KUCHING: Malaysia’s exports of tropical plywood, joinery products, sawnwood and wooden furniture to United Kingdom (UK) have all expanded at a strong pace this year.
During the January-August 2025 period (8m2025), UK imports of tropical hardwood plywood from Malaysia surged by 29 per cent to 45,600 cubic metres (cu m) from the same period in 2024 despite a 12 per cent drop in UK’s overall imports of the product to 111,500 cu m during the same period. Total import value was down by 14 per cent to US$67 million.
The drastic drop of imports by Britain was due mainly to reduced shipments from China by nearly 50 per cent, according to International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO) Tropical Timber Market Report (October 16-31, 2025).
“Direct UK imports of hardwood plywood from tropical countries increased 6 per cent to 83,500 cu m in the eight-month period. Imports were up 29 per cent to 45,600 cu m from Malaysia and increased from zero to 2,000 cu m from Singapore. These gains offsets declines of 15 per cent to 27,700 cu m from Indonesia (largest supplier) and of 39 per cent to 2,100 cu m from Brazil.
“Imports from Paraguay were unchanged from last year at 3,300 cu m. The UK imports 21,700 cu m of plywood with an outer layer of tropical hardwood from China in the first eight months of this year, 49 per cent less than in the same period of last year. However, UK imports of tropical hardwood plywood from EU countries increased by 21 per cent to 6,400 cu m during this period,” said ITTO.
On tropical wood joinery products, UK recorded a 20 per cent increase in imports from Malaysia to US$19 million in 8m2025, and shipments from China grew 35 per cent to US$20 million and imports expanded 15 per cent to US$5.7 million from Vietnam.
Although imports quantity increased by three per cent to 49,100 cu m in 8m2025 from a year ago, UK paid one per cent less to US$139 million on the purchase.
“Following a big increase in 2024, imports of these products from the EU fell 22 per cent to US$28 million in the first eight months of this year. Imports from Indonesia, mainly comprising doors, were US$63 million during the eight-month period, 4% less than the same period last year.”
On wooden furniture, in 8m2025, UK raised the imports from Malaysia (second largest supplier) by 12 per cent to US$75 million, building on the momentum that built up in the second half of 2024. Britain also increased imports of wooden furniture from Vietnam (No 1 supplier) by 23 per cent to US$191 million during the same period.
During the period under review, UK reported a 13 per cent increase in import volume of wooden furniture from tropical countries to 89,800 tonnes and import value increased more by 16 per cent to US$343 million.
UK imports of tropical sawnwood, mostly from African countries and Malaysia, fell marginally to 58,000 cu m in 8m2025 (8m2024: 58,400 cu m), with import value flat at US$71.2 million. The most notable trend this year had been a sharp rise in imports from the Republic of Congo, which soared by 121 per cent to 10,600 cu m while imports from Malaysia expanded by 27 per cent to 7,500 cu m.
These gains, however, were offset by declining imports from Cameroon (-8% to 19,300 cu m), Brazil (-11% to 1,600 cu m), Cote d’Ivoire (-50% to 1,000 cu m) and Ghana (-60% to 900 cu m). Indirect imports from the EU also fell by 19 per cent to 13,700 cu m.
“The introduction of the log export ban and shift towards more kiln dried production by some leading exporters in the Republic of Congo has been particularly critical to expansion of the UK market which has no hardwood processing capacity of its own.
“This trend also partly explains the decline in UK imports of tropical sawnwood from the EU this year as more kiln dried product is being imported directly from the Republic of Congo instead of being shipped first to the EU for drying,” said ITTO report.
On tropical hardwood mouldings/decking, UK reported a two per cent increase in imports to 6,200 tonnes from 8m2024 but import value declined by 0.5 per cent to US$16.7 million.
Import quantity fell from the two largest suppliers: Malaysia (-6% to 1,800 tonnes) and Indonesia (-18% to 1,700 tonnes). On the other hand, UK increased imports from Vietnam (+180% to 500 tonnes) and Brazil (+48% to 400 tonnes) as well as EU (+17% to 1,400 tonnes).
Overall, in 8m2025, UK imported 255,700 tonnes of tropical wood and wooden furniture products, up one per cent from 8m2024 while import value was US$686 million, five per cent more in nominal terms but only two per cent more in real terms (i.e. taking account of inflation) than 8m2024. Imports were slow in 1Q2025 but rebounded by six per cent in 2Q2025.
“The UK market for tropical wood and wooden furniture this year has been slower than the wider UK market for these products. UK import value of wood and wooden furniture from all supply regions was US$7.56 billion between January and August this year, 6 per cent more in real terms compared to the same period in 2024.
“The share of tropical wood and wooden furniture products in total UK imports declined slightly from 9.4 per cent in the first eight months of 2024 to 9.1 per cent during the same period this year. This share is now well down on the 11.4 per cent share achieved in 2022 and the close to 14 per cent share typical before the COVID pandemic (in 2020).
“Considering the value of UK imports of all wood and wooden furniture products in the first eight months of this year, imports from China were, at US$1.77 billion, 10 per cent more than the same period in 2024. China’s share of total UK imports value was 24 per cent in the first eight months of this year, up from 23 per cent in the same period of last year.”
The ITTO report said nevertheless, wood and wooden furniture imports from the EU continue to dominate in the UK market, rising five per cent in 8m2025 to US$4.46 billion from a year ago. Imports from EU accounted for 59 per cent of all UK imports value wood and wooden furniture in 8m2025.
“The most notable recent trend in the UK market for wood and wooden furniture was a step change during the COVID pandemic as the country become generally more reliant on regional suppliers inside the EU. Following the UK’s departure from the EU in 2020, this trend ran contrary to expectations.
“UK imports from China are only now just beginning to recover from a downturn in the immediate aftermath of the pandemic and to once again eat away at the dominant EU market position. However, imports from the tropics have remained broadly flat at a lower level during the last three years,” said the report.
