Raw Materials

ASTM International has announced ASTM A90 / A90M - 11 standard test method for weight [mass] of coating on iron and steel articles with zinc or zinc alloy coatings.

The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC), in a vote of 4 to 2, cleared the way for the Commerce Dept. to impose antidumping and countervailing duty orders on engineered wood flooring imported from China.

Nucor advised their customers of their intention to raise hot rolled prices by USD 30 per ton, cold rolled by USD 40 per ton and coated (galvanized) by USD 40 per ton.

Recently, there have been design value changes proposed for some visual grades of lumber. These decisions will have no impact on the design values of Machine Stress Rated (MSR) lumber and Machine Evaluated Lumber (MEL) because of the way these products are manufactured and tested.

The proposal to reduce some design values for Southern yellow pine (SYP) by as much as a third has created fear and concern among some dealers, in part because of uncertainty over just how big a deal the change is. This article is an excerpt from an online discussion on the topic.

One smart way to get away from the welfare check is to get our national forests producing again. Their 187 million acres nationwide support 45 percent of the nation's softwood timber inventory, but supply just 1 percent of the nation's commercial wood.

The Kitawanga sawmill near Hazelton, BC has shutdown only a few months after opening in July. The mill’s owners, Pacific Bioenergy, said they had to shutdown the mill temporarily due to unforeseen market events

Crow's Market Recap -- A condensed recap of the market conditions for the major North American softwood lumber and panel products as reported in Crow's Weekly Market Report.

Increased sales of I-joists and laminated veneer lumber (LVL) boosted performance in Boise Cascade’s wood products division during the third quarter.

The reason behind the tight supply, contractors say, is the amount of new housing in the North Dakota oil patch, now aggravated by a flood in Minot that's led to rebuilding and a more active home construction market.