FEA’s Weekly Order Survey – May Sales Not as Strong as in April

Dealers are reporting that, to date, their May sales are OK. However, they are definitely not as strong as they were in April. Many ongoing projects are in the process of being wrapped up and now comes the short lull before new jobs start. A few jobs remain on hold, but so far cancellations remain few in number. As more states allow construction work to resume, demand for lumber, panels and building materials continues to accelerate and is currently exceeding original pandemic projections. While a few mills have quietly restarted production, many continue to run at curtailed production levels, and a handful remain temporarily closed. As a result, lumber and panel mills are quoting production scheduled for the weeks of 6/1 – 6/8, and on some key items beyond. Prices remain in an upward trajectory with most items being quoted above last Friday’s reported levels, first thing on Monday morning. Several mills are reporting that they are running behind on schedule on shipments.