The pandemic, supply chain issues, high consumer demand, and inflation have affected the price of just about everything. Fuel costs have soared. Diesel in California has hovered near seven dollars at the beginning of 2022. Lumber prices were one of the first items to spike during the pandemic, and redwood lumber prices had been high and volatile before the pandemic. As we were updating some estimating and pricing for fencing, pergolas and other woodwork we compared past pricing with current vendor pricing. Here is an overview of five commonly used redwood lumber sizes and their price change.
Lumber Price Per Foot | |||
Con Heart Redwood | 2018 Price | 2022 Price | Total Change |
1×6 Redwood Fence Board | $1.50 | $2.15 | 43% |
2×4 Redwood Rails | $2.20 | $2.87 | 30% |
2×6 Redwood Cap | $3.30 | $4.30 | 30% |
4×6 Redwood Fence Post | $4.80 | $8.84 | 84% |
6×6 Pergola Post | $7.40 | $14.27 | 93% |
Looking at the table above, the post prices for larger dimensional redwood are what really stand out, with the cost of a 6×6 post almost doubling in 4 years. While other lumber prices have fallen from their pandemic peaks the likely combination of reduced redwood supply, higher demand, fires and other stresses have contributed to continued high prices.