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BOREAL TIMBERImport Wood Europe

Supply chain

The supply chain

Two companies, one supply chain controlled from the forest to your yard.

BOREAL TIMBER LTD — Thunder Bay, Ontario (Canada)

Sawmill contracts, technical specification, quality control at production, origin and phytosanitary documentation, transport booking. It operates in Canadian dollars, so currency risk does not reach the European customer.

BOREAL TIMBER S.R.L. — Ferrara (Italy)

Sales in Italy and the European Union, customs clearance, last-mile logistics, technical and after-sales support. Invoicing in euro, on Italian terms of payment.

The supply chain in six steps

  1. Selection and specification

    The sawmill is chosen on the basis of the species, grade and volume required. The technical specification is agreed before the order, not after it.

  2. Production and grading

    Sawing and drying to NLGA rules for softwoods and NHLA rules for hardwoods. Moisture content on delivery agreed according to the end use.

  3. Quality control at origin

    The lot is checked before loading: dimensions, grade, moisture content, ISPM-15 marking on pallets and stickers.

  4. Documentation and transport

    CFIA phytosanitary certificate, CETA origin declaration, chain of custody certificates, bill of lading. Routing via Thunder Bay / Montréal to European ports.

  5. Customs clearance in Italy

    Customs classification, due diligence statement and management of any phytosanitary inspection. The customer never deals with customs.

  6. Delivery and support

    Delivery to your yard or site, with a packing list per bundle and the complete documentation file for the lot.

Delivery terms

We work on Incoterms® 2020: FOB Thunder Bay or Montréal, CIF EU port, DAP customer warehouse, DDP on request. The delivery term is chosen according to which of us is better placed to handle each leg.

Routes and transit times

Thunder Bay → Montréal via the Great Lakes / St. Lawrence Seaway, with seasonal navigation indicatively from April to December; alternatively rail or road routing to an Atlantic port. Ocean transit to North Adriatic or North European ports. Customs clearance in Italy with destination Ferrara.

Documents accompanying every shipment

  • Commercial invoice with the CETA origin declaration (or EUR.1 certificate)
  • Packing list showing volume in m³ and board feet per bundle
  • Ocean bill of lading (B/L)
  • CFIA phytosanitary certificate (Canadian Food Inspection Agency)
  • ISPM-15 marking on pallets and stickers: IPPC code · HT
  • Reference number of the EUDR Due Diligence Statement
  • FSC and/or PEFC Chain of Custody certificate for the lot

Container capacities

Light softwoods fill the volume before the weight: about 55 m³ in a 40′ High Cube. Dense hardwoods fill the weight: 37–38 m³ for maple and birch. Capacities are calculated on prudent stowage assumptions (55 m³ / 26,000 kg net for 40′ HC; 28 m³ / 21,700 kg net for 20′ DV) and must be re-checked against the actual packing list.

#SpeciesDensity (12% MC) (kg/m³) 40′ High Cube capacity (m³ approx.)Moisture on delivery
01White Spruce4255512–15%
02Black Spruce4505512–15%
03Balsam Fir4005512–15%
04Eastern White Pine4005512–15% · 8–12%
05Red Pine5454812–15%
06Jack Pine5005212–15%
07Tamarack (American Larch)5954412–15%
08Northern White Cedar3505512–15%
09Yellow Birch690386–8% · 8–10%
10Trembling Aspen415558–12%
11Sugar Maple (Hard Maple)705376–8% · 8–10%
12Black Ash545486–8% · 8–10%

1 m³ = 424 board feet · 1 MBF = 2.36 m³. Origin quotations are normally in USD or CAD per MBF; the offer is converted to EUR/m³.