With Chinese demand rebounding, timber imports from Cameroon surged by 42%.

2026-06-17 Source: Timber News Network

According to customs data, in April 2026, China’s timber imports from Cameroon posted a robust rebound that exceeded market expectations, with monthly import volumes reaching 42,000 cubic meters—up sharply by 41.9% year on year. At the same time, the value of these imports climbed to US$13.62 million, reflecting a year-on-year increase of 60.4%.

This trend has broken the months-long period of trading at low levels, sending a clear signal that China’s demand for West African tropical timber is gradually rebounding.

From the perspective of import structure, this round of growth continues the long-standing pattern in which tropical log imports remain the dominant component. In April alone, imports of tropical logs from Cameroon reached 35,000 cubic meters, up 33.7% year on year, accounting for over 80% of the total and serving as the key driver behind the overall rebound in import volumes.

Meanwhile, tropical sawn timber—a category that had long remained at low levels—has also posted a notable breakthrough, with monthly imports reaching 4,400 cubic meters, more than doubling year over year, particularly in segments that have drawn significant market attention. Shabili Sawn timber imports more than tripled, reaching 2,800 cubic meters.

Price trends are equally worth monitoring. In April, the average import unit price of Cameroonian timber rose 13% year-on-year, but fell 10.7% month-on-month compared with March.

This distinctive trend—year-on-year increases coupled with month-on-month declines—is attributable, on the one hand, to the industry’s low price base at the cyclical trough during the same period last year, and, on the other hand, to the supply‑demand rebalancing that followed the concentrated arrival of cargoes in April, after March’s tight supply had driven up short-term quotations.

Among the sub‑categories, the average price of solid wood rose 5% year over year, while the average price of sawn timber declined by 10.9%; only the average price of sappelli sawn timber bucked the trend, increasing by 14.6%.

Within the broader context of Africa’s timber imports to China, Cameroon’s 41.9% increase carries particular significance as a benchmark.

In April 2026, China’s total imports of African timber reached 201,000 cubic meters, up 17.6% year on year. Cameroon posted a growth rate that significantly outpaced the overall market, ranking just behind a handful of producing countries such as the Republic of the Congo and the Central African Republic, and emerging as the country with the strongest rebound in the West African region.

Disclaimer: All content marked with a source attribution is either a reprinted article or posted by corporate users. This website reproduces such materials solely for the purpose of disseminating additional information. If any reprinted articles or images raise copyright concerns, please contact the authors for removal. Furthermore, with respect to user comments and other information, this website does not necessarily endorse their views nor verify the accuracy of their content.

Editor: Fang Fen