Belgian Timber Turnover Rises 1.5% to €4.15 Billion as Output Falls 2.1% and 370 Jobs Go
Updated
Updated · Interior Daily · May 28
Belgian Timber Turnover Rises 1.5% to €4.15 Billion as Output Falls 2.1% and 370 Jobs Go
2 articles · Updated · Interior Daily · May 28
€4.15 billion in 2025 turnover marked a 1.5% rise for Belgium’s wood-processing industry, but real production still fell 2.1% and employment dropped by 370 jobs to 7,355.
77.4% capacity utilisation—well below 2021’s 88.8% peak—kept factories underused, helping drive a 10.1% fall in investment despite higher nominal sales.
Packaging led the limited growth with turnover up 4.3% to €653 million, while building elements rose 1.5% and panel materials were nearly flat at +0.5%.
Exports were broadly stable with a 0.2% dip, but US sales fell 8.5% under protectionist measures; imports from China plunged 35.6% after EU anti-dumping duties on hardwood plywood and parquet.
2026 opened with weak business confidence as Belgian construction permits hit their lowest since 2002, energy and transport costs rose, and growth forecasts were cut to 0.6%-0.8%.
As US and EU trade walls rise, which new global markets can rescue Belgium's wood exports?
Can Belgium's wood industry survive US tariffs and energy shocks by pivoting to green innovation?
With wages capped and energy costs soaring, are Belgian wood industry workers facing an impossible squeeze?