U.S. Logs and Hardwood Lumber Make China Tariff-Relief List Under $30B Trade Plan

MONTREAL (Scrap Monster): U.S. logs, hardwood lumber and other wood products have been included in a new U.S.-China trade framework recommending reduced tariff treatment for $30 billion of non-sensitive goods in each direction, potentially improving market access for American forest-product exporters.

The recommendations were announced following Chinese President Xi Jinping's September 23-25 state visit to Washington and meetings with U.S. President Donald Trump.

The White House said the U.S.-China Board of Trade reached consensus on recommendations for more favorable tariff treatment covering American agricultural products, fish and seafood, logs and wood products, cosmetics and medical devices.

U.S.-China Board Recommends Tariff Relief on $30 Billion of Trade

The two governments established the U.S.-China Board of Trade during President Trump's May 2026 visit to Beijing as a mechanism for managing trade in non-sensitive products.

Following President Xi's Washington visit, the board recommended $30 billion of products from each country for potentially more favorable tariff treatment.

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said the products represent about 30% of U.S. exports to China.

China's Foreign Ministry separately listed the reciprocal $30 billion tariff arrangement among the eight economic and diplomatic understandings reached during the state visit.

Reduced Tariffs Are Recommended, Not Yet Automatic

The announcement does not mean the listed tariffs have already been eliminated or reduced.

The White House's formal 30-for-30 framework states that the United States and China will consider the identified products “with a view toward providing reduced tariff treatment” in accordance with their respective domestic laws and procedures.

The final tariff treatment, implementation schedule and individual tariff rates will therefore depend on further action by the two governments.

Hardwood Lumber Included Alongside Logs

The detailed China import list provides an important clarification for the U.S. hardwood sector.

Among the listed tariff categories are:

• North American hardwood logs under Chinese tariff code 44039960;
• North American hardwood lumber under code 44079930;
• oak, maple, cherry, ash, birch and other sawn hardwood products;
• pine, fir, spruce, Douglas-fir and other softwood lumber; and
• several veneer, particleboard, OSB and other wood-product categories.

The broader scope means the tariff-relief recommendation could benefit both timber exporters and U.S. companies selling processed lumber and other wood products.

Lawmakers Had Pushed for Lumber, Not Just Logs

The distinction between logs and lumber had already become a major issue for the U.S. hardwood industry.

In July, Senators Shelley Moore Capito and Jeanne Shaheen led a bipartisan, bicameral group of lawmakers in asking USTR to explicitly include American hardwood lumber in the new China trade framework.

The lawmakers argued that procurement commitments focused mainly on logs could encourage U.S. timber to be processed overseas rather than at American sawmills.

They urged negotiators to ensure China purchases American hardwood lumber as well as raw logs, saying stronger lumber exports would support U.S. sawmills, loggers and rural manufacturing communities.

U.S. Hardwood Lumber Lost Significant China Market Share

China was once the most important overseas market for American hardwood lumber.

USDA's Shanghai Agricultural Trade Office reported that the United States was China's largest hardwood lumber supplier from 2014 through 2018, with roughly 30% of the market.

Thailand moved into first place in 2019, while the United States remained second through 2025.

U.S. hardwood lumber exports to China fell from approximately $769 million in 2019 to $645 million in 2025, according to USDA data.

The U.S. share of China's hardwood lumber import value stood at roughly 19% in 2025.

Shift Toward Logs Has Concerned U.S. Sawmills

The industry's concern is not simply declining export volume. It is also the changing mix between logs and lumber.

The congressional letter cited Hardwood Federation data indicating that the value of U.S. hardwood log exports exceeded hardwood lumber exports for the first time in mid-2024.

When raw logs are exported, the sawing, drying and other value-added processing can occur overseas rather than at U.S. mills.

USDA's Shanghai office similarly reported that Chinese manufacturers had increased purchases of logs relative to lumber, contributing to weaker U.S. lumber sales.

The issue has become particularly important for hardwood-producing regions where sawmills depend on export markets for species including red oak, white oak, walnut, cherry and ash.

China Reopened Market to U.S. Logs in Late 2025

China had sharply restricted U.S. log trade during the 2025 trade dispute.

Under the U.S.-China economic arrangement announced in November 2025, Beijing agreed to resume purchases of U.S. sorghum and both hardwood and softwood logs.

USDA reported that Chinese imports of U.S. hardwood logs fell sharply during the disruption, from 969,761 cubic metres in 2024 to 274,645 cubic metres in 2025.

Trade has since begun to recover, although China has not returned to its earlier position as the dominant destination for American hardwood logs.

Vietnam Overtakes China for U.S. Hardwood Logs

Vietnam has emerged as the largest 2026 destination for American hardwood logs.

U.S. Department of Agriculture trade data cited by Wood Central show Vietnamese buyers purchased approximately $387.1 million of American hardwood logs between January and July.

China purchased approximately $261.8 million during the same period.

Walnut accounted for more than half of Vietnam's purchases, with approximately $207.6 million of U.S. walnut logs shipped there during the seven-month period.

Wood Central reported that additional sawmilling and veneer capacity was established around Ho Chi Minh City during the period when Chinese log imports from the United States were restricted.

$17 Billion China Purchase Commitment Is Separate

The new $30 billion tariff framework should also be distinguished from an earlier Chinese purchase commitment.

During the May 2026 U.S.-China agreement, China committed to purchase at least $17 billion annually in U.S. agricultural products during 2026, 2027 and 2028, in addition to previously agreed soybean purchases.

It was in connection with that broader trade relationship that U.S. lawmakers urged the administration to make sure hardwood lumber received meaningful market access rather than allowing growth to concentrate primarily in log exports.

What the Tariff List Means for U.S. Forest Products

For American hardwood and softwood producers, the new list creates a potential path toward lower Chinese import costs across a broader range of forest products.

Logs could benefit, but so could sawmills and downstream wood manufacturers because the official product schedule includes lumber and other processed wood products.

The actual commercial impact will depend on the tariff reductions ultimately adopted, Chinese demand, exchange rates and whether buyers shift additional purchases toward U.S. suppliers.

Market Read

The most important development for the U.S. forest-products industry is that the tariff-relief recommendation does not appear to favor raw logs exclusively.

Including both North American hardwood logs and hardwood lumber gives exporters at different stages of the supply chain potential access to improved tariff treatment.

That distinction matters to domestic sawmills. Stronger log exports can support timber owners and logging operations, while stronger lumber exports preserve more sawing, drying and processing activity inside the United States.

The next issue to watch is implementation: which tariff reductions China ultimately approves, when they take effect and whether lower duties translate into stronger Chinese orders for U.S. logs, lumber and other wood products.

Courtesy: www.woodcentral.com.au