Members Directory
Media Centre
If you’ve been searching for press releases, logos, photos or statistics, look no further: this is the section where you ’ll find everything you need.
In addition, the Centre also features the forest profile for each of the regions in which our industry is active, plus the latest news concerning the QFIC. The Media Centre is a genuine clearinghouse of information.
Publications
About
Mandate of PRIBEC
First published in January 1976, PRIBEC was initially intended to provide information about lumber prices (softwood and hardwood) for the Montreal market alone. Over the years, other markets have been included in weekly reports. Despite this expansion, PRIBEC’s main mission has not changed in its ongoing role as a price guide, it remains an invaluable reference tool. In this capacity, and regardless of the state of the market, PRIBEC monitors the entire Eastern North American lumber market—continuously, accurately, and objectively. PRIBEC does not attempt to influence or predict the market, but instead strives only to report and analyze the facts on behalf of its subscribers, who operate in a competitive environment.
Subscription
PRIBEC was established in response to needs of QLMA members, QFIC forerunner. It rapidly grew into a reference tool for the Eastern North American lumber market. Today, PRIBEC has many subscribers who are not members of QFIC but who appreciate the value of its continually updated content.
Determination of prices
PRIBEC is published each week primarily on the basis of telephone surveys and, to a lesser extent, faxed or e-mail data. Several producers and brokers (wholesalers and distributors), including members and non-members of QFIC, are surveyed, thus enhancing the accuracy of the information conveyed. The survey provides a transaction price and not a quotation price. Theoretically, a price published by PRIBEC should correspond to an arithmetical average established using prices for each item provided by the survey. However, an average may not accurately reflect the true situation of the market. In order to circumvent this obstacle, PRIBEC provides an appraisal of market prices, which are not necessarily average prices. According to the philosophy of PRIBEC, the market price is the price that a buyer would pay for a product of equal quality sold by a producer under conditions similar to those of another producer. This price is determined on the basis of the sales price obtained by a majority of producers or on the purchase price (at the lumber mill) paid by most brokers. Several other factors enter into the price equation. The editor takes note of the volumes sold for each of the reported prices, the tally and grade, the location of the lumber mill, shipping times, etc. The judgment and experience of the editor weigh considerably in determining market prices.
Inter-market price differential
In 1976, PRIBEC surveys and analyses were focused only on the Montreal market. More than 25 years later, it covers several Canadian and American markets recognized as meaningful for Eastern North American lumber. The prices thus published represent prices of products delivered to these markets, as identified in relation to a benchmark city. Under normal conditions, the price differential between two markets-Montreal and Toronto, for example-should only be a reflection of shipping costs. Actually, many producers calculate their own quotations using this method. However, the prices published in PRIBEC are transaction prices, not quotation prices. Since trading levels may vary in intensity from one market to the next, the price differential may vary too. In PRIBEC analyses, differences in prices are considered to be the product of variations in market activity and not merely the result of differences in distances relative to various markets. In short, PRIBEC makes a point of always delivering clear, accurate information quickly and in response to the needs of its subscribers.
