Lumber pricing

[Leemcclure55]

Hey everyone
I run a sawmill out of north georgia. I have my pin price figured but trying to figure out lumber prices for red and white oak, maple, walnut,poplar, and cedar. This will be after me buyin the logs. So looking for resale price per board ft. Thanks for the help.

[killamplanes]

To many variables, I would suggest shopping at other mills. Maybe even buying a few boards. Ask alot of quistions and prices. That will give you a better idea of local markets rather than someone like me 500 miles away telling you my local prices. My2c good luck out there. Challenging markets

[dgdrls]

Welcome Leemcclure55

I'm guessing you meant Pine not pin price,  what factors did you use to compute those prices??
I would think the you could use the same for the other species with the variable being log costs
and sawn pattern such as 1/4 sawn V. through and through

Don't forget to pay yourself  ;)

best
D

[WV Sawmiller]

L55,

  Welcome to the FF.

  Hard question to answer without lots more info.

  Where are you getting your hardwood/cedar logs from (Buying or off your property)? How much are they costing you? How much does it cost you to saw, store and transport the logs and lumber? How much is your other overhead? What is your market? How fast will they turn over? Are you sawing for, separating and selling different grades of lumber or pretty much lumping it all together? Are you air or kiln drying it and if so what are those costs? How much competition is there in the area? How much is it costing you to package the lumber? What are you doing with the by-products you generate such as bark, slabwood, sawdust, etc?

   You indicate you have your pine prices figured out so does this mean you have been cutting pine but are just now expanding into or switching to other woods? If so, why? What other changes will this require in your production? Labor, equipment, environmental, etc?

    I'd make sure I had clear answers to these and many other related questions before going any further.

[paul case]

Well I wont ask you a bunch of questions but try to answer your question with how I do mine.

I am able to sell RR ties for about $.60 bdft, so my hardwood cants of any size will be priced about the same until they get bigger than an 8x8. Those cost closer to $1 bdft. more if they have to be cut to length.

On lumber I can sell pallet stringers for $.67 bdft so any lumber that goes out the door will cost that much or more. I can get $1.37 for green 4/4 WO and $1.10 on green 4/4 RO so anything that is higher grades need to get that much or more.  I think walnut is $2.49 bdft. On it they pay more for fas 8/4 so thicker is higher.

That is how it is at my mill. Your results may vary.
I should quit custom sawing since I generally do better sawing for the markets I have than doing custom.

PC

[WDH]

The Hardwood Market Report publishes the average selling price for truckload quantities of hardwood lumber F.O.B. sawmill.  These are wholesale prices paid by large buyers and Distributors.  I cannot see selling any hardwood lumber cheaper than these prices or you will be selling below the wholesale market.  But, a lot of sawyers do sell their lumber below wholesale, but, I am not one of them  . 

[dboyt]

Point is, if you don't know what it costs you to buy the logs and mill, stack, dry, & store the lumber, you could still be losing money if you charge what everyone else does.  Even profit isn't pure profit.  I figure about 1/3 for taxes & insurance, 1/3 for mill maintenance & amortization, and 1/3 for me.

[4x4American]

Alot of good points here.  The best way to figure out what you gotta have is to know as close to the dollar as you can pinpoint what it costs you by the bdft to make your lumber.  Then pay yourself.  As a local FF member told me one day, profit isn't an evil word.  Breaking even ain't no good.  Other companies have different costs so while looking at other prices is a good way to judge what the markets will bear, it comes down to whether you're making money or not.

[stihlsawer]

Hey everyone
I run a sawmill out of north georgia. I have my pin price figured but trying to figure out lumber prices for red and white oak, maple, walnut,poplar, and cedar. This will be after me buyin the logs. So looking for resale price per board ft. Thanks for the help.

This might help you as well. I am just over the State line from you.
https://www.tn.gov/assets/entities/agriculture/attachments/tfpb.pdf

I am just a hobby chainsaw miller and novice woodworker. I am working on a log hauling trailer with an arch system on it.

Trever

[stihlsawer]

I forgot to mention. I take the delivered mill price/ 1000 in the above link (Region 1 for you and I) and divide by 100 to come up with a rough BF price. This would be anything less than or equal to 10/4 X 14" green lumber. I usually only cut 10' and below, unless I had a potential customer needing something different. My prices are for rough plane sawn only and not quartersawn or figured. I would charge additional for those.

Trever