Summary: consumption and production (all mills)

In 2015, sawmills in the UK consumed a total of 6.3 million green tonnes of softwood, an 8% decrease from 2014 (Table 2.7). A further 0.1 million green tonnes of hardwood were consumed by UK sawmills in 2015. Most of the logs, 6.2 million green tonnes softwood and 0.1 million green tonnes hardwood, were UK grown.

A total of 3.5 million cubic metres of sawnwood was produced in the UK in 2015, a 7% decrease from 2014.

For softwood, there was a significant drop in roundwood consumption and sawnwood production between 2007 and 2008, following the start of the financial crisis. Sawnwood imports also decreased at this time (see table 3.4). Since then the levels of softwood consumption and sawn softwood production in the UK have recovered and, since 2011, exceed the previous peak in 2007 (although imports remain at a lower level).

In addition to producing sawnwood, sawmills also generate other products. Further information on other products produced by larger mills are provided in Tables 2.18 and 2.18a.

Table 2.7 Consumption and production by UK sawmills, 2006-2015
Year	Softwood				Hardwood
consumption: thousand green tonnes, production: thousand m³ sawnwood
	Consumption of			Production	Consumption of			Production
	UK grown	Imported	Total		UK grown	Imported	Total
2006	5 210	266	5 476	2 859	64	22	85	45
2007	5 565	263	5 828	3 079	66	19	85	44
2008	4 933	174	5 107	2 755	66	20	86	44
2009	5 133	158	5 291	2 809	76	19	95	48
2010	5 616	103	5 719	3 053	75	19	94	48
2011	5 859	125	5 984	3 227	81	20	100	52
2012	6 073	124	6 198	3 361	75	17	93	48
2013	6 407	126	6 532	3 536	74	13	88	46
2014	6 725	159	6 884	3 716	77	14	91	47
2015	6 166	182	6 347	3 449	73	14	86	44

Source: Sawmill Survey