Log Buyers Near Me — Who Buys Hardwood Logs?
Sawmills · veneer & stave mills · pallet mills · pulp mills · export
“Who buys logs around here?” is the first question every landowner, logger, and tree service asks — and the answer depends on what’s on your truck. Here’s who buys what, what they pay in 2026, and the live buyer demand on the marketplace right now.
Who buys logs — the five buyer types
| Buyer | What they buy | Typical delivered prices |
|---|---|---|
| Hardwood sawmills | #1–#3 sawlogs, most species — the everyday market | $200–$900/MBF by species & grade |
| Veneer mills / export yards | Large (16"+), clear, defect-free logs — walnut, white oak, cherry, maple | $2,000–$8,775/MBF |
| Cooperages / stave mills | White oak only — tight grain, barrel spec (bourbon country pays a premium) | $1,050–$3,600/MBF |
| Pallet & tie mills | Low-grade logs of most species, railroad-tie oak | $105–$290/MBF |
| Pulp / chip mills | Small, crooked, or cull wood — bought by the ton | varies by region, sold per ton |
Live buyer demand right now
These are open requests from buyers on JMLogMarket — real demand, posted with contact info so sellers can reach out directly:
Find log buyers by state
Each state page lists current prices, the main buyer types in that market, and live listings:
Selling standing timber instead? Each state has a dedicated guide — e.g. sell timber in Kentucky. Also see the sawmill directory for mills buying logs, and the state forestry division buyer lists linked on each state page.
How to sell to a log buyer (and not get lowballed)
- 1. Know your grade first. Upload photos to the free AI Log Grader — a USFS-based grade (veneer / F1 / F2 / F3) plus a value estimate, before anyone quotes you.
- 2. Know your volume. Scale your logs with the log scale calculator (Doyle is standard in Appalachia) so a price per MBF means something.
- 3. Match the buyer to the log. Don’t sell a stave-quality white oak at pallet-mill prices — and don’t waste a veneer mill’s time with tie logs.
- 4. Make buyers compete. List free on JMLogMarket with photos, grade, and location — buyers contact you directly and no commission comes off your price.
How to actually find log buyers near you
“Near me” matters more in this trade than almost any other, because haul cost comes straight out of your check. A mill 40 miles away can beat one 120 miles away on your net even when it quotes a lower price per thousand. Here is the order we’d work through:
- Your state forestry division’s buyer list. Most states publish a directory of licensed or registered timber buyers — in Indiana, buyers must be registered and bonded with the DNR, which also gives you recourse if one defaults. These lists are free, official, and almost nobody uses them.
- The mills within your haul radius. Draw a circle roughly 75–100 miles around your logs and find every hardwood mill, stave mill, and concentration yard inside it. Our sawmill directory is one starting point; a county forester usually knows the rest by name.
- A consulting forester. They already know who is buying what this month, which mills are quota’d out, and who pays on time. On a stand of any size this is the single highest-return call you can make.
- The buyer request board. Buyers post what they need and their contact details, so you can approach demand that already exists rather than cold-calling. See open buyer requests.
- Let them come to you. Listing free with photos, species, grade, and location puts your load in front of buyers searching your area, and no commission comes off the price.
Whichever route you take, call more than one. The spread between the first quote and the best quote on the same load is routinely 20–30%, and it is almost never the first caller who wins.
Mill, broker, or concentration yard — know who you’re dealing with
Three very different businesses will all answer the phone as “log buyers,” and the difference changes how you should negotiate.
| Who | How they make money | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| The mill itself | Sawing your logs into lumber. | Usually the best price for logs that match their spec exactly — and no interest at all in logs that don’t. Mills run to a narrow diameter and species window. |
| Log buyer / broker | A margin between what they pay you and what the mill pays them. | Valuable when they have outlets you don’t — a veneer contact, an export yard. Ask plainly whether they are buying for their own account or brokering. |
| Concentration yard | Buying mixed loads, sorting by species and grade, reselling in uniform lots. | Often the only realistic buyer for a small mixed load, because they will take the whole truck instead of cherry-picking three logs. |
How buyers decide what to pay you
Quotes that look arbitrary usually aren’t. Buyers are working through the same short list every time:
- Species and grade, first and by a wide margin. The gap between veneer and pallet on the identical species runs 10× or more. Grade before you negotiate — the AI Log Grader is free.
- Scale method. Doyle, Scribner, and International ¼ do not produce the same board footage on the same log, and the gap widens as logs get smaller. Doyle is standard across Appalachia and reads lowest on small logs. Always ask which one the quote uses — our log scale calculator converts between them.
- Volume and load composition. A full truck of uniform logs is worth more per unit than the same logs scattered across three species and four grades.
- Haul distance and access. Whether a loaded truck can reach your landing in wet weather is a price factor, not a detail.
