Our Markets

Putnam ships container, flat rack, and break bulk

Our export roots date back to 1928 with supply of lumber to clients in the Caribbean. The export trade has evolved & changed over the years, yet the Caribbean remains our most important market. Today, Putnam Lumber exports products originating from North American, Brazil, and China to our markets all over the world. Our primary markets are those which are located within the Gulf of Mexico, Caribbean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, South China Sea, and East China Sea. If you are interested in importing from Putnam but not located in our current trade routes, do not worry as we are constantly seeking opportunities in new markets that seek high quality wood products and dependable service.

Putnam exports all over the world

SYP lumber & plywood, OSB, American hardwoods, and pressure treated goods are used all over the world because of the value and beauty. Putnam Lumber currently ships products to over 30 countries around the world. We have the flexibility to reach the far corners of the globe as we utilize break bulk vessels, closed containers, flat beds, and flat racks to export our products. Today, we have an annual overseas distribution of 95,000 cubic meters (over 2,000 truckloads) and are shipping products as close as Mexico and as far away as Eastern Asia.

Map of Markets

North American Products Distribution Network

SYP Producing Region

The heart of Putnam's operations lies in the southern pine producing region (pictured to the right). Southern yellow pine (SYP) is a general group of four principle tree species of longleaf, slash, shortleaf and loblolly, grown in a geographic range from Virginia to Texas, USA. People are increasingly dependent on trees for basic necessities. The Southern Pine region has over 192 million acres of forestland to meet the demands of SYP manufacturing facilities. These forestlands are harvested and replanted to ensure a continuous supply of fiber to meet the demand placed upon industries that rely upon SYP in their manufacturing operations. Southern Pine is an economical choice for use in wood manufacturing due to its beauty, strength, durability, value, availability and many other factors.

Our Supplier Base

Putnam Lumber's long history enables our clients to benefit from long lasting and well-established relationships with our suppliers. There are thousands of facilities that use SYP species for producing lumber, plywood, panel products, pressure treated wood, engineered wood, and packaging products. SYP products are manufactured in the United States and exported to every inhabited continent in the world. Our knowledge of the lumber and panel markets allows our clients to get the best quality product at very competitive prices.

We supply truckload orders direct from the manufacturer as well as highly mixed loads from our warehouse. With our volume purchasing, we are able to purchase truckloads from multiple suppliers and send out highly mixed loads to our clients. We go to great lengths to help control the quality of our delivered product. All of our products are stored inside covered warehouses to ensure our clients receive clean, bright, and fresh untreated or treated products.

Top 10 Softwood Lumber Imports by Country

Volumes below are reported in cubic meters for the calendar year 2016.

Reporting Country Volume (m3)
United States 28,836,490
China 21,075,000
United Kingdom 6,191,000
Japan 6,099,249
Germany 4,875,000
Egypt 4,439,000
Italy 3,980,716
Netherlands 2,475,800
France 2,291,031
Uzbekistan 2,087,269

Top 10 Softwood Lumber Exports by Country

Volumes below are reported in cubic meters for the calendar year 2016.

Reporting Country Volume
Canada 34,640,570
Russian Federation 24,893,000
Sweden 12,996,000
Finland 8,605,126
Germany 7,282,000
Austria 5,300,668
Chile 3,170,900
Latvia 2,793,761
United States 2,788,281
Ukraine 2,200,000

Top 10 Softwood Lumber Producing Countries

Volumes below are reported in cubic meters for the calendar year 2016.

Reporting Country Volume
United States 55,627,000
Canada 48,160,915
China 34,375,000
Russian Federation 34,287,975
Germany 21,109,033
Sweden 17,900,000
Finland 11,370,000
Austria 9,062,000
Japan 8,622,000
Brazil 8,600,000

Softwood Lumber Production by the United States by Calendar Year

Volumes below are reported in cubic meters for the calendar years 2006 through 2016.

Reporting Year Volume
2016 55,627,000
2015 55,793,000
2014 53,803,300
2013 51,051,000
2012 48,476,000
2011 45,481,800
2010 42,163,400
2009 39,576,000
2008 49,415,600
2007 59,768,600
2006 65,548,600

US Softwood Lumber Exports by Specie in 2014

Volumes below are reported in US$ for the calendar year 2014.

Specie Volume
Douglas-Fir $ 267,786,967
Southern Yellow Pine $ 260,548,587
Other (Not specified) $ 85,397,787
Other Pine (Pine specie not specified) $ 77,644,436
White/Red Pine $ 64,760,558
Hem-Fir Mix $ 56,557,991
Ponderosa Pine $ 47,405,253
Hemlock $ 44,132,881
Western Red Cedar $ 32,347,275
Other Cedar $ 28,653,236
S-P-F Mix $ 21,799,556
Sitka Spruce $ 11,984,334
Fir $ 9,519,748
Other Spruce $ 8,132,902
Lodgepole Pine $ 7,979,913
Redwood $ 2,561,859
Yellow Cedar $ 1,576,225
Larch $ 602,102