Strong Housing Demand and Green Building Push U.S. Sawmill Market Toward $60 Billion Milestone

According to the latest market research study published by P&S Intelligence, the U.S. Sawmill & Wood market is valued at USD 51.2 billion in 2024 and is projected to expand at a CAGR of 2.1%, reaching USD 59.7 billion by 2032. This growth is anchored by strong demand from the construction sector, a shift toward engineered and sustainable wood products, and ongoing urbanization and housing shortages.

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Several government policies—such as the Timber Innovation Act, Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act, and Federal Wood Innovation Program—are supporting mass timber and engineered wood adoption. These regulations, combined with rising ESG awareness and stringent certifications like FSC and SFI, are driving investment in sustainable forestry and advanced processing. Meanwhile, modernization and vertical integration efforts among sawmill operators are enhancing efficiency, enabling strategic export growth and improvements in renovation and remodeling sectors.

Key Insights

• Lumber dominates the product mix, accounting for 55% of the market in 2024, primarily due to strong residential wood-frame construction demand. Softwoods like Southern yellow pine and Douglas fir lead this segment.
• Engineered Wood Products (EWPs)—including CLT, glulam, and LVL—are the fastest-growing category, with a CAGR of 2.5% through 2032, driven by their strength, design flexibility, and sustainability.
• In terms of processing, sawmilling accounts for 65% of output, while kiln drying—essential for moisture control in structural wood—will grow fastest at a 2.8% CAGR .
• Construction applications dominate, holding 60% of the market in 2024, and expected to maintain the fastest CAGR at 2.6%. This reflects booming residential and commercial infrastructure needs driven by urbanization and population growth.
• Regionally, the South leads with 40% market share, attributable to extensive pine plantations and top-tier operators like Weyerhaeuser and Georgia‑Pacific. The West is the fastest-growing region, with a 3% CAGR fueled by innovations in mass timber and stringent environmental regulations.
• The market remains highly fragmented, bolstered by numerous small-scale sawmills across forest-rich areas, alongside large integrated operators. Diverse timber species and regional harvesting practices further contribute to market fragmentation.
• Major players shaping the competitive landscape include Weyerhaeuser, West Fraser, Koch Industries (Georgia‑Pacific), Sierra Pacific, Interfor, Canfor, Hampton Lumber, Roseburg Forest Products, Boise Cascade, among others.
• Rapid adoption of sustainability certifications and government incentives is creating new opportunities for innovation in engineered wood solutions, mass-timber construction, and export expansion.
• Advancements in processing technologies—especially kiln drying and precision planing—are enabling higher-value, uniform-quality products, positioning sawmill operators to meet evolving structural safety and performance standards.
• The construction sector’s robust investment—USD 2.196 trillion as of March 2025—along with housing shortages and strong multi-family development, ensures stable, long-term lumber demand.
• Export growth potential is rising as U.S. producers modernize facilities and tap into markets seeking sustainable wood—reinforced by vertical integration and capacity expansion in regions like the South.
• Renovation and remodeling trends are an emerging niche, offering supplemental revenue streams for sawmills responsive to retrofit and repair demand in aging housing stock.