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Tariffs, Timber, and a Skyscraper Without Rules – What Shook the Industry This Week
It's been a week straight out of the industry's toughest-topics calendar: the escalating trade war between Canada and the US is sending shockwaves through timber prices worldwide, while a wooden skyscraper rising in Florida is set to test the limits of local building codes. We take a look at what these two stories mean for the woodworking and furniture manufacturing industry — and why they're worth following right now.
01 · Trade & Tariffs
Canada Strikes Back with Tariffs – Timber and Plywood in the Crosshairs [1]
As of September 8, 2026, Canada has imposed counter-tariffs on US goods worth a combined $27.6 billion — a response to earlier American tariffs introduced under Section 338 and Section 232. The document listing the affected goods was last updated on August 26, 2026, with rates varying by category: 15%, 25%, and 50%. Sawn timber — pine, spruce, fir — was hit with a 25% tariff, while plywood, veneers, and wood pulp received the steepest rate, reaching as high as 50%.
This is just the latest chapter in an escalating trade war between the world's two largest timber producers, and its effects won't stay confined within the US-Canada border. Global supply chains for wood, plywood, and paper are tightly interconnected, so price hikes and supply disruptions could also be felt by European furniture and wood-based panel manufacturers, who compete for the same shipments of sawn timber, veneers, and pulp on export markets. It's worth keeping an eye on whether tensions along the Ottawa-Washington axis end up pushing input costs higher on this side of the Atlantic too — trade tariffs in this sector tend, sooner or later, to spill over further than originally intended, drawing in more product categories and more buyers along the way.
02 · Mass Timber
A Timber Skyscraper Without Regulations? Florida Puts Mass Timber to the Test [2]
On a completely different note: renowned architecture firm CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati has unveiled its design for the 25-story MiMar tower in West Palm Beach, Florida. The building is set to rise above the preserved façade of a century-old former fire station, weaving the city's historic fabric together with modern mass timber construction technology.
What's most interesting here is the regulatory angle: unlike 44 other US states, Florida has no dedicated mass timber provisions in its building code. In practice, this means that approval for such a large timber development rests in the hands of a single building official, with no dedicated standards for this type of construction to lean on. Adding a social dimension to the project, 40% of the tower's units are earmarked for affordable workforce housing under the state's Live Local Act.
This case is a good illustration of the paradox facing mass timber worldwide today: the technology has matured, and bold timber structures keep climbing higher and more ambitious by the day, but building codes in many places simply haven't caught up. For investors and architects, that translates into added project risk, even though the material itself has long met safety and structural performance requirements.
Summary
Summary
This week shows two faces of the timber industry: on one side, trade policy that could shake up raw material prices worldwide; on the other, bold architectural projects blazing a trail for mass timber faster than regulations can keep up. Both stories are worth watching, since sooner or later they'll shape the costs and technological possibilities open to European furniture manufacturers and woodworking companies.
Want to talk about how global tariffs and mass timber technology affect your business? Join us at Wood Tech Warsaw Expo – Trade Fair for Woodworking Technology and Furniture Production, where manufacturers, raw material suppliers, and innovators from across the timber industry will come together to find answers to these and other market challenges.
Invitation
Tariffs driving up timber and plywood prices, and alongside them, bold mass timber skyscrapers blazing a trail ahead of new regulations: the timber industry is transforming before our eyes. Visit Wood Tech Warsaw Expo – Trade Fair for Woodworking Technology and Furniture Production to talk with raw material suppliers, machinery manufacturers, and experts about how to safeguard your business against global turbulence. It's the place where trade, technology, and innovation meet under one roof.
Wood Tech Warsaw Expo 2026Footnotes
[1] Department of Finance Canada — https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/news/2026/08/list-of-products-from-the-united-states-subject-to-counter-tariffs-effective-september-8-2026.html[2] Wood Central — https://woodcentral.com.au/mimar-mass-timber-tower-florida/