- Their current order file. A mill quota’d out on red oak will quote you badly on red oak this week and well next month. This is why a low quote is worth a second call later.
Species with their own buyers
Some species don’t go to the general sawlog market at all, and selling them there is the most common way landowners leave money behind.
- Black walnut — the one species where it is worth finding a specialist. Veneer and export buyers pay multiples of sawlog money for large, straight, defect-free walnut, and a general mill will not. Walnut is also the species most often bought cheaply from people who don’t know what they have.
- White oak — stave and cooperage buyers want tight, straight grain to barrel spec, and bourbon-country demand keeps that market separate from ordinary sawlogs.
- Cherry and figured maple — value is driven by colour and figure, which means the log has to be seen. Photograph the ends.
- Low-grade and pallet material — a real market, not a consolation prize. See what low-grade logs are worth before you let anyone take it as “cleanup.”
Settle these before the truck moves
- Which scale, and who scales it. Mill scale is normal; it also means the buyer measures the load. Ask for scale tickets on every load.
- Deductions. How is rot, sweep, or metal handled, and what happens to a log rejected at the yard — does it come back, or is it absorbed?
- Who owns the load in transit, and who insures it.
- Payment terms in writing. Per load or on completion, and how many days. “When the wood sells” is not a payment term.
- Delivered or FOB landing. A delivered price with you paying the haul is a very different number from the same figure at your landing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who buys logs near me?
The main buyers are hardwood sawmills (grade lumber), cooperages and stave mills (white oak for bourbon barrels), veneer mills (large defect-free logs), pallet and tie mills (low-grade logs), and pulp or chip mills (by the ton). Around them sit export yards, firewood processors, portable-sawmill owners, and woodworkers buying specialty logs. Which one is 'your' buyer depends entirely on species and grade - a veneer mill and a pallet mill will quote the same log very differently.
How do I find log buyers in my area?
Three free ways: browse your state's market page on JMLogMarket for prices and mills, list your logs free on the marketplace so buyers contact you directly (no commission), and check the buyer request board where mills and buyers post exactly what they need right now. Most state forestry divisions also publish licensed timber-buyer directories - Kentucky, Ohio, and Tennessee all maintain one.
Do sawmills buy single logs from homeowners?
Some do, many don't - hauling cost is the deciding factor. One ordinary log often isn't worth a mill's trip, so single-log sellers usually do best when the log is genuinely high-grade (veneer or stave quality), when they can deliver it themselves, or when a local portable-sawmill owner will saw it for use or shares. Grade the log free with the AI Log Grader first so you know which conversation to have.
How much do log buyers pay?
It depends on species and grade far more than volume. Representative August 2026 delivered-to-mill ranges in the Appalachian market: White Oak sawlogs $370-$900/MBF (veneer to $6,775), Black Walnut $500-$1,500/MBF (veneer to $8,775), Red Oak $245-$520/MBF, Yellow Poplar $285-$560/MBF, with pallet-grade logs of most species bringing $105-$290/MBF. Stumpage (standing timber) runs 30-50% less than delivered.
Are there sawmills near me that buy logs?
In the hardwood-producing states there is almost always a mill within a workable haul radius, but not every mill buys from the public and few buy every species. Start with your state forestry division's registered timber-buyer list, then work outward through mills, concentration yards, and log brokers within roughly 75-100 miles - past that, haul cost usually eats the difference. A county or consulting forester can normally name every active buyer in your area from memory, which is faster than any directory.
Who buys trees for lumber near me?
If the trees are still standing, you are not looking for a log buyer but for a timber buyer or a logger who buys stumpage - they purchase the standing timber, then cut and haul it themselves. That is a different transaction from selling logs already on the ground, and it is priced differently: stumpage typically runs 40-60% below delivered mill prices because felling, skidding, and hauling all come out of the gap. See our guide to hiring a logging company, and get a consulting forester involved before you sign anything on a stand of any size.
Who buys walnut logs near me?
Black walnut is the species most worth finding a specialist for. Large, straight, defect-free walnut goes to veneer mills and export yards that pay multiples of ordinary sawlog prices, while a general hardwood sawmill will simply grade it as lumber and quote accordingly. Walnut is also the species most commonly bought cheaply from sellers who don't know what they have, so grade it and get at least three quotes - including at least one buyer who handles veneer or export - before selling.
What scale will a log buyer use, and does it matter?
It matters a great deal. Doyle, Scribner, and International 1/4-inch are three different formulas and produce different board-foot totals for the identical log. Doyle is standard across Appalachia and reads lowest on small-diameter logs, so a quote of "$500/MBF Doyle" is not comparable to "$500/MBF International" on the same load. Always ask which scale a quote uses, and ask for scale tickets on every load.
Skip the phone tag — let buyers find you
Post your logs free with photos and location. Buyers see your listing and contact you directly — no commission, no middleman.