American hardwood lumber is among 146 U.S. wood-product tariff lines included in China's new 30-for-30 trade framework. Oak, maple, cherry and other hardwoods could qualify for reduced tariffs, although final rates and an implementation date have not yet been set.

U.S. Hardwood Lumber Included in China Tariff-Relief Framework

American hardwood lumber is among 146 U.S. wood-product tariff lines included in China's new 30-for-30 trade framework, opening the possibility of lower tariffs on species including oak, maple, cherry and ash. Actual tariff reductions have not yet been implemented.

By Paul Ploumis
Published September 30, 2026

Courtesy: www.woodcentral.com.au

Key Points

China's approved import list includes 146 U.S. wood-product tariff lines under the 30-for-30 framework.
Oak, beech, maple, cherry, ash, birch and poplar lumber are among the hardwood products included.
Logs, plywood, OSB, fibreboard, laminated veneer lumber and assembled flooring are also covered.
Glulam and cross-laminated timber are excluded from the relevant structural timber line.
The lists create a pathway for reduced tariffs, but no final tariff rates or implementation date have been announced.

MONTREAL (Scrap Monster): American hardwood sawmills could gain improved access to the Chinese market after lumber and a broad range of other U.S. wood products were included in the new U.S.-China 30-for-30 trade framework.

China's approved list contains 146 U.S. wood-product tariff lines, ranging from hardwood and softwood lumber to logs, panels, plywood, flooring and other manufactured wood products.

The wider China import list contains 1,619 tariff lines, while the reciprocal U.S. list covers 77 categories of Chinese goods. The two lists represent roughly $30 billion of annual trade in each direction, based on 2024 bilateral trade values.

Importantly, inclusion on the lists does not mean tariff cuts have already taken effect. The framework recommends the products for more favorable tariff treatment, with any future reductions still subject to the domestic legal processes of the United States and China.

Hardwood Lumber Gets Product-Specific Access

The Chinese list includes individual tariff lines for oak, beech, maple, cherry, ash, birch and poplar lumber, along with a separate category for other North American hardwood lumber.

North American hardwood logs are included as well, with specific entries covering oak, beech, birch, poplar and eucalyptus logs.

Softwood products also feature prominently. Pine, fir and spruce, along with Douglas fir, appear on the list in both log and lumber categories.

SCRAPMONSTER EDGE

The inclusion of lumber, rather than logs alone, is the key development for U.S. hardwood sawmills. Earlier industry and congressional pressure focused on ensuring that any improved China market access also supported value-added U.S. processing rather than concentrating purchases in unprocessed logs.

Panels, Plywood and Flooring Also Included

The potential tariff relief extends well beyond solid lumber.

The Chinese list includes particleboard, oriented strand board, fibreboard, plywood and laminated veneer lumber, along with pallets, windows, doors and assembled flooring.

That creates potential coverage across a substantial portion of the U.S. forest-products value chain, from primary wood products to more heavily processed materials.

Two prominent engineered structural products are not included. Glue-laminated timber, or glulam, and cross-laminated timber, or CLT, are excluded from the relevant Chinese tariff line for wooden posts and beams.

Tariff Opportunity Is Largely One-Way for Wood Products

The reciprocal U.S. list offers little comparable opening for Chinese wood producers.

None of the 77 listed Chinese products fall within the main wood, pulp or paper chapters of the U.S. tariff schedule.

Wooden Christmas ornaments appear on the American list, but they are classified under the tariff chapter covering toys and festive goods rather than the wood-products chapter.

The contrast means forest products have a much larger presence among the U.S. goods being considered for preferential treatment in China than among Chinese goods being considered for tariff relief in the United States.

Framework Follows Trump-Xi Washington Talks

The detailed product lists were published after Chinese President Xi Jinping's three-day state visit to Washington.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the recommendations could improve market access for about 30% of U.S. exports to China. The U.S. products extend beyond timber to agricultural goods, seafood, cosmetics and medical devices.

Chinese goods included on the reciprocal U.S. list are concentrated largely in household products, toys and other consumer categories.

The U.S.-China Board of Trade approved the two comparably valued product lists under what the governments call the 30-for-30 framework. The lists are based on approximately $30 billion in annual bilateral trade in each direction.

However, the framework does not itself establish the final tariff rates. Those reductions must still be determined and implemented under each country's legal process.

Hardwood Industry Had Pushed for Lumber Access

The inclusion of hardwood lumber follows months of pressure from U.S. lawmakers seeking to ensure that trade negotiations with China did not focus primarily on raw log exports.

In June, 32 members of Congress told U.S. Trade Representative Greer that it was 'critical that the Board of Trade and any hardwood purchases focus on lumber, not just logs.'

The lawmakers said U.S. hardwood lumber sales to China were once worth approximately $1.5 billion annually but had since fallen to about $701 million.

The change has become increasingly important for American hardwood producers as U.S. suppliers have lost share in the Chinese market. The United States slipped from China's leading hardwood log supplier in 2024 to fourth place in 2025 after China temporarily banned U.S. log imports between March and November.

The new product list does not guarantee a recovery in U.S. hardwood exports, but it establishes a pathway for lumber and other value-added wood products to receive more favorable tariff treatment if the two governments complete the required implementation steps.