European wood-based panel production increased by 3% in 2025, according to newly published figures from the European Panel Federation (EPF).
The data, included in the EPF’s 2025–2026 Annual Report, was presented to manufacturers and industry stakeholders at the EPF General Assembly held in Milan on 12 June.
The EPF notes that demand for panels continues to be limited by subdued housing construction activity, high interest rates and cautious consumer spending. At the same time, European producers are facing elevated energy and raw material costs, which are affecting their competitiveness compared with other global regions.
Overall production of wood-based panels across EPF member countries rose 3% in 2025 to 59,587,000m³, while apparent consumption also increased by 3% to 60,900,000m³. Imports of wood-based panels into Europe rose significantly over the year, increasing by 35% to 1,313,000m³.
Output growth was recorded across several key product categories. Particleboard, MDF and softboard (wood fibre insulation board) increased by 475,000m³, 465,000m³ and 653,000m³ respectively in 2025. Softboard and MDF in particular saw above-average growth of 12% and 4%. OSB production also increased, rising by 133,000m³.
Particleboard, the largest segment, reached 31,818,000m³ in 2025, an increase of 1.5%. However, growth is expected to slow, with European PB production forecast to rise by just 0.7% in 2026, reaching an estimated 32,047,000m³.
MDF production grew by 4.1% to 11,729,000m³, excluding Turkey and Russia. Poland increased output by 4% to 2,630,000m³, overtaking Germany as Europe’s largest MDF producer, while German production declined by a further 1.5% to 2,607,000m³. European MDF output is forecast to rise further in 2026 to 12,179,000m³.
OSB production increased by 2% in 2025 to 7,193,900m³, supported by gains in construction market share. Germany, Romania and Poland remain the main European production hubs. The UK was the leading destination for extra-EU OSB exports, receiving 532,000m³, an 11% increase on 2024. OSB production is forecast to grow to 7,520,000m³ in 2026.
Softboard production, covering rigid boards and flexible batts, rose by 12.3% to 6.1 million m³, exceeding the previous peak seen in 2021 by 8%. Rigid products accounted for 59% of total output.
European plywood production in the EU27 fell by 1.4% in 2025 to 2,388,600m³. The only exceptions to the decline were Poland and the Baltic states, which posted increases of 11% and 5.1% respectively. Across Europe as a whole (including Russia, Turkey, Ukraine and Belarus), plywood output totalled 6,349,600m³, a 4.2% decrease compared with 2024).
