Hardwood chip exports from Australia lifted to 366 kbdmt (bone dried metric tonnes) in March, the highest volume for 2021, year-to-date. The average export price rose to an eight month high at AUDFob206/bdmt, as the export trade continues to be beset by confidentiality restrictions that mask access to all port of loading and delivery data. Source: IndustryEdge
Though IndustryEdge subscribers are able to access port-to- port data, through an innovative vessel tracking and visualisation platform Wood Market Edge online.
As the chart demonstrates, average hardwood chip export prices were also at eight month highs in US dollar terms, as the value of fibre continues to assert itself in global markets, headlined by what is a still upwardly mobile international pulp price market.
Total woodchip exports (hardwood and softwood) in March were a little over 420 kbdmt, around 3.3% higher than IndustryEdge’s estimate of 406 kbdmt, which was derived from the vessel tracking, port observation and field research conducted by the IndustryEdge team.
The long term average margin of error is +/-5% per month.
Based on vessel tracking, which is updated at least weekly, IndustryEdge projects that April exports would total around 488 kbdmt, including at least two vessels that received woodchips at two ports, rather than one.
The chart here shows the vessel tracking visualisation but note that on the Wood Market Edge online platform, this is dynamic, can be filtered at a click to the individual vessel level and that all of the data can be downloaded. The platform includes a massive volume of downloadable data for Australia and New Zealand. 
