Finnish Timber Prices Hit a Record High, per Luke Statistics
By Arlene Scott
Senior Wellness Correspondent & Hospitality Consultant
- Published
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- 5 min
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Spruce and pine sawlog prices in Finland reached levels last seen in 2007-2008, raising the raw-material cost behind the Nordic softwoods sauna makers build with.
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Finnish timber prices climbed to a record high in spring 2025. In standing sales from private forests, spruce sawlogs averaged nearly EUR 85 per cubic meter (about EUR 65 per cubic yard) in April and pine sawlogs almost EUR 83, according to monthly statistics from the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke). Month-to-month changes were modest, with spruce sawlogs up 1% in real terms from March, but Luke said standing prices for logs were last this high in 2007-2008, and real pulpwood prices were the highest in the 30 years of its monthly series.
Impact on sauna manufacturing
Sawlog prices are a raw-material cost, not a finished-lumber price, but they are where the cost of sawn spruce and pine starts. The pressure is most direct for companies producing traditional Finnish-style saunas that rely on Nordic spruce and pine.
Where alternative materials fit
Thermally modified wood from producers like Thermory offers an alternative to raw Nordic softwoods for sauna paneling and bench materials, with better dimensional stability and moisture resistance, according to its makers. At the accessory end of the value chain, legacy Finnish makers like Hukka Design show how non-timber materials such as soapstone can also reduce dependence on volatile lumber inputs for selected sauna products.
