The Plywood Market, 2025 vs. 2015: What has changed?

Ten years is a lifetime in business. Think back to 2015. The world felt, well, simpler. Global trade flowed with a predictable hum, interest rates were low, and your biggest worry was likely fine-tuning production efficiency or nailing a 2% price increase. Compliance meant knowing your FSC and PEFC certifications; the EUTR was fresh, but the EUDR was unheard of. Now, in 2025, the plywood market is a constant wave of geopolitical shocks, instant policy changes, and economic whiplash.

The Geopolitical Hand Grenade

The most defining shift is the rise of non-market forces. In 2015, the market was driven by standard economic supply and demand. Today, it’s defined by constant trade measures, sanctions, and world policy-derived freight imbalances. Policy moves the market.

A market downturn is natural and expected. By contrast, an environment where government decisions can overturn your business overnight is anything but predictable. Many companies freeze, afraid to make the wrong move.

The current low market has temporarily masked issues like limited roundwood supply and the shortage of skilled labor, but these long-term megatrends haven’t disappeared—they’re simply waiting for demand to return. Meanwhile, consolidation is quietly reshaping the landscape: some mills close, others expand; some divest, others invest.

The Toolkit for 2035

The 2015 playbook of steady strategy is outdated. Your path to success relies on timeless fundamentals—production efficiency, motivated people, lean sales—but with a new weapon: data. How you use information from the market and your own operations to make instant, sharp decisions will define the next decade.

The world moves forward, and so do we — shaping the adventure as we move ahead.