Almost four years to the day since the start of Russia’s war on Ukraine, the United States is still importing 10,000 cubic metres or more of Russian birch plywood each month, years after the European Union hit Russia with heavy sanctions.
That is according to the Russian-based publication Lesproom, which revealed that the U.S. imported more than 11,300 cubic metres of Russian birch in November – a figure that is nonetheless 23% down on a year to year basis over November 2024, as the US grapples with a persistently weak new housing market.
As it stands, the United States is one of Russia’s most important export markets for plywood – behind only Thailand and China – with huge shipments of Russian birch ply also arriving in the United States via third-party ports in Vietnam and Indonesia, according to the US Hardwood Association.
“In 2024, the United States imported over $62 million of birch plywood from Russia,” the letter said. “However, these direct imports from Russia pale compared to the nearly $200 million of birch plywood imported from Vietnam and the nearly $160 million imported from Indonesia,” the US Hardwood Association wrote to the Trump administration last year. “These imports come in at low or no tariff rates despite being made with Russian-origin birch. All plywood made with Russian-origin wood and wood inputs, whether imported directly from Russia or a third country after further processing, helps support the Russian war effort.”
The 50% tariffs on Russian plywood cut trade in half
In 2023, Earthsight found that whilst tariffs cut U.S. imports of plywood from Russia in half, it remains one of its largest foreign suppliers of plywood. That’s because plywood remains one of the largest shipments of goods, other than gas and oil, coming directly from Russia and its ally Belarus into the U.S. “It’s a scandal,” according to Sam Lawson, director of EarthSight. “I think most U.S. consumers will be shocked.”
“U.S. consumers are under the impression that the U.S. is doing everything it can to isolate Russia economically, Lawson said. “But the reality is that there are still significant areas for improvement in sanctions. And this is one of the most important ones.”
- To learn more about the trade in Russian birch entering the United States, which in 2024 accounted for US$ 360m in trade, once timber from Vietnam and Indonesia is taken into account, click here for Wood Central’s special feature.
