The 30-day reprieve on a 25% Canadian tariff ordered by President Trump made for an interesting and suspenseful month. As most lumber buyers didn’t really find a satisfactory solution in how to approach the situation with the first deadline (that was scheduled for February 4th), many didn’t find a good solution leading up to the second deadline, either. Speculation and hypotheses abounded amongst peers and, while lumber traders pushed hard to encourage sales ahead of the March deadline, many were met with mixed results. February is normally an active month for purchasing (as dealers prepare for the “spring rush”), but not so much for sales. So far, winter 2025 has been a real New England winter, causing many delays while contractors deal with the snow, ice and freezing temperatures, making for a slower-than-normal sales month. Previously positive attitudes towards the 2nd quarter of 2025 have dimmed, with more thinking that home sales and remodeling won’t be as robust as previously thought, due to continued high mortgage interest rates and escalating home prices. However, the threat of the tariff was making matters worse. As sales withered, buyers adjusted their forecasted needs and ordered a little heavier if the tariff went in to place, but not too much if it didn’t. Prices were firm and escalated as the end of February neared and then on February 27th President Trump made the statement that the tariff implementation date would be March 4th, only after also saying it would be on April 4th just the day before. As the date clearly became a moving target and knowing that it was prone to change at the 11th hour, pressure was quick to build in the market as everyone grouped and regrouped again. Considering the circumstances and time of year, prices are not likely to soften, and we anticipate that they will be firm to up in March, especially if the March 4th deadline comes to fruition. It is important to note that, although some companies will immediately go up on their prices or shorten their quote expiration dates when faced with a “force majeure” situation like the proposed tariff, we will not. We will continue to flatten out the peaks and valleys by working off averages, honoring our commitment to you, our contractor customers, so that your budget doesn’t go off the rails. If you have any concerns about your project, please reach out to your Shepley salesperson.
Very few products today are made to the quality that they were not so long ago, and lumber is no exception. What does make lumber an exception to just about every other product is that it is a singular, naturally growing product: simply wood. It’s not a composite of various materials (such as plastics, metals, chemicals, and adhesives), with each relying upon the performance of the other. Lumber is harvested from the forest, milled straight from the log, and sold, for the most part, in its natural state. The quality (or what makes wood “good”) is 100% reliant upon the mill’s ability to obtain good timber, handle it properly (by controlling the moisture, kiln-drying, and milling), interpret the appearance and execute care in the packaging and storage. Of course, the lumber must meet the minimum criteria set by the agencies that regulate grade stamps but keeping this in mind, we need to ask why lumber isn’t as good as it once was. The answer is that “good timber” is old growth (slow to mature, with tight growth rings and less apt for movement) and has become so scarce that we must rely upon new growth (fast to mature, wide growth rings and prone to movement). And even though the lumber must still meet a specific standardized criteria for strength and appearance to be given a grade stamp, a generally poor looking board with knots, bark wane and other very noticeable “defects” can still meet the grade per the rule book. A solution to obtaining better looking stock is an option called “Premium” which, although not a true grade (and not sold as a separate product by every lumber mill), is lumber that has met the grade but is better in appearance than the standard product. Cape and Islands contractors have always demanded higher-quality products and, over the years, have bemoaned the fact that lumber has declined to its current, new growth state. Over the past decade, regular #2&BTR SPF or alternative species (such as Hemlock-Fir (HF) or Southern Yellow Pine (SYP)), which commonly sell in other markets, will not sell well here. These alternatives come with price concessions, but they are also lesser-quality stock. To meet the quality demands of our customers, we switched to a high-quality SPF (Spruce-Pine-Fir) “Premium” yard many years ago. SPF is lighter, more stable, easier to work with and less prone to mold and mildew than HF and SYP. “Premium” SPF is exactly that: premium stock, better than the rest. The best deals don’t forfeit quality, so don’t be led by the price tag but rather by the item itself: a poor-quality product will seldom make up for a bargain price. Incidentally, we buy 100% Premium products from the mills that will pull them from their regular inventory, as we know that it gains the best yield at the construction site. For their non-Premium inventory, they sell it to other dealers where quality isn’t quite as important, most commonly in metro areas or to large chains where volume or price point matters more than quality. Because Premium can be scarce and not offered by every mill, we will also buy from the mills that don’t pull and sell their Premium separately but sell it in the general population of their lumber. These “NPS” (No Prior Select) mills will leave their Premium pieces in as part of their #2&BTR production so units will not, essentially, be cherry-picked. In every case, we shop and buy better quality products because we recognize the value beyond just the price. For additional measure, our exceptional Lumber Order Pickers are trained to do a thorough check of our inventory before shipment. No one wants more waste on the job site or to wait for replacement stock when your needs are immediate. It may not always make us the least expensive, but it does ensure that our stock will gain you the best yield and the best result for your project, saving you time and money that, in the end, can often be the scarcest resource of all.
Even though it may be easy to think that a 2x4 is a 2x4 when looking at the quotes from your suppliers, oftentimes quality remains a hidden attribute like service: you need to experience it to appreciate it. There can be a world of difference apart from price, appearance, and grade with just the slightest change, addition, or omission of an acronym, so please don’t hesitate to solicit our professional sales staff for help in deciphering the differences. Thank you for your business!