What does customs need to release a timber shipment under the EUDR?

From 30 December, the import declaration has to quote the reference number of the importer's due diligence statement. Wood Central reports that the Commission's customs guidance pairs that reference with a new code, C716, and a shipment without it will not be released. The statement itself is an online declaration that the wood did not come from recently deforested land, backed by the GPS location of the harvest plots.

Who files the due diligence statement on a Vinawood order?

The importer that first places the timber on the EU market files the statement under its own operator number, because the rule puts that duty on the company bringing the goods in. Vinawood prepares the evidence for each EU shipment as one pack, with the harvest plots as a map file and the legality papers behind it. You start the filing from that organised file instead of a folder of attachments.

Why are European buyers ordering more plywood from Vietnam?

EU duties on Chinese hardwood plywood sent many importers looking for other hardwood sources, and Vietnamese mills could answer from a domestic base of planted acacia and eucalyptus. ITTO's market report shows EU and UK plywood imports from Vietnam rising steeply in the first half of 2026. The pickup is about where panels come from, since EU building activity is still below last year.

How should buyers plan freight for loads arriving in early 2027?

Asia to Europe container rates turned up in mid-October after weeks of decline, so budget a Hai Phong load at or above the Drewry Shanghai benchmark for your destination port. Ask the forwarder whether the vessel routes through Suez, since more Suez transits are adding space on the lane. Book December sailings with the EUDR roles written into the order so the January arrival can clear on time.

★FeaturedOctober 19, 2026·6 min read

European Plywood Orders Turn to Vietnam Ahead of the EUDR Start

Q: When does the EUDR start to apply to plywood imports?

The EU Deforestation Regulation applies from 30 December 2026 for large and medium companies, according to the European Commission. Micro and small companies already covered by the old EU Timber Regulation face the same start date. A container that sails from Vietnam in December reaches Europe after that date, so the paperwork for January arrivals belongs in the order now.

EU and UK plywood imports from Vietnam jumped this year, and EUDR rules start 30 December. What January arrivals need, plus Europe freight and currency.

▶Key Takeaways

European importers have moved hardwood plywood orders to Vietnam this year. ITTO puts EU and UK imports from Vietnam near 229,000 m³ in the first half, up from under 29,000 a year earlier. The EUDR applies from 30 December, so containers sailing from Vietnam in December need a due diligence statement reference to clear customs. Drewry's Shanghai benchmark rose to $3,522 to Rotterdam and $3,945 to Genoa per 40ft, and we budget Hai Phong loads at or above those figures. The dong is stable and northern mill weather is dry.

European Plywood Orders Turn to Vietnam Ahead of the EUDR Start

European importers have spent 2026 moving hardwood plywood orders to Vietnam, and the next round of bookings will land under new border rules. The EU Deforestation Regulation, or EUDR, applies from 30 December 2026 for large and medium companies, according to the European Commission. Any container that sails from Vietnam in December reaches a European port after that date. So the paperwork for January arrivals has to be agreed now, while the order is still being written.

The shift is already visible in the trade data. ITTO's latest market report puts EU and UK imports of plywood from Vietnam at close to 229,000 m³ in the first half of the year, against fewer than 29,000 m³ a year earlier. Our 5 October brief followed carriers back to the Suez route. This week is about what Europe is ordering and what the new rule asks of each container.

Why European buyers are adding Vietnamese panels

Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade reports wood and wood-product exports to the EU of $689 million from January to September, up 54% on last year. Wood, panels and flooring grew fastest. That group more than tripled in value through August and now makes up close to two-fifths of the trade, with the Netherlands and Belgium as the largest destinations. Those are the North Sea ports where most formwork panels enter Europe.

Part of the move traces back to EU duties on Chinese hardwood plywood, which sent buyers looking for other hardwood sources. Vietnam's mills could answer because they draw on a domestic base of planted acacia and eucalyptus, which VnEconomy credits for much of this year's export growth.

Birch mills are busy and softwood supply is thinner

European producers are seeing some of the same demand. Drawing on figures from Raute and the Finnish industry, ITTO reports that orders for European hardwood plywood have picked up, and birch producer Koskisen describes demand as good with slightly higher prices. Softwood is the weaker side. Metsä Group closed its Suolahti softwood plywood mill at the end of May, and EU and UK imports of Brazilian softwood plywood fell by a quarter in the first half.

