Scientists Create Wood 10 Times Stronger Than Steel

Wooden pieces. Credit: Anonimski / Wikimedia Commons / CC0 1.0

A U.S. institution has introduced a caller type of wood that could reshape the aboriginal of construction. Engineered to beryllium up to 10 times stronger than alloy successful strength-to-weight ratio, this precocious material, called Superwood, is besides importantly lighter—up to six times little successful weight.

Invented by materials idiosyncratic Liangbing Hu and commercialized by Maryland-based startup InventWood, Superwood is present being produced for the market.

The breakthrough relies connected enhancing cellulose, the superior constituent of works fiber, to make a mentation of wood that’s not lone stronger than alloy but besides much resistant to damage.

This marks a large leap successful materials science, particularly successful applications wherever lightweight, durable operation is critical.

Breakthrough exertion rooted successful cellulose

Hu, present a prof astatine Yale University, began this enactment implicit a decennary agone portion starring probe astatine the University of Maryland. His absorption shifted from experimenting with transparency successful wood to improving its structural strength.

In 2017, helium and his squad developed a method to densify wood astatine the molecular level. The process involves removing lignin—responsible for wood’s colour and portion of its strength—then compressing the worldly aft a chemic bath, resulting successful a denser and much durable product.

Excited @invent_wood raised $15M to commercialize their "superwood" materials with:

"50% greater tensile spot than alloy and a strength-to-weight ratio that's 10 times better"@TechCrunch nonfiction beneath pic.twitter.com/mwqKfblq1S

— Nick Pinkston 🏭 🏗️ 🏙️ 🌐 ⏭ (@NickPinkston) September 17, 2025

The institution says Superwood is up to 20 times stronger than modular wood and 10 times much resistant to dents. Its structure, erstwhile porous, becomes compact and solid, expanding durability and absorption to fire, insects, and fungi.

Commercialization and aboriginal applications

InventWood CEO Alex Lau, who joined the institution successful 2021, said the merchandise maintains the look and consciousness of earthy wood but performs astatine a level acold beyond accepted timber. He explained that utilizing Superwood successful buildings could trim structural value by up to 4 times, perchance improving earthquake resistance and simplifying construction.

The institution is presently producing Superwood astatine a installation successful Frederick, Maryland. Lau noted that manufacturing present takes hours alternatively of days, though scaling up volition instrumentality time. Initial applications absorption connected exterior products similar decking and cladding, with plans to grow into interior uses, specified arsenic flooring and furniture, by adjacent year.

While accumulation has a higher carbon footprint than regular wood, Lau said emissions are inactive 90% little than those from alloy manufacturing. The goal, helium added, is not to undercut wood prices but to vie straight with alloy successful spot and sustainability.

Though different engineered woods exist, InventWood says Superwood differs by altering wood astatine the cellular level alternatively than combining fragments with adhesives. As involvement successful timber operation grows, experts judge stronger materials similar Superwood could play a captious relation successful reducing c emissions successful gathering design.