Construction Review, the firm said the average value of jobs starting on site in the three months to the end of May was £5.395m, however there are warnings that decreasing supply and increasing material prices may put brakes on momentum.
• Construction News reports on the construction cost inflation data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The report explains that price increase is due to a sharp recovery in domestic construction demand, rapid recovery in global construction demand and a sharp rise in shipping costs.

To read the full Construction News report, click here.

• The US Random Length Continuous Lumber Contract data shows a price correction from earlier highs, while prices in Europe remain firm. Having risen from $264/mbf at the end of March 2020 to $1670/mbf in February this year, they are now trading at $759/mbf.
• In a related article, Global Wood Markets Info anticipates that home-building products will trade above $1000/mbf for the next three to five years.
• In a recent article, the TTF have summarised the Climate Change Committee’s (CCC) Progress Report to Parliament. The report once again recommends that the UK Government substantially increase the use of timber in construction to help achieve our net-zero ambitions.

To read the full TTF article, click here.

The Composite Prime HD Deck Pro is an extra-wide composite decking board with a traditional wood grain finish.

Available in two contemporary shades (Champagne and Oyster), the HD Deck Pro has a reversible design that can be used to create bespoke patterns or borders, with complementary fascias to ensure a consistent finish.

To learn more about the Composite Decking ranges, click here.

Did you know, the oldest door in the UK is made of oak and is located in Westminster Abbey?

It is over 900 years old and was put in place during the reign of Edward the Confessor (1042-1066). This makes it the only surviving Anglo Saxon door in Britain.

The door is made of five vertical oak planks, held together with three horizontal battens, taken from a single tree. The ring-pattern of the timber indicates that the tree grew in eastern England, most probably coming from the extensive woodland owned by the Abbey in this area and possibly from Essex.

To read more about Britain's oldest door, click here.