Australia’s OSB imports continue to rise
24 April 2018Australia’s consumption of sheathing material, especially OSB has grown strongly in recent years, faster in fact than the rate of housing growth would suggest, reports Wood Market Edge, IndustryEdge’s monthy publication.
Over the last year, imports of OSB rose almost 50% and for the year-ended February, topped 50,000m3 for the first time.
The main grade of OSB saw imports rise more than a quarter to almost 39,000m3 for the year-ended February 2018, prompting IndustryEdge analysts to state that the result underscores the continuing strength in the Australian housing sector.
“OSB is basically a sheathing material and it is used on new dwellings more than anywhere else,” said IndustryEdge’s Tim Woods.
“Growth in OSB use is telling us that the housing market is still strong, but also that other sheathing materials like plywood are being deployed into different applications.”
