The Bandit Market Report, in existence since 2000, is published on a weekly basis and is intended to be a source of west coast lumber prices and commodities present, future, and pricing trend information.  We appreciate receiving some of this information from Do it Best Corporation.
 

Gold Beach Lumber values the opportunity to serve it's customers on the Southern Oregon Coast and provide you with Lumber prices and Commodities information.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Gold Beach Lumber price motion this week:  The market slowed in most sectors.
 

OSB Lumber Prices: Activity was slow at best last week. The key question is: has it been slow because it is the end of the month or have dealers finally put enough wood on the ground that they feel comfortable? We will not know the answer until next week. If we are coming into a correction, do not expect it to last very long; the discount should not go very deep. Mills simply are not producing that much material. We believe you should have your OSB needs covered through the middle of February.

Western Plywood Lumber Prices: Western plywood mill sales slowed last week. Mills listened to offers in an effort to keep order files into the week of Feb 6, in some cases. Recommend dealers buy for three to four week coverage.

Western SPF Lumber Prices: With wintry weather in the northern US and wet weather across the South, Western WSPF activity slowed to a crawl last week. Pricing continues to grind lower as mills and traders look for trading levels to move product into the market. Lumber futures had not contributed much to price direction last week, as it traded at a rather small discount to cash on some days, with other days reflecting fair value to cash. Also contributing to the weakness in the cash market is the two week long celebration of the Chinese New Year. Please note that over the last three years, lumber prices have moved higher into spring after this two week lull in China. The only real news of note coming into last week were the sawmill fires at Eacom's Timmons, Ontario mill and Hampton's Babine mill in Burns Lake, BC. Coming weeks should prove to be pivotal for cash pricing, as we will see the large fund roll always done at the end of each futures trading month. This roll usually impacts cash pricing; be prepared and plan your needs accordingly.

Coastal Dimension Lumber Prices  

Green Dimension: Green Doug Fir sales continued upbeat this week and prices flattened. Green Doug Fir 2x4 8' stud sales remained steady.  Strategy still is to be covered for two to three weeks.

Dry Dimension:   Western US mills saw mixed activity last week. Wide width coastal dimension was in demand, but narrows both on the coast and in the inland moved at a slower pace. Winter weather in some key markets impacted sales; buyers mostly bought fill-in replacement tallies and avoided building inventory. Truck transportation has been an ongoing issue in many cases.
 

Transportation: Lead times for trucks averaged two to three days last week in nearly all areas. Many orders were shipping within 24 hours, particularly in the Midwest. Shipments originating in the South and Northeast were moving marginally slower, but generally prompt service is commonplace.

Diesel fuel prices remained virtually unchanged last week, sliding $0.006 to $3.848 per gallon. Persistently higher energy costs were keeping upward pressure on freight rates despite improving availability among carriers. Overall, we expect lead times for trucks to average about two days over the near term and for changes in freight rates to correlate closely with changes in fuel prices.

Gold Beach Weather Forecast: A mixture of showers and peek-a-boo sunshine.  Mostly mild.  What a great "Winter". Daytime highs in the mid to upper 50's.  Nights down to low to mid 40's.