The market
China is the world's largest importer, processor and consumer of wood products (USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Softwood Market Update 2025, December 2025). In 2025 it imported 14.6 million m³ of softwood lumber, 12 % less than in 2024 and about half of the 2019 peak, as weak construction activity cut demand; import value was US$3.0 billion at an average US$206 per m³ (Lesprom Analytics, February 2026, on China Customs data). Russia supplied 70 % of that volume, Canada 8 %, Belarus 8 %, Finland 3 % and Sweden 3 %; New Zealand was the one major supplier that grew, +17 % to 276,000 m³.
- 14.6 million m³ — China's softwood lumber imports in 2025, −12 % year on year, US$3.0 billion (Lesprom Analytics / China Customs).
- 70 % — Russia's share of that volume; Canada and Belarus 8 % each (Lesprom Analytics).
- Lanshan · Taicang · Nansha — the main softwood entry ports; Taicang also handles South American supply (USDA FAS).
Imported softwood serves construction — structural frames, light-frame buildings, concrete formwork — as well as packaging, furniture and interior design, while fast-growing domestic species (Chinese fir, Masson pine) increasingly replace imported small-diameter logs in standard packaging and lower-end construction (USDA FAS). The opportunity for South American suppliers is therefore in graded, kiln-dried sawn timber and appearance grades rather than commodity logs — segments where Chile, Brazil and Uruguay already compete with the northern suppliers (USDA FAS).
Where the timber lands
Lanshan (Rizhao, Shandong) is the largest wood-distribution port in northern China; Taicang (Suzhou, Jiangsu) is a national wood-import hub that also receives South American shipments; Nansha (Guangzhou) serves the south (USDA FAS). Trading Globe's active routes are Qingdao and Shanghai, with Taicang and other ports on request.
Products relevant to China
- KD / S4S pine lumber — kiln-dried, surfaced four sides; nominal 2×4 and 2×6, lengths 3–6 m; custom dimensions. Product range →
- APG / Colonial grade pine — appearance grade in high demand across Asia; standard or custom dimensions, high-volume supply.
- Structural pine — 50×150 and 50×250 mm, lengths up to 5 m, for formwork and construction.
- Eucalyptus — plantation eucalyptus from Uruguay, AD/KD rough sawn, no-wane, high density, custom dimensions for China.
- Rough sawn pine — air-dried or kiln-dried, pith-free options, 3–6 m.
Documentation for China
China requires a phytosanitary certificate issued by the plant-protection authority of the exporting country for logs and sawn timber. Sawn timber must be free of bark; fumigation is required only when quarantine pests are found on the consignment and, when performed, no more than 15 days before shipment by sea. Logs that have not been debarked must be treated (New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industries, China ICPR, August 2025). Trading Globe coordinates the phytosanitary certificate at origin (SENASA in Argentina, MGAP-DGSA in Uruguay) with invoice, packing list, bill of lading and certificate of origin; the mill's kiln-drying certificate is supplied with KD products. Full detail: Compliance & documentation. The importer confirms with China Customs (GACC) the current requirements for the specific product and port.
Logistics
Origin ports: Buenos Aires and Concepción del Uruguay (Argentina), Montevideo (Uruguay). Containerised sawn timber to Qingdao and Shanghai; break-bulk for larger volumes. Transit times and freight are quoted per order. Trading Globe operates in Mandarin Chinese; WeChat: @tradinglobe.