Pricing Timber

[gobbypunk]

So I have now started to get a nice stash of boards for sale and now I am stuck on how do I work out my prices is there like a price guide like book price for motors ,I have some 2 inch thick 20 inch wide burr mullberry and I cant find any that big for sale anywhere same with the Holly .

     Thanks. Mark

[Retired Climber]

From a business point of view you've got it a bit back to front. The normal way to do things is to find out how to make what you have most valuable, and then go from there. Why did you cut them to those sizes? Are they for a particular use? 

[Squaredy]

15 minutes ago, gobbypunk said:

So I have now started to get a nice stash of boards for sale and now I am stuck on how do I work out my prices is there like a price guide like book price for motors ,I have some 2 inch thick 20 inch wide burr mullberry and I cant find any that big for sale anywhere same with the Holly .

     Thanks. Mark

I would suggest Mark, work out a price per cubic foot (or cubic metre) for each type of timber and also for different grades.  So for example good clear Oak with few knots and splits might be £50 per cubic foot, burry Oak might be £60, knotty and splitty Oak might be £25, or even less if it is really just 'garden grade'.  Also take account of how long it needs to dry as it is taking up your space, so 100mm Oak maybe add 30% on as it takes so long to dry.

 

But also don't worry about having a price for every species - if you can't work out how much to charge for Mulberry maybe charge the same as you would for Oak, or if you think it is highly sought after the same as you would for Walnut.  If you struggle to get any takers maybe drop the price.

 

Also I would suggest charging a premium for wide boards as they are more difficult to produce and keep flat and there is a lot of demand for wider boards.

 

Over time you will learn what you can charge more for and what you need to charge less for.