More than 13,800 cubic metres of US lumber moved through Indian ports in March alone, an increase of 41 per cent over the same period last year, as hardwood and softwood producers continued to chase India’s demand for furniture, joinery and construction. That is according to new data from the United States Department of Agriculture, which revealed that shipments to India totalled more than 28,100 cubic metres for the first three months of 2026 — a figure 24 per cent higher than the 22,600 cubic metres in 2025.
Whilst the overwhelming majority of trade is still made up of southern yellow pine, western yellow pine and Douglas fir, Wood Central understands that higher-value American hardwoods, namely red oak, white oak, hickory, ash, hard maple and black walnut, have emerged as the fastest-growing segment, servicing Indian furniture, joinery and door manufacturers in Mumbai, Chennai and Tuticorin.
Last year, shipments of hardwood lumber climbed more than 37 per cent to 15,996 cubic metres (US $9.98 million), a record, with red and white oak together accounting for more than half of all hardwood value. “Demand for American hardwoods reaches unprecedented levels,” according to Roderick Wiles, AHEC Regional Director, who spoke at IndiaWood 2026 in Bengaluru in March, revealing that the balance of trade is made up of hickory, ash, hard maple and black walnut.
The surge comes as Wood Central reported on West Virginia mills securing fresh export contracts with Indian and Vietnamese buyers through an inbound trade mission organised by the West Virginia Department of Agriculture and the Southern United States Trade Association, with Cherry River Lumber, Meadow River Hardwood Lumber and Laurel Creek Hardwoods all signing on red oak, white oak, black cherry and walnut packages bound for Mumbai and Hanoi.
With Indian Plant Quarantine Order 2003 rules requiring all imported lumber to be kiln dried or heat treated and AHEC rolling out its satellite-verified American Hardwood Assured platform across Indian buyers, the Q1 jump to more than 28,100 cubic metres places United States producers on track to extend the 2025 record — with southern yellow pine carrying volume and red oak, white oak and hickory carrying value through Indian ports for the year ahead.
