Huge volumes of cross-laminated timber panels and glulam beams are still being imported into Australia from all over the world and are now being used on projects like Atlassian Central Tower—the world’s tallest hybrid tower, rising fast beside Sydney’s Central Train Station.
Yesterday, Wood Central exclusively revealed that 21 stories of Stora Enso cross-laminated timber flooring and Wieharg-supplied glulam beams and columns will be shipped from Austria to Australia before an on-site installation period, set to kick off next year.
With 2,000 square metre floor plates, Tim Allen, Taylor Thomson Whitting’s (TTW) structural engineer, told Timber Construct—Australia’s largest timber construction conference— “that there will be a substantial amount of cross-laminated timber” used in the massive project.
Atlassian is part of a growing tide of buildings, now under construction or fully constructed, tapping into European-engineered wood products to use the right type of timber in the right application across Australia.
This includes the Sydney Fish Market, considered Sydney’s most important harbourside development since the Opera House. More than 1,800 cubic metres of spruce glulam and 50 tonnes of steel are used in the giant roof, all exported in 30 special transports from Rubner’s timber engineering production facilities in Dolomites, Northern Italy.
“Over 1,000 steel elements are needed to connect the timber roof structure in a single shipment via waterways in the ship’s hull, according to Adam Shears, director from Theca Timber, who represents several of Europe’s largest mass timber manufacturers targeting Australia. “These elements have collectively traversed approximately 11,500 nautical miles, equivalent to around 21,000 kilometres.”
Meanwhile, in Perth, Boola Katatjin, the Southern Hemisphere’s largest mass timber building, tapped into more than 1,500 cubic metres of glulam provided by German-based Hess Timber – including the largest engineered timber beams ever used in the Australian market.
Chris Palandri, Multiplex’s Regional Development Manager in Perth, said the 1,500 cubic metres shipped from Germany was part of more than 2,100 tonnes of timber used on the project. “It’s a bit like a giant Meccano set or puzzle, with glue-laminated pieces of timber of all different lengths and shapes manufactured offsite before being fitted into place on site.”
According to Tim Woods, IndustryEdge’s Managing Director, total imports of engineered wood products (for the year to May 2024) have reached $312 million on a free-on-board basis.
However, whilst large volumes of timber are now arriving at Australian ports, timber prices are actually dropping: “The peak import month was August 2022, when imports were valued at $49.7 million,” according to IndustryEdge’s Wood Market Edge.
“Since August 2022, imports fell sharply but have recently been in the range of $20-30million, at least on a value basis. In May, the value of imports totalled $25.2 million, down 4.1% compared to last month.”
According to IndustryEdge, more than 122,400 cubic metres of laminated-veneer lumber were declared at Australian ports, with China responsible for just under 50% of total imports.
Meanwhile, New Zealand (33.9%), Indonesia (22%), and China (18.2%) were the dominant players in glulam imports. Poland (25.6%), the UK (23.2%), and Vietnam (22.8%) were the most prominent players in the I-BEAM market, while Austria (unsurprisingly) towered the cross-laminated timber imports (with more than 94% of the total market).
The new data comes after Wood Central revealed in May that the EWPAA – Australasia’s peak body for engineered wood manufacturers – raised the alarm at the volume of laminated veneer lumber entering Australian ports from Europe, Russia and faraway China.
“It is widely acknowledged that imported timber products are necessary for a significant number of building applications and to meet market demand,” Mr Matthew said, and “yet we consistently find that some products do not conform or meet Australian standards or demonstrate the required evidence of suitability.”
“Products that are incorrectly labelled or not fit-for-purpose are entering the supply chain, which is concerning as non-conforming products represent significant safety risks for builders, consumers, and the industry as a whole.”
In 2022, the publisher of Wood Central exclusively revealed that record shipments of Russian LVL were entering Australian ports via China following Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. Originally developed in Australia in the 1970s, LVL is primarily used for structural applications and is comparable in strength to solid timber, concrete, and steel.
Until early 2022, timber importers relied on Russia for 40% to 50% of all LVL, formwork and beams entering the Australian building and construction supply chains. However, that changed in mid-2022 when the European Union banned Russian and Belarusian timber exports, whilst PEFC and FSC suspended certification schemes in both countries.
According to the EWPAA, “signs of non-conforming LVL include missing branding details, questionable certification, and a lack of acceptable documentation.”
