The shortage of materials (wood, steel, PVC, etc.) poses more and more problems of delays and abandonment of construction sites in France, one year after the start of the crisis.

In the North, the building industry is worried about possible late payment penalties and calls on public and private actors to show solidarity.   

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Copper, aluminum, steel, wood… A shortage of materials has hit the construction sector for several months.

Several factors explain this situation: the health crisis, the increase in freight caused by the grounding of the Ever Given last March or even Donald Trump's tax policy on Canadian timber.

All this leads to an increase in prices and a headache on the side of companies, as at a wood wholesaler in Lesquin, near Lille, in the North.

"Two paddles fighting in a duel"

It is a warehouse that is the surface of a football field.

Inside, in the shelving, there are still wooden panels.

A few, but more than before.

"Here, usually, you have stocks that go up to four or five meters high. And there, there is nothing at all. There are only two unfortunate pallets left fighting in a duel." , deplores Philippe Capelle, director of Panneaux France.

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By buying heavily their timber in Europe, because of the taxes on Canadian timber, the United States caused a scarcity and an increase in the price of timber, with increases of 30% to 40%.

"If customers can no longer help themselves, either at my colleagues or here, the building will stop," anticipates Philippe Capelle because, in this sector, everything is linked.

A jammed chain

Because it's not just wood: copper, aluminum or even steel are concerned. As soon as there is one in the chain that is stopped, inevitably, it will stop the others. "An electrician does not pass his ducts, we cannot close the partition, we cannot paint it and we cannot accept the building ... At this level, it can block everyone and, of course , the site ", details Benoît Loison, President of the French Building Federation in Nord-Pas de Calais.

These difficulties can thus lead to late payment penalties. It is for this reason that the Building Federation is appealing to regions, departments and real estate developers. "Show solidarity. Readjust delivery schedules without fines. Otherwise, there will be business failures," they warn.