For a formwork buyer, that mix matters. Birch film-faced panels stay the first choice for many rental fleets, and with birch mills busy and prices firm, there is room for a second panel on slab and wall jobs that do not need the top grade. Vietnamese film-faced plywood in the European 1250 × 2500 mm size fits that role. The pickup is about where panels come from, not a building boom, since Eurostat data quoted by ITTO show EU building work still below last year.

What the EUDR asks for at the border

The EUDR asks the company that first places timber on the EU market to file a due diligence statement. In plain terms, that is an online declaration that the wood did not come from recently deforested land, backed by the GPS location of the harvest plots. From 30 December, customs will not release a timber shipment unless the import declaration quotes that statement's reference number next to a new code, C716, Wood Central reported from the Commission's customs guidance.

Small importers are not left out. Micro and small companies already covered by the old EU Timber Regulation face the same 30 December start, so a merchant that brings in its own containers needs its filing ready too.

Our view: the rule itself is less of a risk than a late answer to one question, which company acts as the operator on each container. We would settle that, along with the geolocation file that goes with it, before the booking is made rather than while the ship is at sea.

How our EUDR pack gets you ready to file

On a Vinawood order, the EUDR evidence does not arrive as a stack of PDFs across a dozen emails. We gather it for each EU shipment into one pack in Source Verity, our evidence system. It shows what the goods are under HS 4412, where the wood was grown, with the harvest plots as a map file the EU system can read, plus the legality papers and the trail from plantation to mill to container. Every required paper carries a plain status. A missing one shows as open.

Before you book, a first-look pack tells you whether we can support the order. Once the container sails, we send a time-bound link to the full pack, with the fields and map file ready to copy into your due diligence statement (DDS). You still file the DDS under your own operator number, because the rule puts that duty on the importer who brings the goods in. You just start from an organised file instead of a folder of attachments. Our guide on how we prepare EUDR evidence walks through each part of the pack.

Freight and currency for European loads

Asia to Europe rates turned up last week after 13 straight weekly declines. Drewry's World Container Index, a benchmark built on Shanghai departures, rose 6% to $3,522 per 40ft container to Rotterdam and 7% to $3,945 to Genoa on 15 October. A load from Hai Phong prices on its own carrier quote. For planning, we budget a 40ft container from Hai Phong at or above $3,522 to North Europe and at or above $3,945 to the Mediterranean.

Carriers want higher rates from 19 October, but more Suez transits are adding space, and Drewry counts only two cancelled sailings on the route next week, down from six. A cancelled sailing, also called a blank sailing, is a voyage the carrier drops from its schedule. It is not an empty ship. Fewer of them means more room to book.

Currency is calm on the Vietnamese side. The State Bank of Vietnam set its central rate at 25,633 dong per dollar on 19 October, almost exactly where it stood a month ago. Most FOB Vietnam quotes are in dollars, so for a European buyer the euro, near $1.13 on the European Central Bank's 16 October reference rate, is the line that moves landed cost.

Mill weather is cooperating. Vietnam's national forecasting centre expects super typhoon Champi to head for Taiwan rather than Vietnam, and the north is forecast to stay dry and sunny, which suits veneer drying.

What to do this week

Book December sailings for January arrival with the EUDR roles written into the order, including who files the due diligence statement and when the supplier sends the geolocation file. On a Vinawood order, ask for the first-look EUDR pack with your enquiry so the plot map is checked before the booking. Budget freight at or above the benchmark and ask the forwarder whether the vessel routes through Suez. Buyers who settle these points in October give their January containers the best chance of clearing on arrival.

About Vinawood

Vinawood is a Vietnamese plywood manufacturer established in 1992. We ship about 5,000 containers a year to 55+ export countries, and every formwork and film-faced panel goes through a 12-step production process and 100% individual sheet inspection. Certifications include ISO 9001, FSC-COC, PEFC, EN 13986 CE marking and UKCA, the wood is plantation-grown, and an EUDR evidence pack is available on request for European orders. For Q4 and Q1 loads, request a quote.