Builders Applaud NAFTA Softwood Ruling, Call For Quick Elimination Of Costly Duties National Association of Home Builders
With the price of framing lumber now at $473 per 1,000 board feet, according to Random Lengths – up more than 40 percent from the beginning of the year and approaching the all-time high of $519 recorded in 1994 – Rayburn noted that the NAFTA decision could not have come at a better time.
“Rising building material costs, led by lumber, have added $5,000 to $7,000 to the cost of constructing an average new home,” he said. “The duties have artificially boosted lumber prices and have helped line the pockets of domestic producers at the expense of U.S. consumers. NAFTA has unambiguously ruled that this case has no merit. Therefore, the Administration should prevent this case from dragging out any further and allow these punitive duties to disappear.”