Memo
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Date:September 18, 2012
Re:RANDOM LENGTHS PRICE GUIDE REVISIONS
scheduled for October 2012
Revamp of stud pricing coming in early October
A few notable changes are planned for the lumber price guides, effective with Midweek October 2 and Random Lengths October 5.
Chief among them will be a restructuring of the stud price grid on Page 5 of the Random Lengths lumber report to accommodate pricing for #2 or #2&Btr grading. Prices for Western S-P-F #2 or #2&Btr 2x4 will debut. Meanwhile, reporting for all Coast Hem-Fir and dry Douglas Fir stud trims will be in #2/#2&Btr.
Rows of prices of #2/#2&Btr will allow for adding reporting of these grades in other species, as the market continues to evolve.
The shift to #2 or #2&Btr grading has been in effect for several years, and the trend was strongly reflected in some species in the latest Random Lengths Stud Survey, which was published in June.
Prices of #2/#2&Btr 2x4 8- and 9-foot studs in Western S-P-F and the Coast species will also be published in Midweek.
One stud item that will be dropped from Page 5 of the lumber guide is a footnote for Hem-Fir 2x4 8-foot for Southern Oregon mills. That price has lost its relevance in the marketplace in recent years.
Two additions to the Midweek report will be prices of White Fir/Hem-Fir and Fir&Larch #2&Btr 2x4 random dimension. Also to be added to Midweek will be Inland Hem-Fir 2x4 9-foot studs.
Following this article are:
A list of all tags to be added and retired (below)
These appear by page number in the printed Random Lengths Price Guides.
Special Note to database and spreadsheet subscribers (pages 3-4)
(continued, next page) —>
LUMBER, Page 5
4 Tags Added
LCQOKD W S-P-F #2/#2&Btr 2x4 8' PET Mill Prices
LCQPKD W S-P-F #2/#2&Btr 2x4 8' PET Prices Net del. Chi
LCQQKD W S-P-F #2/#2&Btr 2x4 9' PET Mill Prices
LCQRKD W S-P-F #2/#2&Btr 2x4 9' PET Prices Net del. Chi
1 Tag Retired
LABPKD Hem-Fir (Southern Oregon) Stud 2x4 8' PET Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
13 Tags Changed
LCQIInland KD White Fir or Hem-Fir (Spokane) #2&Btr 2x4 random Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
LABLInland KD Hem-Fir (Spokane) Stud 2x4 9' PET Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
LCQJInland KD Fir&Larch #2&Btr 2x4 random Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
LAAKCoast KD Hem-Fir #2/#2&Btr 2x4 8' PET Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
LADKCoast KD Douglas Fir #2/#2&Btr 2x4 8' PET Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
LBYTCoast KD Hem-Fir #2/#2&Btr 2x4 9' PET Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
LBYWCoast KD Douglas Fir #2/#2&Btr 2x4 9' PET Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
LBZCCoast KD Hem-Fir #2/#2&Btr 2x4 10' PET Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
LCQHCoast KD Douglas Fir #2/#2&Btr 2x4 10' PET Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
LBYUCoast KD Hem-Fir #2/#2&Btr 2x6 8' PET Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
LBYXCoast KD Douglas Fir #2/#2&Btr 2x6 8' PET Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
LBYVCoast KD Hem-Fir #2/#2&Btr 2x6 9' PET Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
LBYYCoast KD Douglas Fir #2/#2&Btr 2x6 9' PET Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
LUMBER, Pages 6-8 - NO CHANGES
LUMBER Composites – NO CHANGES
PANEL – Page 12
Note: Database change only. See note on page 4 for details.
