What happened at Metsä Suolahti?
Metsä Group cut the last softwood plywood sheets at Suolahti, Finland, at the end of May 2026 after the birch line had already stopped in March 2025. Inventories keep some customers supplied through the rest of 2026. After that those tonnes are gone. It is an exit, not a temporary curtailment.
Why does the PAGED Bartoszyce closure matter?
PAGED is shutting its Bartoszyce plant in northern Poland in August 2026. The site made blockboard cores at around 12,000 m³ a year, not commodity film-faced sheets. Furniture and interior buyers feel it first. Formwork buyers should still read it as a signal that remaining presses get busier on short-notice lots.
How much did EU plywood output fall in 2025?
The European Panel Federation put EU27 plywood output at 2,388,600 m³ in 2025, down 1.4%. Only Poland and the Baltics grew. Across a wider Europe that includes Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and Belarus, plywood output fell 4.2%. Particleboard, MDF and softboard all grew in the same year.
When do Baltic birch expansions ship extra sheets?
Verems near Rēzekne lifted birch plywood capacity from about 45,000 m³ to 85,000 m³. That line is finished. Kohila Vineer in Estonia signed a construction contract in August 2026 with a new line scheduled for early 2028. Baltic expansions do not offset Suolahti this winter.
What do German housing permits say for formwork?
Destatis said German authorities approved 126,300 dwellings in the first half of 2026, up 15.1% on H1 2025 — the strongest first-half rise since 2016. Multi-family buildings accounted for 67,000 new dwellings. Multi-family work eats formwork panels. A permit is not a pour, but the swing arrives in the same summer Suolahti stopped pressing.
What should Q4 formwork buyers do now?
Lock Q4 and early-Q1 formwork volume against mills that can document origin, glue class and CE marking now. Ask for the DDS pack before the vessel. Keep phenolic Class 3 / EN 636-3 product such as Pro Form separate from Form Extra (MUF, EN 636-2). The Suolahti inventory window closes at year-end; Kohila does not open until 2028.
