How Much Does a Timber and Lumber Yard Earn?
In timber the same board produces two different earnings depending on how you sell it. Sell it by the cubic metre and you’re trading; plane it into a product and you’re manufacturing. 🪵
Short answer: an established yard nets ₺55K to ₺170K a month.
Below: the curve first, then three variables, three profiles and the growing move.
The first six months’ curve
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- Months 1-2: meeting the joiners
- Months 3-4: regular buyers
- Months 5-6: cutting and products
Month by month.
Months 1-2: meeting the joiners
A period of getting to know local joiners and trades; sales are irregular and amounts swing. Monthly net ₺0-16K. 📊
Months 3-4: regular buyers
A few joiners start buying regularly; cut-to-size requests arrive and baskets grow. Monthly net ₺16-42K.
Months 5-6: cutting and products
Cutting services and finished-product sales begin. Monthly net ₺38-80K; the margin lifts here because what’s sold is no longer raw material.
Three decisive variables
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- 1. Cutting and planing
- 2. The finished-product group
- 3. Stacking discipline
All three concern processing depth.
1. Cutting and planing
Cutting raw material to size and planing it makes the same board twice as valuable and opens the door to retail customers.
2. The finished-product group
Shelves, panelling, pallets and garden elements sell solutions rather than material and largely end price haggling.
3. Stacking discipline
Stock that doesn’t deform is earnings you didn’t lose; here order goes straight to profit and requires no investment.
Who earns how much?
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- Yard selling raw timber
- Cutting and planing yard
- Yard producing finished goods
Three real profiles.
Yard selling raw timber
Wholesale by cubic metre to joiners and sites; no processing at all. Monthly net ₺55-85K.
Cutting and planing yard
Cut-to-size, planing service, a regular joiner network and a delivery vehicle. Monthly net ₺90-135K.
Yard producing finished goods
Shelf, panelling and garden element production, retail sales, own vehicle and crew. Monthly net ₺130-170K.
The move that lifts the band
Moving into products.
Starting finished-product manufacture
Making shelves, panelling and garden elements from the same timber earns markedly more than selling by the cubic metre and opens a retail door. That group is also far more closed to haggling. Margin mechanics in the timber margin article. 🧭
Who are these earnings for?
Those who know the material and have the space.
What are these bands based on?
We calculate the ranges alongside field records, published tariffs and independent sector work. Because no two businesses land the same, we publish bands; this is not an earnings guarantee. Rules on our methodology page. 📐
📝 Notes from the Shop Floor
A yard sold only by the cubic metre for years; its customers were joiners and the price was permanently up for negotiation. It bought a cutting and planing machine and began offering cut-to-size. What it took for the same material rose clearly, and retail customers started arriving because it now sold ready sizes. In this branch earnings come from the process, not the tree. 🪵
📖 Quick Glossary
Planing: machining the timber surface smooth and even. Panelling: ready-cut boards used on walls and ceilings. Processing depth: how far raw material is cut, planed and turned into products. Monthly net: what remains after costs.
⚡ The Short Version
Established yard nets ₺55-170K monthly. 📊 First 6 months: ₺0-16K → ₺16-42K → ₺38-80K. Three profiles: raw sales ₺55-85K, with cutting ₺90-135K, finished goods ₺130-170K. Doubling move: starting finished-product manufacture.
🎯 Next Step
Let’s plan your processing depth and earnings: quote form · free digital audit. 🤝
Frequently Asked Questions
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Wide space, a forklift and material knowledge are required; wrong buying sits in stock for months and locks capital. As processing depth grows, the retail door opens too. For working in a small space, ironmongery; for earning from labour, welding and metalwork. Compare branches on our sector page.
In yards with steady cutting demand it usually amortises within a year and then lifts the margin permanently. If demand is irregular, cutting elsewhere first and measuring is safer.
Whatever is most asked for in your area; shelves and panelling are usually the fastest-turning starters. Garden elements add a seasonal income on top.
The margin is clearly higher than wholesale and payment is upfront. The finished-product group is the most natural way to open that door.
Source: FAO — Forestry Statistics