China Has Cut Its Timber Purchases From Russia By A Third
- 26.06.2026, 14:25
The decline in exports has also affected other Asian markets.
China, the largest buyer of Russian lumber, has sharply reduced its imports, according to Vedomosti reports, citing an analysis by Lesprom Network. In January–April 2026, sawn timber exports to China fell by 30% year-over-year—to 2.6 million cubic meters. In monetary terms, the decline amounted to 26%—revenue fell to $603.7 million.
Overall, Russian sawn timber exports in January–April 2026 fell by 32% to approximately 4 million cubic meters. At the end of 2025, China accounted for about half of all Russian sawn timber exports—11.2 million cubic meters were shipped. The decline in shipments was driven by a crisis in the construction industry, some buyers switching to cheaper lumber, rising logistics costs, and the strengthening of the ruble. According to data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics, real estate sales in the country fell by 9.5% in 2025, reaching their lowest level since 2009. In January–May 2026, the area of real estate sold decreased by another 11%.
The decline in exports also affected other Asian markets. According to Lesprom Network, Russian lumber shipments to Japan fell by 19%, and to South Korea by 18%. Strategy Partners forecasts that Russian lumber exports could decline by 7–10% this year.
Russia’s forestry industry is on the brink of a systemic crisis, which could take more than a year to overcome, according to a study by the Institute of Economics at the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Companies have seen their revenue decline, their debts increase, and their accumulated financial resources depleted, while new liquidity is unavailable due to high interest rates. Small businesses are in a difficult position, the study notes: “Dozens of companies are set to go through bankruptcy,” and “the widespread nature of the losses makes it impossible to count on industry consolidation” as a way to mitigate the downturn. The industry’s net profit of 24.3 billion rubles in 2021 turned into a loss of 11.1 billion rubles by 2024, while the companies’ aggregate debt increased 1.6-fold. Last year, one in every two companies in the industry became unprofitable. The forestry industry was among the first to be hit by sanctions: as early as April 2022, the EU banned imports of Russian timber.