Export Hardwood Logs from the United States
For overseas buyers sourcing by the container — and US sellers who want to reach them
American hardwood moves overseas every week. What stops most deals is not supply or price — it is that a buyer in Kerala measures in cubic metres and grades in AB/ABC, while a seller in Kentucky quotes dollars per thousand board feet on Doyle scale and has never loaded a container. This page closes that gap.
JMLogMarket is a marketplace, not an exporter or a broker. You deal with the seller directly, we take no commission, and we are not a party to your contract.
Live buyer demand right now
Open requests on JMLogMarket. Export requirements carry a badge — the rest are domestic buyers, which tells you who else is competing for the same logs.
What overseas buyers take out of the US
Export demand concentrates in a handful of species and in the top grades. Nobody ships low-grade logs across an ocean: freight costs the same per container whatever is inside it, so the economics only work on wood worth the ride.
| Species | Prime / top sawlog | #1–#2 sawlog | Veneer grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Oak Stave, veneer and sawlogs. The bourbon-barrel trade sets the floor on stave-grade. | $920–$1,850 | $340–$920 | $2,450–$6,500 |
| Black Walnut The premium export species. Veneer-grade butt logs carry the market. | $1,475–$4,000 | $350–$1,475 | $3,125–$8,000 |
| Red Oak Long-standing export demand for flooring and furniture stock. | $560–$750 | $300–$560 | $620–$800 |
| Hard Maple Light, clean sapwood is what buyers pay for. | $610–$1,000 | $310–$610 | $710–$1,050 |
| Black Cherry Furniture and architectural work; colour matters. | $450–$600 | $225–$450 | $510–$610 |
| Yellow Poplar Peeler and utility volume. Moves in quantity rather than at high $/MBF. | $520–$700 | $200–$520 | $510–$770 |
| Hickory Flooring and handle stock; dense and heavy to ship. | $510–$700 | $200–$510 | $600–$1,000 |
Delivered to mill, $/MBF, Doyle scale, Kentucky-region benchmark. Prices at your loading point will differ. See the full timber price guide for every species and grade.
Units and grades: the translation most deals need
Volume. One board foot is 0.00236 cubic metres, so 1 MBF is roughly 2.36 cubic metres of solid wood. But US prices usually reference Doyle log scale, which under-measures smaller logs by design — the actual wood in a load is more than the scaled number says, and the gap widens as diameter falls. Always ask which scale a price refers to.
Grade. “AB” and “ABC” are peeling and plywood terms, not US log grades. American sellers work from species, small-end diameter inside bark, length, and a grade that reflects how many clear faces a log has — veneer, prime, #1 and #2 sawlog, then tie and pallet grades below that. If you tell us your minimum diameter and length per species, we put it on the board in the vocabulary sellers price against.
Moisture and freshness. Fresh-cut logs move; logs that have sat through a warm season stain and check. If your buyers need fresh stock, say so in your requirement — it changes which sellers should answer you.
How to post an export requirement
Put your requirement on the buyer board. Sellers read it and contact you directly. A request that gets answered says four things:
- Species and grade — and whether you will take mixed loads
- Volume and cadence — a trial container, or 50 a month
- A price you are working to — even a rough band. This is the single biggest thing that decides whether a seller replies
- What you handle — forwarder, fumigation, port of loading
Your name, email and phone appear publicly on the request so sellers can reach you. If your country cannot reach our forms, email Jett@jmlogmarket.io and we will post it on your behalf.
For US sellers: reaching export buyers without getting burned
Export buyers pay well for the right logs, and the top of the market is often overseas. The risk is not the price — it is getting paid.
- Get paid before the logs leave. Funds in your account, or a letter of credit through your bank. Not a promise of payment on arrival.
- Put the terms in writing — who loads, who pays freight, what happens if a load is rejected at the port.
- Let the buyer own the paperwork. Phytosanitary certificates, fumigation or heat treatment, and container loading normally sit with the buyer or their freight forwarder.
- Treat an unusually high offer as a warning. Advance-fee and fake letter-of-credit scams target exactly this trade.
Export sourcing questions
Can I buy US hardwood logs directly from the sellers?
Yes. JMLogMarket is a marketplace, not a broker. Sellers list what they have, you contact them directly, and you agree price and terms between yourselves. We take no commission and we are not a party to the sale.
How do I tell US sellers what I need?
Post an export requirement on our buyer board. It shows your name and contact details so sellers can reach you, and it stays up until you tell us it is filled. If you cannot reach the form from your country, email Jett@jmlogmarket.io and we will post it for you.
US sellers quote in $/MBF. I buy in cubic metres. How do these compare?
One board foot is 0.00236 cubic metres, so 1,000 board feet (1 MBF) is about 2.36 cubic metres of solid wood. The complication is log scale: US sellers usually quote Doyle scale, which deliberately under-measures small logs, so the actual wood in a load is more than the scaled figure — most of all on logs under about 16 inches. Ask which scale a price uses before you convert anything.
My buyers grade as AB and ABC. What do US sellers use?
Those are not US log grades. American sellers describe logs by species, small-end diameter inside bark, length, and a grade such as veneer, prime or #1 and #2 sawlog, based on how clean the faces are. Tell us the minimum diameter and length you need and we will translate it into terms sellers here price against.
Who handles the phytosanitary certificate and fumigation?
The buyer or the buyer's freight forwarder, in almost every case. Most US sellers are landowners, loggers and small mills who sell domestically and have never exported. Requirements differ by destination country and change — confirm the current rules with your forwarder and your own plant-health authority before you commit to a shipment.
What does it cost to buy or sell here?
Nothing on the buying side, and listing logs is free for sellers. There is no commission on any sale, ever. Sellers can pay for optional plans that raise their listing limit, and that is the whole of it.
I am a US seller. How do I avoid getting burned on an export deal?
Settle payment before the logs leave your yard — either funds in your account or a letter of credit through your bank. Establish in writing who loads, who pays freight, and who is responsible if the load is rejected at the port. Be careful with any buyer who pushes you to ship against a promise of payment on arrival, and treat an unusually generous price as a warning rather than a windfall.
Do you verify overseas buyers?
No, and we say so plainly. We check that a request is coherent and that the contact details work, which is not the same as vouching for anyone. Do your own diligence exactly as you would with a domestic buyer: company registration, references, and payment before shipment.
Keep going
- Buyer board — live requirements, including export buyers
- Logs for sale — what is on the board right now
- Timber price guide — every species and grade, updated from government surveys
- Who buys logs — the domestic buyer landscape
- AI log grader — photograph a log, get a USDA-standard grade