5 Tags Changed
PACLWestern Plywood Sanded AB 1/4" Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
PACMWestern Plywood Sanded AB 11/32" Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
PACNWestern Plywood Sanded AB 15/32" Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
PACOWestern Plywood Sanded AB 19/32" Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
PACPWestern Plywood Sanded AB 23/32" Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
PANEL Composites – NO CHANGES
(continued, next page) —>
MIDWEEK
5 Tags Added
MAHXInland KD White Fir or Hem-Fir (Spokane) #2&Btr 2x4 random Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
MAHYInland KD Hem-Fir (Spokane) Stud 2x4 9' PET Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
MAHZInland KD Fir&Larch #2&Btr 2x4 random Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
MAIAKD W S-P-F #2/#2&Btr 2x4 8' PET Mill Prices
MAIBKD W S-P-F #2/#2&Btr 2x4 9' PET Mill Prices
4 Tags Changed
MAAGCoast KD Hem-Fir #2/#2&Btr 2x4 8' PET Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
MAHGCoast KD Hem-Fir #2/#2&Btr 2x4 9' PET Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
MABACoast KD Douglas Fir #2/#2&Btr 2x4 8' PET Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
MAHHCoast KD Douglas Fir #2/#2&Btr 2x4 9' PET Prices Net f.o.b. Mill
Special Note for Spreadsheet and Database Subscribers:
RANDOM LENGTHS PRICE GUIDE REVISIONS - October 2012
IMPORTANT NOTICE for Random Lengths Midweek, Lumber, and Panel EMS (Electronic Media Services) database and spreadsheet subscribers.
Price guide changes will take effect Tuesday, October 2, 2012, for Midweek, and Friday, October 5, 2012, for Lumber and Panel.
An article about the upcoming Price Guide changes that appeared in Random Lengths September 7, 2012 is below, and in the attached Word doc.
*** IMPORTANT NOTE TO DATABASE SUBSCRIBERS ABOUT FILE FORMAT CHANGES (see For Database Subscribers section below).
If you have any questions, please let us know.
Attached to this e-mail message is:
-- Price_Guide_Change_Information.doc, a Word doc with the price guide change information, including new and retired tags.
-- Tags-Before-After.xls, a spreadsheet which will show the before and after changes that we are making
-- RL_Tags.xls, the revised Price Label Key (spreadsheet format) that contains label names in place of prices, in the same position they appear in the publication
-- RL_Tags.pdf, the revised Price Label Key (PDF format) that contains label names in place of prices, in the same position they appear in the publication
Special Note to database and spreadsheet subscribers
(continued, next page) —>
FOR DATABASE SUBSCRIBERS:
ADDITIONAL WEEKLY FILE TO BE TRANSMITTED in Comma Separated Values (CSV) format
The Lumber, Panel and Midweek weekly distribution files transmitted for price information have been provided in a DBF (Dbase III) format file. Due to customer demand, starting with Price Guide Changes the week of October 1, the distribution files will also be transmitted as Comma Separated Values (CSV) format files.
To help with the transition, you will be receiving both DBase III format (dbf) files and Comma Separated Values (CSV) files each week. You will receive notification about when the DBF file format will be discontinued when we send you Price Guide Change information next year.
The benefit of the CSV format is that as a plain text file, it is more widely supported by a greater variety of applications. If you would like a sample of the CSV format file prior to Price Guide Change week, contact to request a sample file be sent to you.
DESCRIPTION FILES
Description files will also be made available in the CSV format. For the October 2012 Price Guide changes, description files for both the old format (DBF) and the new format (CSV) are attached. Beginning with the next price guide change in April 2013, description files will be available in CSV format only.
The new Lumber Description file Lbr_desc.dbf and Lbr_desc.csv, and the new Panel Description file Pnl_desc.dbf and Panel_desc.csv are attached. Midweek items are referenced in the Lumber and Panel Description files. These cross-reference tables contain complete text and keyword descriptions for all price guide labels.
Lumber - New items - FIRSTPUB Date: 10/05/2012
Lumber - Retired items - LASTPUB Date: 09/28/2012
Midweek - New items - MWFIRSTPUB Date: 10/02/2012
Panel - No new or retired items - corrected description file attached, see note below*
*Panel did not have any retired or new items, but the following correction has been made: the Western Plywood Sanded AB column prices (PACL, PACM, PACN, PACO, PACP), which showed a grade of AA in the database description file instead of the correct grade of AB, were fixed, and a new Panel description file is attached.
DATABASE SUBSCRIBERS PLEASE NOTE:
Support tables are available in Microsoft Access format on request. We're making the support tables used to expand the field codes, including the query used to concatenate the Short, Medium and Long descriptions, available in Access format on request. Please e-mail us at , and we will send them to you.
If you have any questions, please let us know.
Please e-mail us at if you have any questions. Thank you!
Random Lengths Publications, Inc. | P.O. Box 867, Eugene, Oregon 97440-0867 U.S.A. Page 1
Phone: (541) 686-9925 | Fax: (541) 686-9629 | E-mail: | Web site: