Sawmills

Detailed information for January 2025

The monthly survey, Sawmills, measures quantities of lumber produced and shipped by Canadian manufacturers.

• Questionnaire(s) and reporting guide(s)
• Description
• Data sources and methodology

Description

This survey measures, on a monthly basis, the quantities of lumber that are produced and shipped by Canadian manufacturers.

The quantities of lumber produced and shipped are used as an indicator of the economic condition of the Wood industry and trends in the construction market, as an input to Canada's Gross Domestic Product and as an input into macro- and micro-economic studies to determine market shares and industry trends. The data are also used by the business community, trade associations (including the Council of Forest Industries and l'Association des manufacturiers de bois de sciage du Québec), federal and provincial departments and international organizations.

Reference period: Month

Collection period: During the month following the reference month.

Subjects

• Manufacturing
• Wood, paper and printing

Data sources and methodology

Target population

The target population for this survey includes all sawmills in Canada classified to the North American Industry Classification System code 321111, that produce lumber and/or wood-chips as a product or by-product.

• Additional documentation

Instrument design

The questionnaire for this survey has remained stable over the years, although the format and wording has been modified to maintain its relevance based on feedback from survey respondents and data users.

Sampling

This is a sample survey with a cross-sectional design.

A sample of establishments is selected from among units in the survey population based on a cut off sampling plan.

All establishments above the thresholds are now selected in the sample as a sample selection of establishments above the thresholds was previously done.

Data sources

Data collection for this reference period: 2025-02-03 to 2026-01-16

Responding to this survey is mandatory.

Data are collected directly from survey respondents and extracted from administrative files.

Data are collected each month from survey respondents using an electronic questionnaire process as well as a mail-out / mail-back process upon request. Data capture and preliminary editing are performed simultaneously to ensure validity of the data. Businesses from whom no response has been received or whose data may contain errors are followed-up by telephone, email or fax.

Under normal circumstances, data are collected, captured, edited, tabulated and published within 6-8 weeks after the end of the reference month.

To estimate the contribution of units below sampling thresholds, the system derives ratios from Goods and Services Tax (GST) files using a statistical model. The model accounts for the difference between units above the threshold and those below the threshold as well as the time lag between the reference period of the survey and the reference period of the GST file.

View the Questionnaire(s) and reporting guide(s) .