In 2023, exports of wood and paper products were worth €1 billion, while imports of these products were worth €2.5 billion.
Exports of Veneer Sheets & Wood-Based Panels were valued at €338 million in 2023 which represented 33% of the total value of exports of wood and paper products. Exports of Secondary Paper Products at €223 million accounted for a further 22% in 2023 while exports of Coniferous Sawnwood in 2023 were €150 million.
Imports of Secondary Paper Products were valued at €878 million in 2023 which represented 35% of the total value of imports in 2023. Secondary Wood Products accounted for a further 28% or €715 million.
Exports of Coniferous Sawnwood rose by 176% from 212 thousand cubic metres in 1995 to 586 thousand cubic metres in 2023. Exports of Coniferous Industrial Roundwood increased by 122% from 207 thousand cubic metres in 1995 to 459 thousand cubic metres in 2023.
In 2023, Ireland exported €1 billion worth of wood and paper products, while imports of these products totalled €2.5 billion (See Table A).
In 2023, Secondary Paper Products made up 35% of total wood and paper imports, valued at €878 million. Secondary Wood Products accounted for another 28%, worth €715 million (See Figure 1 and Table 1B).
Exports of Veneer Sheets & Wood-Based Panels represented 33% of total wood and paper exports in 2023, with a value of €338 million. Exports of Secondary Paper Products and Coniferous Sawnwood accounted for a further 22% and 15% of exports value respectively (See Figure 2 and Table 1A).
Table A: Value of Wood and Paper Exports and Imports 2018-2023 | ||
€billion | ||
Year | Exports | Imports |
2018 | 0.79 | 1.76 |
2019 | 0.79 | 1.91 |
2020 | 0.75 | 1.79 |
2021 | 1.05 | 2.09 |
2022 | 1.21 | 2.71 |
2023 | 1.03 | 2.52 |
Imports | Value |
---|---|
Coniferous Roundwood | 27.881 |
Coniferous Sawnwood | 105.79 |
Veneer Sheets and Wood-based Panels | 207.334 |
Paper and Paperboard | 393.326 |
Secondary Wood Products | 715.433 |
Secondary Paper Products | 878.415 |
Exports | Value |
---|---|
Coniferous Roundwood | 31.212 |
Coniferous Sawnwood | 150.087 |
Veneer Sheets and Wood-based Panels | 338.298 |
Paper and Paperboard | 38.478 |
Secondary Wood Products | 149.46 |
Secondary Paper Products | 223.42 |
The highest exports volume in 2023 was Veneer Sheets & Wood-Based Panels at 677 thousand cubic metres, followed by Coniferous Sawnwood at 586 thousand cubic metres and Coniferous Industrial Roundwood at 459 thousand cubic metres (See Table 2).
In recent years, export volumes of Coniferous Industrial Roundwood, Coniferous Sawnwood, Veneer Sheets & Wood-Based Panels, and Recovered Paper have exceeded imports of these products, while import volumes of Wood Fuel, Pulp, Paper & Paperboard, Secondary Wood Products and Secondary Paper Products have exceeded export volumes (See Tables 3A and 3C).
Exports of Coniferous Sawnwood were at 586 thousand cubic metres in 2023. This is a 175% increase from 212 thousand cubic metres of Coniferous Sawnwood exported in 1995. Imports of Coniferous Sawnwood were at 283 thousand cubic metres in 2023 (See Table 4B, Figure 3 and Figure 4).
Exports of Coniferous Industrial Roundwood were at 459 thousand cubic metres in 2023. This is a 122% increase from 207 thousand cubic metres in 1995. Imports of Coniferous Industrial Roundwood were at 222 thousand cubic metres in 2023 (See Table 4A, Figure 3 and Figure 4).
