Quick take
- Canfor Southern Pine is investing about $96 million in its Iron Mountain mill in El Dorado, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission announced Tue., Oct. 27.
- The company expects about 75 additional jobs at the mill and in logistics. When the work is done, Iron Mountain will employ about 150 full-time workers directly.
- The planer upgrade was finished in the second quarter of 2025. Sawmill and log yard work is set to be done by the end of 2026.
- A new site where lumber moves between trucks and rail cars opened at Iron Mountain earlier this year. It also serves Canfor’s nearby Urbana Sawmill.
- Canfor says annual output will more than double, to about 220 million board feet.
Canfor Southern Pine is spending about $96 million to modernize and expand its Iron Mountain mill in El Dorado, the Arkansas Economic Development Commission announced Tuesday. The company says the work will add about 75 jobs at the mill and in logistics. The Magnolia Reporter also reported the announcement.
What’s being built
- Planer: upgraded in the second quarter of 2025.
- Sawmill and log yard: being modernized and expanded, with completion expected in the fourth quarter of 2026.
- Rail transload site: built at Iron Mountain earlier this year so lumber can move between trucks and rail cars. It also serves the nearby Urbana Sawmill.
Canfor says the projects will more than double Iron Mountain’s yearly output to about 220 million board feet of Southern Yellow Pine lumber. When the work is finished, the mill will directly employ about 150 full-time workers.
What local leaders said
“The creation of 75 new jobs will provide more opportunities for our local workforce and strengthen our economy for the future,” Union County Judge Mike Loftin said in the announcement. Lee Goodloe, president of Canfor Southern Pine, said the company has invested more than $400 million in Union County since 2015.
Iron Mountain became part of Canfor in August 2024, when Canfor bought Arkansas Resolute El Dorado Inc. The company also runs the Urbana Sawmill and El Dorado Laminating Plant in the area.