National Hardwood Magazine - April 2024

SOUTHEAST Continued
sales, noting that if he hadn’t started producing softwoods
he would be on limited production. “We used to
be 100 percent Hardwood, now we are maybe 15 percent,
the softwood is what is keeping us going.”
A lumber spokesperson in Kentucky said that his sales
depend on the specie at hand. “Ash and White Oak are
very good, Red Oak is improving, Hard and Soft Maple
in Face and Better are improving and so is Walnut. Red
Oak is continuing to be steady. We are still concerned
with Poplar because while it is moving we are selling it at
cheaper prices and Hickory stinks to high heaven.”
He noted that he is doing better than he was six months
ago due to the export markets coming back around. “Our
export customers were making a lot of cheap offers in
the latter part of ’23 and they are now starting to meet us
at our price.”
His company offers Ash and Walnut in thicknesses 4/4
and 8/4, Basswood, Cherry, Hard and Soft Maple in 4/4
thickness, Hickory in 4/4, 5/4 and 6/4 thicknesses, Red
and White Oak in 4/4, 6/4 and 8/4 thicknesses and Poplar
in thicknesses of 4/4, 5/4, 6/4, 8/4, 10/4, 12/4 and
P.O. Box 16767
Greensboro, North Carolina 27416-6767
Call Us or Fax Today
1-800-234-3343 • 1-336-378-1265
Fax: 1-336-379-0863
web site: www.beardhardwoods.com
Specializing in Poplar, Red Oak, White Oak and Ash
Mixed Truckloads
Surfacing S2S
Dry Kilns (400,000 ft cap)
16/4. They are able to offer all species and all thicknesses
in all grades.
He said that he sells to distribution yards and some
cabinet, flooring, millwork and moulding and furniture
manufacturers. “I think the flooring guys are still concerned
about losing market share to inferior products
and the cabinet people feel the same way,” he added. n
WEST COAST Continued from page 11
When asked about his customers’ markets, the contact
said, “Our primary customer base is lumberyards and
woodworking manufacturers. The lumber yards seem
a little slower due to inflation and interest rates. Many
manufacturers who used to have long backlogs are not
seeing as long of files.”
The contact said transportation is good in his area. As
for what is ahead he said, “I was talking to one of the local
branch managers here and he said they are getting a
lot more interest in loan portfolios. We have other manufacturers
out here that invest in equipment. He said there
is more interest in financing equipment for these entities
®
Complete export preparation at our
wholesale distribution yards with
milling facilities at Greensboro, NC.
Distribution Warehouse in
Long Beach, CA
We now have a distribution
warehouse in Long Beach,
CA to better serve our West
Coast customers.
SALES
JOHN BEARD jbeard@beardhardwoods.com
DERICK SHULAR dshular@beardhardwoods.com
WALT LANCASTER wlancaster@beardhardwoods.com
PURCHASING
DAVID LEONARD dleonard@beardhardwoods.com
AARON FOUTS afouts@beardhardwoods.com
which is a positive sign of what is to come.”
An Oregon Hardwood supplier said, “The Hardwood
market is slow but steady. It’s usually slow this time of
year but it is a little worse than last quarter.”
The contact, who carries all domestic Hardwoods,
said, “We carry everything in Hardwoods. We carry 4/4,
5/4 and 8/4 lumber. In some of the more popular ones
I carry thicker stocks of 8/4 through 16/4. Most of our
grades are SAB in Maples and FAS in Walnut. We deal
in some No. 1 Common but not as much because our
customers are high-end cabinet makers.”
Of the species he carries, he said Alder and Poplar are
the best moving items. “We have a lot of species but the
exotics are slower than anything.”
He said his customers’ markets are steady. “A lot of our
customers have been in business a long time and many
of their customers have too. We’re all holding steady.”
Transportation was high on the list of factors affecting
his immediate markets. “Pricing for transportation is an
issue right now and we don’t look for that to change anytime
soon.”
Combined with an election year, another Hardwood
supplier in California mentioned market uncertainty as
a primary factor in the slow activity. “It’s broader than
the Hardwood market with rising interest rates,” he explained.
“People have put off building and now that there
are hints of lowering interest rates, people aren’t in a hurry
to borrow money at a higher rate than they would three
or four months from now. I believe that is part of what is
keeping us suppressed, everyone is in a waiting game.”
The contact carries all domestic Hardwoods (FAS, Select
and Better, No. 1 and 2 Common, 4/4 through 16/4).
He did mention that transportation prices have slightly
increased. “Prices have crept up a little bit, but availability
of trucks is readily there,” he said. “I wonder if some
carriers haven’t taken some trucks off the road because
prices have increased. Again, no challenges in availability,
just price increases.”
Looking ahead at the next quarter he said, “We can
expect some lumber shortages even if demand stays exactly
the way it is right now. We’re going to run low on
some things. I don’t think there is any region that has
an abundance of logs right now. Most of them are substantially
lower than where they like to be at this time,
and that’s going to lead to some shortages. Even without
increases in demand, the prices are going to go up.
White Oak is going to continue to be where it is or a little
higher. Hard and Soft Maple and Red Oak will see some
increases just based on supply.” n
Family Owned And Operated Since 1976.
A.W. Stiles Contractors providing a full line of
Modern Day Lumber Drying Equipment. New
Installations and Complete Rebuilds on Existing
Equipment. Hardwood Package Kilns, Predryers,
Walnut Steamers. Also manufacturing softwood
kilns, including Dual Path Continuous Kilns.
Our kilns are all manufactured in
McMinnville, Tennessee.
Complete Kiln and Predryer Rebuilds
•Roof Replacements
•Heating Coils and Complete Steam Systems
•Doors and Carriers
•Structural Repairs
•
seals, etc.
•Protective Coatings
•Complete line of replacement parts
Providing replacement control installations
and upgrades for existing kilns and pre-dryers.
Screen shot above. User Friendly, Reliable,
Compatible with Existing Equipment.
Contact: Lee Stiles Cell: (931) 409-0144
286 Bass Lane, McMinnville, TN 37110
Email: lee@awscontractorsinc.com
Website: www.awscontractorsinc.com
74 APRIL 2024 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE www.RealAmericanHardwood.com/industry
www.RealAmericanHardwood.com/industry
APRIL 2024 n NATIONAL HARDWOOD MAGAZINE 75