Imports | Coniferous Sawnwood | Coniferous Roundwood |
---|---|---|
1995 | 258.85 | 28.265 |
1996 | 280.807 | 28.78 |
1997 | 350.311 | 72.939 |
1998 | 414.832 | 78.32 |
1999 | 437.814 | 72.702 |
2000 | 532.519 | 88.694 |
2001 | 444.893 | 130.929 |
2002 | 532.358 | 182.255 |
2003 | 690.684 | 235.321 |
2004 | 681.36 | 287.299 |
2005 | 747.42 | 321.045 |
2006 | 785.775 | 231.721 |
2007 | 625.971 | 239.618 |
2008 | 364.27 | 304.096 |
2009 | 208.409 | 202.893 |
2010 | 213.315 | 92.906 |
2011 | 166.712 | 98.383 |
2012 | 128.641 | 194.619 |
2013 | 120.849 | 243.201 |
2014 | 173.757 | 259.681 |
2015 | 203.16 | 302.689 |
2016 | 207.243 | 314.957 |
2017 | 235.916 | 378.906 |
2018 | 311.902 | 302.737 |
2019 | 440.153 | 278.619 |
2020 | 394.58 | 252.748 |
2021 | 415.029 | 295.83 |
2022 | 327.288 | 177.421 |
2023 | 282.962 | 221.77 |
Exports | Coniferous Sawnwood | Coniferous Roundwood |
---|---|---|
1995 | 212.332 | 206.751 |
1996 | 219.723 | 351.118 |
1997 | 231.823 | 234.167 |
1998 | 193.072 | 259.021 |
1999 | 190.398 | 280.035 |
2000 | 217.33 | 184.818 |
2001 | 259.281 | 364.641 |
2002 | 383.736 | 286.839 |
2003 | 403.855 | 301.906 |
2004 | 410.986 | 273.134 |
2005 | 354.376 | 352.327 |
2006 | 304.458 | 327.749 |
2007 | 301.013 | 312.938 |
2008 | 315.376 | 273.252 |
2009 | 458.858 | 261.367 |
2010 | 535.115 | 216.224 |
2011 | 498.637 | 185.133 |
2012 | 570.541 | 165.472 |
2013 | 638.372 | 225.894 |
2014 | 653.701 | 281.309 |
2015 | 626.422 | 269.422 |
2016 | 722.66 | 323.195 |
2017 | 724.091 | 343.416 |
2018 | 685.4 | 374.827 |
2019 | 639.997 | 549.963 |
2020 | 662.373 | 391.726 |
2021 | 676.883 | 443.807 |
2022 | 689.705 | 470.688 |
2023 | 586.399 | 459.19 |
Exports and Imports of Other Biomass were at 243 and 289 thousand cubic metres respectively in 2023 (See Table 4C and Figure 5).
Other Biomass | Imports | Exports |
---|---|---|
1995 | 24.008 | 101.292 |
1996 | 2.38 | 101.168 |
1997 | 2.362 | 55.23 |
1998 | 30.057 | 65.505 |
1999 | 36.301 | 91.596 |
2000 | 51.327 | 78.95 |
2001 | 97.598 | 88.748 |
2002 | 127.098 | 84.081 |
2003 | 131.772 | 76.783 |
2004 | 116.818 | 52.729 |
2005 | 203.462 | 46.648 |
2006 | 68.71 | 50.333 |
2007 | 160.692 | 60.173 |
2008 | 51.264 | 63.165 |
2009 | 30.081 | 44.129 |
2010 | 36.823 | 58.019 |
2011 | 22.088 | 115.432 |
2012 | 16.096 | 118 |
2013 | 34.214 | 33.058 |
2014 | 11.81 | 18.23 |
2015 | 9.468 | 26.49 |
2016 | 39.805 | 33.698 |
2017 | 91.341 | 76.735 |
2018 | 39.086 | 111.535 |
2019 | 68.881 | 118.084 |
2020 | 148.633 | 119.098 |
2021 | 112.083 | 78.902 |
2022 | 38.541 | 162.667 |
2023 | 288.929 | 242.942 |
Imports of Non-Coniferous Industrial Roundwood, Wood Fuel and Non-Coniferous Sawnwood were at 7, 50 and 35 thousand cubic metres respectively in 2023 (See Tables 4D, 4E and 4F).
Exports of Veneer Sheets & Wood-Based Panels and exports of Recovered Paper were at 677 thousand cubic metres and 435 thousand tonnes respectively in 2023 (See Tables 4G and 4I). Imports of Secondary Paper Products and Paper and imports of Paperboard were at 370 thousand tonnes and 327 thousand tonnes respectively in 2023 (See Tables 4J and 4L).
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (15 April 2025) published Wood and Paper Exports and Imports for 2023.
Commenting on the release Niamh Shanahan, Statistician in the Environment Division of the CSO, noted that: "Imports and exports of wood and paper products were valued at €2.5 billion and €1 billion respectively in 2023. Over the period 1995 to 2023, there was a substantial shift from exporting forest log towards processing the log removals from forests into products such as Sawnwood and, Veneer Sheets & Wood-Based Panels before exporting them.
In recent years, export volumes of Coniferous Industrial Roundwood, Coniferous Sawnwood, Veneer Sheets & Wood-Based Panels, and Recovered Paper have exceeded imports of these products.
In contrast import volumes of Wood Fuel, Pulp, Paper & Paperboard, Secondary Wood Products and Secondary Paper Products have exceeded export volumes."