Found out softwood lumber from Sweden is actually cheaper than Canadian SPF right now? Wild.

Was pricing out a deck job in Denver last week and stumbled on a stat that Swedish spruce was $1.85/bf while our local SPF was hitting $2.10/bf at the yard. I always figured domestic was the way to go but this timber from Nordic countries has tighter grain too. Anyone else switching sources or sticking with what you know for structural work?

2 comments

2 Comments

jesse_cooper17d ago

Heard some builders saying the Swedish stuff checks more than domestic, that true?

caseys3016d ago

Yeah @jesse_cooper that checking thing comes up a lot but I've found it depends on how fast you get it in place. The Swedish stuff is kiln dried tighter than domestic so if you let it sit in the sun for a week before framing it'll check more for sure. I've been using it for fence posts and deck framing in Denver for about a year now with no issues as long as I work it quick. The grain is way straighter too which makes ripping and nailing easier compared to the SPF that sometimes twists on you. Only real downside I've hit is getting consistent lengths since the yards here don't always stock the full range. So if you need a bunch of 16s call ahead or just order extra and plan for waste.

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