This report contains brief excerpts from our full 12-page newsletter, which includes prices of more than 1,600 lumber and panel items, plus detailed summaries of market activity. Contact Random Lengths for a free sample issue.

Random Lengths Lumber Market Report

	This Week Feb 5	Last Week Jan 29	Year Ago 2009
Random Lengths Framing Lumber Composite Price*	$305	$284	$190
KD Western S-P-F #2&Btr 2x4 R/L Mill Price	290	252	134
KD Eastern S-P-F #1&2 2x4 R/L, delivered Great Lakes	350	335	230
Green Douglas Fir Std&Btr 2x4 R/L (Portland)	247	228	155
Southern Pine (Westside) #2 2x4 R/L	313	294	233
KD Coast Hem-Fir Std&Btr 2x4 R/L	275	252	150
Ponderosa Pine (Inland) #2&Btr 1x12 R/L	670	640	485
* Weighted average of 15 key items

*Note: Index figures back to Jan. 2006 have been recomputed. In Sept. 2008, unfilled orders were revised "to more accurately depict industry activity," according to the WWPA.

Framing lumber sales gained momentum as supply-side concerns kept buyers in the market. Sharp price gains were posted across all grades, ranging from Economy to Select Structural and MSR. Mills raised prices steadily, if not aggressively, as they sold through mid-to-late February, and sometimes into early March. Double-digit gains across the spectrum of species pushed the Random Lengths Framing Lumber Composite Price up to $305, a $21 increase.

Random Lengths Panel Market Report

(f.o.b. mill prices)	This Week Feb 5	Last Week Jan 29	Year Ago 2009
Random Lengths Structural Panel Composite Price*	$301	$293	$252
Southern (west-east) 15/32-inch 3-ply rated sheathing plywood	313-325	306-317	250-260
Southern (west-east) 15/32-inch 4-ply rated sheathing plywood	318-340	313-330	253-268
Western 1/2-inch 4-ply rated sheathing plywood	308	295	242
North Central 7/16-inch Oriented Strand Board	210	203	150
*Weighted average of 11 key items

Structural panel prices continued to gain ground. While OSB traders offered mixed assessments of the sales pace, there was broad agreement regarding the market trend. Prices advanced in all regions, in some cases by double digits. Earlier action in other products spilled into the Southern Pine plywood market late in the week. A few prices wobbled briefly Thursday, but firmed later that day and rose in an active Friday morning. A surge of orders from Canada at midweek helped western Fir plywood mills extend shipment times.

Industry News In "Through A Knothole"

Below are headlines of recent articles in the "Through A Knothole" section of our full 12-page newsletter, featuring articles of interest to the industry, including production/price trends, market analysis, trade issues, timber supplies, and much more. Contact Random Lengths for a free sample issue.

This Week in the "Through a Knothole" Section of Random Lengths

The sharp early 2010 rally in lumber prices has put the first trigger point under the Softwood Lumber Agreement in sight.
Higher prices raise the possibility of increased production, but restarting mills isn’t an easy decision or undertaking.
Despite a tepid demand outlook, a few plywood mills in the U.S. have been restarted.
U.S. retailers’ three-month sales expectations and inventory positions jumped off a December trough.