Timber iQ Dec 2017 - Jan 2018 // Issue:35 | Page 46

FEATURES
Oak, used to make things like wine barrels, is usually imported from North America.
Tough trade in timber
Timber iQ looks at the import and export of timber as outside
forces wreak havoc with international traders.
By Tristan Wiggill | All images courtesy Pixabay
S
ean Heilbuth, import / export manager at Sawmill
Lumber Sales, says that while South Africa imports
vast quantities of timber, the country is not overly
reliant on imports. “We have a lot of wood here. Currently,
you don't have to queue for timber – you can phone a
sawmill today and they’ll deliver tomorrow. However, there
are certain sizes that many sawmills are no longer cutting,
unless it’s a recovery.”
According to Heilbuth, few sawmills are currently
cutting lengths longer than 25 x 152s. “Most of the smaller
mills are concentrating on 38mm material. However, there
is always a market for 25mm overseas, but the problem is,
the rand / dollar exchange rate is not helping,” he says.
44 DECEMBER 2017 / JANUARY 2018 //
“We used to bring in quite a bit of 25mm material for fascia
boards from Argentina but then the rand declined, and a
few companies were sold. There are a lot of guys exporting
at present.”
“Many are importing plywood,” continues Heilbuth. “I
get it from Brazil and China. We used to export saligna to
Taiwan and China, but that stopped when the Rand
weakened,” he explains.
HEART-TO-HEART
Heilbuth says it’s important that importers deal with
people that have their interests at heart. “You need
someone who can reliably inspect the timber before it