India’s switch to pine log peeling for the production of plywood core veneer has emerged as a survivor for the sector. After successful trials at Kandla-based plywood mills, pine logs have been utilised in plywood mills throughout north India.
The Indian plywood industry has been struggling due to the high prices of plantation poplar and eucalypts, where prices reached an all-time high in 2024. The impact of the surge in prices resulted in some mills in north India either reducing production or even closing mills.
It is understood that medium-density fibreboard (MDF) manufacturing units are also considering using lower-priced pine as a raw material option.
In the past, plywood sector observers suggested that few mills would use pine logs for plywood manufacturing. Unfortunately, some mills have been resistant to the change, although pine logs are being sold in greater volumes across Indian states such as Delhi, Punjab, and Nagar.
Manufacturers have welcomed the switch to pine, which helps to control rising production costs driven by the high prices of poplar logs, which, in part, reflect declining availability.
Manufacturers are becoming more confident as log supplies have eased, and pine wood for core veneer is gaining acceptance. There is also an advantage in that plywood with a pine core is lighter, and the yield of veneers is higher with pine logs.
