Episode Details

Lumber prices are soft—but the demand picture may surprise you. Scott Hall of Matheus Lumber joins The Lumber Word crew to explain why his company’s lumber volume has held relatively steady, where multifamily business is growing, and what customers are already booking for 2027.

Ashley Boeckholt, Gregg Riley, Matt Beymer, and Charles discuss whether SPF, US Species and SYP are finding a bottom, how mill curtailments may be supporting prices, and why freight remains a major challenge. Scott shares how he manages inventory against future commitments, why buying too far ahead can add costs, and what’s driving Texas builders toward Southern Yellow Pine studs.
The conversation also covers tight construction financing, the outlook for housing demand, and a key question: has supply fallen fast enough to keep weak demand from pushing lumber prices
much lower?

Episode timeline
00:00 Welcome and the first Patreon Insiders livestream
01:09 Lumber market overview: seasonal weakness and discounted cash prices
02:37 Spruce outlook: mill economics and potential curtailments
04:51 Southern Yellow Pine: freight and regional price differences
08:32 Meet Scott Hall of Matheus Lumber
10:27 Multifamily demand: steady volume and shifting regional activity
13:23 Booking 2027 projects and the risks of pricing too far ahead
16:02 How builders buy lumber—and how Scott manages inventory
19:19 Inside storage: protecting lumber and panels
20:51 Species switching: Southern Yellow Pine versus Douglas fir studs
22:16 Finger-jointed studs: pricing, availability, and alternatives
25:23 Western lumber update: is Douglas fir finding a bottom?
27:03 Gregg’s bottom call on spruce 2x4s
27:53 Homebuilder pressures and financing structures
30:24 Multifamily financing: contractors putting equity into projects
31:49 Has housing demand bottomed? The outlook into 2027
36:22 Q4 buying, curtailments, and a potentially higher price floor
37:59 Mill profitability and the importance of product mix
40:01 Why Western mills produce different sizes and grades
41:55 The Man in the Arena and lessons from trading every day
43:04 Patreon appreciation and a possible AI addition to the show
46:48 Thanks to Scott and closing remarks
Timestamps match the original recording. Edits or an added intro will shift them.

Advertiser
Fastmarkets RISI
Tiranth Amarasinghe
Product Marketing Manager
Tiranth.Amarasinghe@fastmarkets.com
www.fastmarkets.com

Show Contacts:
Gregg Riley: Gregg@sitkainc.com
Charles DeLaTorre: cdelatorre@ifpwood.com

Matt Beymer: mattbeymer@hamptonlumber.com
Ashley Boeckholt: ashley@sitkainc.com