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North American Lumber Prices: Western SPF Holds at $454, Southern Yellow Pine Drops 5% – October 23, 2026
North American softwood lumber prices remained under pressure during the week ended October 23, 2026. Western Spruce-Pine-Fir 2×4 held steady at US$454 per thousand board feet, while Southern Yellow Pine East Side 2×4 declined 5% to US$448, according to Madison's Lumber Reporter.
Market at a Glance
- Western SPF 2×4: → US$454/mfbm, unchanged week over week.
- Southern Yellow Pine East Side 2×4: ▼ 5% to US$448/mfbm, down $22 from the previous week.
- Western SPF monthly change: Down $18, or approximately 4%.
- Southern Yellow Pine monthly change: Down $43, or approximately 9%.
- Market conditions: Weak buyer demand continued across major North American lumber regions.
SEATTLE (Scrap Monster): North American softwood lumber markets continued to experience weak demand in late October, with benchmark prices showing mixed weekly movements, according to Madison's Lumber Reporter.
For the week ended October 23, the benchmark Western Spruce-Pine-Fir (SPF) 2×4 #2&Btr KD (RL) price remained unchanged at US$454 per thousand board feet.
Southern Yellow Pine (SYP) East Side 2×4 #2&Btr KD (RL), meanwhile, declined $22, or approximately 5%, to US$448 per thousand board feet.
ScrapMonster Edge: Similar Prices, Different Market Trends
Western SPF and Southern Yellow Pine were separated by just $6 per thousand board feet during the reporting week, but their longer-term movements tell different stories.
Western SPF was 7% below its year-earlier level, while Southern Yellow Pine remained 23% above the corresponding 2025 benchmark.
Industry takeaway: Similar current lumber prices do not necessarily indicate similar market conditions. For sawmills, distributors and building-material buyers, species-specific price movements and historical comparisons provide a more useful picture than a single benchmark or regional average.
Western SPF Holds Steady at $454 per Thousand Board Feet
The Western SPF benchmark remained unchanged from the previous week at US$454/mfbm.
Compared with one month earlier, when the price stood at $472, the benchmark was down $18, or approximately 4%.
On a year-over-year basis, Western SPF declined $33, or approximately 7%, from $487 during the corresponding week of 2025.
However, the benchmark remained $52, or approximately 13%, above its October 2024 comparison of $402.
Southern Yellow Pine Falls 5% to $448
Southern Yellow Pine East Side 2×4 prices weakened more sharply, falling from $470 to $448/mfbm during the week.
The $22 decline represented a weekly decrease of approximately 5%.
Compared with one month earlier, when the benchmark stood at $491, Southern Yellow Pine was down $43, or approximately 9%.
Despite the recent weakness, the benchmark remained $83, or approximately 23%, higher than its year-earlier price of $365.
Compared with the corresponding week in 2024, when the price stood at $475, Southern Yellow Pine was down $27, or approximately 6%.
Weak Demand Continues to Weigh on Lumber Markets
Madison's Lumber Reporter indicated that demand remained subdued across North American regions during October, with buyers showing limited urgency to increase inventories.
The latest figures reflect differing price pressures across Western SPF and Southern Yellow Pine, particularly over weekly and monthly comparison periods.
The contrasting annual movements also highlight the importance of tracking individual lumber species and regional benchmarks as producers and distributors assess market conditions.
Pricing note: All prices are in U.S. dollars per thousand board feet (mfbm), based on the specified benchmark lumber grades. Prices may differ by species, grade, region, supplier and delivery arrangements.
Courtesy: www.redbooklumberdata.com. Pricing data: Madison's Lumber Reporter.
